Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1920-11-19
Congress Begins
December Sixth
LAST SESSION OF SIXTY sixth
CONGRESS WILL BIZ IN SEES
SION UNTIL MARCH A.

Washington, ID. C.-The next ses-
sion of Congress. which meets De-
eember 9Th, and which Will be last
and third session OF the Sixty sixth
Congress, will last only until the in
aueuration Of the new president
March A, next when the session win
expire by Imitation OF law. Includ.
ing the Christmas, holidays. which
always lasts ten days. the next ses-
sion viii have less than 70 working
days II will readily be seen from
this limited time that the December
session Will not be able to enact
much legislation, 1t VIII do we'll to
pass the fourteen big annual ap-
preparation bills, ana adjourn in
time for the Presidential Inaugural
ton
There is another pig thing. be-
sides lack of time, which will pre-
vent much, If any. new legislation
in the December session. As a new
Congress and a new President will
take the helm after March there
will b a general desire on the part
OF all congressman TO defer import
ant legislation until the new Presi-
dent makes his desires known. and
until the new members of Congress.
of which there will be many. can
participate in National legislation.
The first session of the Sixty-sev
enth Congress will be a special ses-
sion called by the new President
soon after his Inauguration next
March. This session will last a long
time, and may even run into the
regular December session of Con
gress. 1921. At this special session
all the vast reconstruction problems
of the new administration will have
10 be considered and solved and il
! will take months to do that The
last session of Congress did not real
ly have time to grappIe with recon
struction problems and neither w,l
| the December session. Reconstruc-
ton will be effected IN the sppcia
session of the new Congress. fhe (.
| problems are as gigantic AMI I'M
portant as those which confronted
the Federal Government at the be
ginning of the world war
Though the December session viii
not have time to take up the prob
lens of Government, nevertheless
there are two matters of Legislation
besides the appropriation bills which
that session will endeavor to pu
through. One of them is revision o
the tax laws. and some sort of re
lief from the housing situation
! which has grown serious in nearl,
every urban community in the Who'll
country.
An effort will be made in Decem
ber to completely revise the incom
tax laws, but because of the lack o
time in that session, 1t is doubtful
il any new tax bill can be enacre,
into law. Both democratic and re
publican leaders are very anxious t
have the tax laws, particularly tn
income tax. revised from top to bot
: tom. Needless to say every citiZe
concurs in this desire, for the IN
come tax. it cannot be denied pres
ses heavily on rich and poor alike
In the December session Secretar
Houston will ask Congress to max
the new law simpler than the pre-
snt cumbersome statute. One c
the most important recommends
tions of Mr. Houston Will be tha
that the Commissioned of Interns
revenue De dulllbt lItu " iildht His
} determinations in any tax asses.
, ment Under the present law ia
case can be opened time and tim
, again until the taxpayer never kno
when he is through with litigatio
with the Treasury. But lowerin
} of the whole income tax sehedul
is what is now desired by congress
men and citizens alike. There al
so many imperfections in the pr'
sent income tax law. as happens IL
ually in all complex and new sta
J utes. and these must be ironed on
e In the revision. House and Sena'
, leaders are said to plan not only
general reduction in all schedule
but changes SO that big incomes wi
] bear proportionally larger share I
the tax The little fellow" wi