The Ward County independent., 1921-09-01
WASHINGTON NEWS
LETTER
BY PARKER LA MOORE

On Wednesday,, August Gath, Con-
gress recessed until the 21st of Sep
tember. The House, having passed
both the tariff and tax bills, has COM
pleted the first Legislative lap in the
present special session and both
measures are now before the Senate
Finance Committee. Hearings be-
fore this committee will run we'll
into the coming month and the re-
cess will enable the committee men,
bers to have the tax bill ready for
action by the Senate by the time
Congress recOnvenes.
Congressman Burtness left for his
home in Grand Forks the day follow
ing the adjournment while Congress-
man Young, of the second district
expects to leave for home later in the
week. Representative Sinclair also
plans upon being in North Dakota for
at least part of the recess.
Both Young and Burtness took an
active part in the debate prior to the
passage of the tax bill. Representa-
tive Young delivered one of the COM
mittee speeches in support of the bill
while Mr.. Burtness took the floor
mittee bill to the House in the form
4AOAA Wu1SA ~ was 1CpO1 1IOIl Luc
Republican conference. Both Young
and Burtness then voted for the bill.
Representative Sinclair was one of
the few Republicans to vote against
the bill, as was also the case when
the tariff bill passed the House. Mr..
Sinclair took no part in the debate
upon either measure so his views upon
neither bill are generally known. The
tax bill carried the bulk of the party
vote with a number of Democratic
members joining in swelling the heavy
majority cast in it's favor.
All three of the North Dakota men,
bers voted for the Democratic motion
to recommit the bill to the committee
with instructions to strike out the
clauses repeating the excess profits
tax upon higher incomes but the mo-
tion did not carry. Fifty Republi-
cans voted in favor of this motion, the
chief Republican support for the mo-
ton coming from the Northwestern
delegations.
In his closing remarks upon the bill
Mr.. Burtness said: "Just q word
in closing, particularly to those Re-
publican members who, like myself,
come from the great Northwest. This
bill is not exactly to our liking, but
we have received many considerations
we asked for. / was pleased to hear
the gentleman, the fearless and pos
sibly sometimes stubborn fighter from
Wisconsin, Mr.. Frear, yesterday state
on the floor that he was going to vote
for the bill. The Republican con-
ference met us more than half way
in acceding to our views. 1t is only
fair for us to support this measure
whole -heartedly. It is great inn
provement over our present laws. A
vote against the bill is a vote to
continue, the present taxes SO har-
RAISING to agriculture and all other
businesses, and in my humble iudg
ment could not be Justified. Let us
all help to swell the majority for
bill, which, it seems to me, will aid
all those industries which l referred
to at the beginning Of these remarks
and which are so dependent upon
each other"
It is understood that Senator Nc
Cumber will spend most Of the recess
in Washington as his committee will
be occupied with the tax bill during
the greater part of that time. SEN
ator Ladd will leave shortly for Far
90.
The recess found the work of the
session we'll at the half way mark
and during the interval since the be-
ginning of the special session and ag-
riculture has received very fair con-
sideration throughout. The Kellogg
McNary farm credits bill has passed,
also the Capper-Pincher bill to reg
ulate the grain exchanges. The
emergency tariff bill has been on
the statute books for sometime and
in the House, at least, the permanent
tariff bill, of benefit to agriculture as
we'll as other industries, was given
prior consideration over other press
ing legislation.
When Congress returns in Septem-
ber the Senate will at once proceed
upon the tax and tariff bills. Other
matters are awaiting the attention
of the House, including the funding
bill and matters of much Importance.
The Senate Committee on Foreign Re-
lations has already given informal
consideration to the new treaty of
peace with Germany, framed in ac-
cordance with the Knox-P Porter peace
resolution and the consent of the Sen
ate should follow shortly after the