Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-06-06
country knows this Congress has been
humiliating failure"
I.eSisIat ion Resiewed,


The session of Congress which ended
yesterday began on December I. I'm
portant legislation enacted during
that time. included:
The Army reorganization bill pro-
viding for peace-time army Of 297.-
600 officers and men, national
guard and a reserve force.
The transportation act designed to
assist the railroads over the period
Immediately following their return to
private control last March 1.
The Oil leasing bill by which thou
sands of acres of oil and mineral lands
in the west and south were thrown
open to development.
The merchant marine bill providing
for the ultimate sale OF the vast govern
ment-owned merchant fleet.
The Sterling anti-sedition act and
the Johnson bill providing for the de-
portation and exclusion Of dangerous
aliens.
The Edge bill authorizing the for
nation of corporations to finance
American export trade.
The civil service retirement bill.
The postal pay increase bill.
Measures That Failed.
Important measures which failed OF
passage included:
The soldier bonus bill. which was
passed by the House last Saturday
Senate.
The budget bill, which President
Wilson vetoed and which the SEN
ate failed to pass after the House had
amended it to meet the Presidents OBJ
lection
The bill to regulate and control the
meat packing industry.
The cold storage bill.
The bill to abolish the housing cor
poration.
The annual rivers and harbors sup
ply measure, which was left in confer
ence.
Waterpower Bill Lost.
Congress finally passed the water
power bill which has been pending
for twelve years. but 1t was killed
automatically with the adjournment
of Congress through failure of the
President to sign II.
Besides the legislation passed. Con-
gress also sent to the President and
he approved sixteen supply measures.
Permanent appropriation bills of
total Of s1.4s2. 100000 also were passed
and approved.
During the six months of the ses-
sion just ended. total of approx
imately 10000 bills and resolutions
about BIS bills and joint resolutions
and the House 37S bills and joint
resolutions. The former adopted
about $50 resolutions not requiring
House action, and the House adopted
about the same number not needing
Senate action.
Still i'm Technical War.
Much of the session was occupied
by another unsuccessful effort to
agree on a peace settlement which
would end the technical state of war.
The treaty of Versailles. laid aside at
the close Of the first session in
November, was brought back before
final vote on its ratification was
reached on March 10, after all efforts
to bring about a compromise had
failed.
AS an alternative both Senate and
House later passed a joint resolution
but it was vetoed by the President.
and when republican leaders sought
to repass it the House failed to
muster the necessary two-thirds
majority.
The President vetoed five measures
passed over his veto. The others
were the legislative, executive and
| judicial bill, the measure to prohibit
interstate shipment of obscene mo-
ton pictures (disapproved because an
| engrossing clerk made an error in
| transcribing it), and a bill to pay
| claims of certain persons in Alabama
growing out of flood on the Warrior
river.
Record Made i'm Investigations.
More Investigations were conducted
at this session than probably ever
were undertaken at any session in
recent years. The five major war In
vestigations started at the previous
session were continued and in 'addf-
ton the Senate conducted inquiries
| into campaign expendituresosQthe
sspread OF the bolshevik propaganda.
the railroad strike, the Navy's con-
duct Of the war, the award OF naval
medals, the print paper Situation
shoe prices, Mexican affairs and many
others. lttso00
The Senate also authorized inyestt1
cations of the Federal Trade Commits
sion and the Ford-Newberry election
contest. but these have not yetTbeen
started. = TIgd
The principal investigation by the
House. aside from the war Inquiries,
was that into the sugar situation, .