The Washington times., 1921-04-11

an experienced legislator who has
seen previous service in the House.
There is one woman. Alice Robertson,
| of Oklahoma, a Republican, the first
| woman Congressman since jeanette
Rankin. of Montana, who was defeat
| ed for reelection in 1918. There are
about ninety-fve members of the
i House who come in without any pre-
vious experience in Congress, and
| these with over 100 others make up
the total of 200 members who have
seen two years and less Of service.
DEMOCRATS EXPERIENCED.
| Most of the Democratic members
are experienced. They are from the
South. just about half-a dozen of them
coming from the Northern States. But
even in the South the Democratic
ranks were thinned at the last cleo
tiops, the Republicans having made
gain of members from Oklahoma.
Texas and Missouri.
The opening session of the House
| today was scheduled to be routine
and perfunctory. After the swearing
in of the Speaker. the Clerk of the
House. Sergeant Arms, ID o or
keeper and other officials, the menu
bers of the House were called and
sworn in by States, the Speaker ad-
ministering the oath of office. There
followed then the naming of commit
tee members by the Republican floor
leader and the Democratic floor
lAeader. BY unanimous action of the
democrats Claude Kitchin was named
leader and given, the Democratic COM
plimentary vote for Speaker OF the
| House. .Assl@S.l'
The committee membership was re-
arranged by the Republican majority
of the House, based on the relative
| numerical representation of the two
parties and to give greater number
of committee assignments to the Re-
publican members. The Ways and
Means Committee will consist Of sew
enteen Republicans and eight Demo-
Gratis; the large standing committees
| Of twenty-one members will consist
of sixteen Republicans and Ave Demo-
Gratis; the Appropriations Committee,
of thirty-fve, and the Rules Commit
tee of nine members have not been
apportioned.
| With this organization work coni-
pIeted the House planned to adjourn
! for the day During the short ses-
sion there was dropped into the House
hopper by mepbers flood of bills,
| many of them being measures that
failed of passage in the last Congress-.
| New members dragged from their
pockets special legislation iE when
they were interested and which played
more or less conspicuous part in
their local campaigns.
SET LEGIsLATIvE PROGRAM.
The set legislative program for the
| House Is passage OF the anti-dum ping
| and American valuation legislati on,
the emergency farmers tariff bill, the
! army and navy appropriation bills
that failed at the last Congress. gem
| eral tariff revision, revision of the tax
laws. special legislation desired by
President Harding to give him greater
latitude in consolidating and reorsan-
! iziHg the various departments and
| agencies of the Government.
With this legislation gut of the wa
or in it's course the legislators will
J take up budget legislation. packer
Hesitation, reapportionment OF the
| House based on the last census. cold
| storage legislation, control Of prod-
| uce exchanges, modification OF tho
Clayton antitrust law as affectins :
railroads, coal control. soldier bonus.
immigration restriction, infancy en-!
| maternity aid, patent office reorgani.
zation, and such other legislation as
| shall from time to time thrust itself
| forward as Immediately necessary.
Republican leaders admit that this
Is an ambitious program. and they do
not hope to get 1t through at the pres
| ent session. With what must be done
at once the most hopeful sec the con-
slant daily grind running far into Au-
gust. while others speak desponden,Iy
of an adjournment in November. There
| Is talk already of n recess during the
dog days of July and August, but the
leaders say there must be no shirkinE
and no abandonment Of the work until
the legislation needed by the country
shall have been enacted.
| Here are some of the more i'm
portant matters which will engage
the attention of this new Congress:
FOREIGN.
Peace with whether by
ratification of the treaty of Yer.
sailles In an amended form. or by
passage of the Knox resolution de-
claring merely that the state of war
between the United States and Ger
many is ended.
Peace with Austria by similar &C.
tion.
The entrance or entrance of
| the United StaHes into the League of
Nations now existing, or an Asso-
citation of Nations built along new
i.lines, or remaining completely aloof
from any form of international as
ISOLATION.
Ratification of the Colombian
treaty over which there. promises to
be a sharp nGht .r -