The Winslow mail., 1920-04-30


Only about thirty working days re-
main of this session of Congress. if
the plan of the Republican leaders
for recess or adjournment early in
June is followed.
Three or four appropriation bills
must yet be considered by both House
and Senate; the House Ways and
Means committee is endeavoring to
formulate program for adjustment
of the pay of returned soldiers; the
House Commmitteee on immigration
is considering the advisability of add
ing to the restrictions of the existing
immigration law and the Senate has
before it the proposal to create bud
get system. This is about all the work
it appears Congress will attempt to
dispose of.
The immigration is a real problem
because on the one hand business in
|terests are demanding that immigra-
tion be encouraged so the shortage Of
common labor may be relieved, while
on the other hand members Of the
committee are afraid that increased
immigration will only add to the
strength of the undesirable anarchis-
tic element which wishes to over
throw the government.
Whatever the House committee H.
nally does or does not do it is possible
it will do nothing there is little like
lihood that the House legislation on
this subject will be approved by the
Senate
The Ways and Means committee is
finding great. difficulty in formulat-
ing a soldier adjusted compensation
bill. Money must be raised to pay
bonus, and the Republican leaders on
the committee are determined that it
shall be obtained through additional
taxation The plan proposed is a tax
upon every turnover" sale. a tax the
Democrats contend would make pos
sible unlimited additional profiteering.
The committee is confronted by a
growing demand on the part of Demo-
|crats for raising the necessary revenue
through taxation of war profits. but
1T is understood the Republican
steering committee" will fight such
a proposal to the last.
With this situation existing. despite
word from Senator Lodge. that the
Senate will act upon bonus bill if
it passes the House within the next
seven to ten days, there is a possi-
bility the problem will be "sidestep-
ped by the House passing a bill and
the Senate failing to get around to it
The budget legislation proposed in
the Senate is regarded as a slight i'm
provement over the so-called budget
bill passed in the House. but it is
doubtful if the Senate bill will be
finally passed in both Houses at this
session. But there is a possibility
that some sort of budget legislation
will be agreed upon and passed.
Granting that budget legislation will
we approved and that a bill for ad-
justed compensation for soldiers will
get through, the record for thirteen
months of this Congress will be:
Passed annual APPROPRIATION mea-
sures. which must be enacted yearly
for the government to function and
which should not require more than
two months of the time of any Con
gress.
Passed Railroad bill, which actual
ly held the attention of Congress as a
whole about ten days.
Budget legislation. which should
require more than two weeks.
Soldiers adjusted compensation le-
gislation, which should not require
-onl menttMa bmenl ,oooin
more than one week.
In all. the work done by this Con-
gress should not have required more
than five months of real and sincere
effort. But thirteen months of Con
gress divided in two sessions. will
have been required to pass this legis-
lation.
OF course, The Record will be filled
with discussions Of private bills. ETC..
but it viii be quantity record, and
is really record of problems avoided
and of almost complete success in the
plan to do nothing. This was the
plan Of the Republican leaders when
this session was convened, because of
the desire for partisan reasons to
POSTPONE consideration Of all impOrt- |