Norwich bulletin., 1921-04-12
WASHINGTON AFFAIRS
Special to The Bulletin. ]

bills that drop into the legislative hooper of the house on Monday will be meas , ures pertaining to soldier relief and well , fare.
 The consideration of certain war ser vice measures now scattered among the departments of treasury, war and interior was carefully considered during the last congress but no bill enbedying the pro- I posed change became law. The Wason bill along that line passed congress but was killed by the pocket veto of Presi- dent Wilson; the Rogers bill was the subject of prolonged hearings and receiv- ed strong support, form many members of congress and military organizations but-did not get reported out of the com mittee on interstate and foreign com meree before the bill died by limitation
 at the end of the seth congress.
 MT. Sweet of Iowa, member of that
 committee also had bill before con- gress and within forty-eight hours of the end of the session introduced another bill for the same purpose but covering a wider scope than either his former bill or any introduced by other members of the house. Wason, Rogers and Sweet will introduce bills bearing their names and framed largely along the same lines | as their former bills as soon as 67th con-
 gress convenes. These gentlemen will | 1 drop into the little wicker basket stand i I known as "the hopper"-bills for the | consolidation of such bureaus and other organizations as deal with war risk in- | surance, vocational education and cer- tain phases of the public health service. | now under separate control, and some | of the bills will go many steps further i | in their advocacy of assembling under sibliity and power dealing with ex-sol- |
 diers and their dependent families
 The interstate commerce committee conducted extensive hearing last winter anw now the Dawes commission has ga-
 thered much evidence all of whichs will
 tend to point the way for quick improve nlent in service for war veterans.
 \ While the Wason and Rogers bills urge consolidation of veteran service as
 administered by departments and bu- reaus, the Sweet bill goes many steps
 further. It bears the title of the vet erans' bureau and that tells the whole story in a nutshell. The purpose of the bill Is to embrace under one head, all matters pertaining to veterans and their ! families The Sweet bill would put ' them all under the treasury department and would include the war risk, the fed
 eral vocational education and such fea-
 lures of the public health service as pertains to veterans, and also the nation al soldiers homes. and the pension bu- reau. It would give the directorship of
 these offices to an assistant secretary of the treasury who would have under , him two assistant directors, one in charge . of the work at Washington and the oth- ! I CT the field work, so called, which would . deal with all matters outside of the cap ital. The plan does not interfere or . curtail the work of any other bureau, t except as it may deal with ex-soldier re- c lief work. It does away with the com
 missioner of pensions and the director
 of war risk bureau, making the newly created bureau responsible for the en- tire veteran system ''The bill is de- signed" said Mir. Sweet today ito pro- t tect, and benefit all war veterans and n 1 aid in securing quick service for them. l. Its title tells the whole story. It is a !, veterans bureau, and nothing else" As . Mir. Sweet is ranking member of the in A terstate commerce committee which must
 first consider all such measures the Sweet j. bill will probably be given the right of e way. It is understood the American Le- e zion and other veteran organization is d strongly impressed with the merits of e that bill, and it is hard to conceive a e situation that may arise to prevent con '. gress from taking early action on vefer- ie an legislation. On the committee before IL which such bills come are MT Merritt y of Connecticut, Mr. Stiness of Rhode Isl 8. and and it's chairman is MT. Winslow ot se Massachusetts. all of whom have de Id ciared themselves strongly in favor O. ,t the early passage of some bill to better l. the veteran service.
 iI It would net be fair to say congres ,r sional leaders have cold feet over th z. tremendous majority of 69 republican, A which must be held in line if policies O Id the administration are to be carried out C. but they fully realize that the responsi he bility of congressional work is place. nt suuarely on their shoulders, and that tn
 greater number of the newly electe " members have no experience in tean ,o work such as is necessary to procure re N Asults New England is coming back int .h her own at break-neck pace, judgin 'ie from the placement of its men on com ed mittee of first importance. After eigh 'e- years and more of southern supremac ar in tho house. during which New Englan
 ped in sight over the rail, the latter seC Aa tion of the country now holds the mo.
 powerful committee assignments in COT es. gress and 1t will be New England ths nd maps out the congressional legislation fC ak the 67th congress. Apparently the raj ut road situation will profit by this cond as ton, for matters pertaining to railros .n- legislation must go before the intersta eI and foreign commerce committee whc! k chairman will be Congressman Wilsc lat na.+ic,,t Sfinss. of Pboda 1t,.ns sr or Burroughs of New Hampshire as oth TO- members of the committee Burroughs the the new man on that committee and W om undoubtedly prove very valuable a nA quisition. He is the head of one of u no largest law firms in New Hampshire, IL. resident of Manchester, and an able al
 experienced legislator.
 leu With four able New England men
 the. important committee which hand
 all proposed railroad legislatiol hefo
 1t comes before the house. hope is 6 to pressed here that way will be found
 frame wise and effective railroad ia,
 that cannot fail to benefit the transpc
 taticn situation in the New Engla us states and which will thus benefit t ie' entire country
 This showdown of New England DO ose CT on the interstate commerce commit hnd is an example of what will be found
 practically all other committees of
 iportance.
 Ter. The assignments of Connecticut cc as gressman for the 67th congress are
 follows:- Tilson, ways and means M
 ritt, interstate and foreign commerC
 Freeman rivers and harbors, Glynn e a4is sus, claims, insular affairs; Tenn, bar lght ing and currency. The senate assis dis lments are not yet announced but it
 known that Brandegee will continue
 the foreign relations and Mclean V be chairman of banking and currency ltui addition to the other important assii