The New York herald., 1921-02-07
SENATE NOW IN MAZE
Vote OLA Emergency Tariff
Put Off for Purpose Of
Killing Other Measures.
JOBS CUT BIG FIGURE
Minority Uses Pressure to Get
Through Huge List of APP
(! pOintments.
Special Despatch to THE NEW YoRK HrRALD.
New York Herald Bureau.
Washington, ID. c., Feb. @.

Special Despatch to THE NEW YoaK HnaALp.
New York Herald Bureau.
Washington, ID. c., Feb. @. !
Presdent-elect Harding will assume
the role of taskmaster to Congress when
II meets tomorrow. His parting injunc-
ton to his Congressional colleagues on
his one day visit in December was that
they clear the decks for action on the
reconstruction programme, both domes-
tic and foreign, in the special session
that he promised to call soon after his
Inauguration. The Republican steering
committees of the Senate and House will
attempt to make 1t possible for that
service TO their leader to be performed
and are to meet Tuesday to perfect their
programme IL possible.
No one realizes better than they do
what a tremendous problem confronts
them. They are hanpered first of all by
the partisan tactics of the minority in
the Senate, where the Republicans hold
control by the narrow margin of two
Votes. Headed by some of the shrewdest
political manipulators in Congress, the
Democrats have been able to make an
almost trrackless jungle of the Legislative
seems almost beyond the power of re-
trievemeut.
Their one best weapon has become the
Fordnny emergency tariff bin on farm
prodkcts Although they know that it
canHot become a law because of the
Presidential veto they say awaits Il,
tfey have perslstently refused to allow 1t
10 come to vote following failure Of
rhe Republican attempt to enforce clo-
,t.,ra afr- a
come known. is to use 1t to delay mai
action on other measures to which they
are opposed.
Seek to Perpetunte Machine.
These include among other things the
Nolan minimum wage bill, passed long
ago by the House and now on the Sem
ate calendar; the reapportionment bill,
passed more than a week ago by the
House. holding the House to its present
size, but shifting Representatives from
one State TO another. SO that ten States
will lose members that other States will
gain thereby, and several other less i'm.
portant measures to which individual
Democratic Senators object.
Also they are holding 1t over the Re-
publlcans as a whip to try to force
them to consent to confirmation OF sew
eral thousand political appointments and
by President Wilson. The Republicans,
Of course, will resist confirmation on the
theory that II they were confirmed
Democratic political machine built up by
Postmaster-General Burleson and other
Democratic managers would be perpetu-
ated.
The one thing that Senator Harding
emphasized in his final appeal TO his Re-
publican colleagues for assistance in dis
tt,s tba Ra-
publican party by the American people
was to let no appropriation bill fail
These, he said. are merely routine meas
ures and should be got out of the way
OF the special session. But there seems
reason now to believe that some Of the
more important OF these will fail. al
though 1t Is Impossible now to predict
which ones. Only two small supply
bills. the Indian bill and the District of
Columbia bill. have been approved by
both branches. Six more have been
passed by the House and are UP to the
Senate-the Sundry Civil, the Diplomatic
and Consular, the River and Harbor, the
Legislative, the Agricultural and the
Post Office appropriation bills.
-Four more supply bills must be passed
by the House, namely, the Army BILL
practically complete: the Navy bill,
which has been reported, the General
Deficiency. also, reported. and the Forti-
fcations bill. which is still In committee
The Army and Navy bills both involve
nightly controversial subjects such as
the size OF the Army and the naval
policy. which Is the subject of much dis
sension In the Senate particularly.
Constructive Bills Pending.
There still remain n long list Of i'm
portant bills pending In the House and
ha r.tft. a
the emergency tariff that are con-
structive In character. many of them
considered highly essential, most of them
the target for criticism by many MEM
bers. and therefore easy to defeat in
The closing days Of short session.
There are FIVE bills that stand a very
good chance of passing the House. These
are the Langley bill for the construc-
ton Of Ave hospitals for soldiers of the
world war. to be located In hve selected
areas: the bill OF Representative Wins
low (Mass.) TO make partial payments
TO various railroads Of their six months
guaranteed return under the Esch-Cum-
minis railroad law, the bill for road
construction under Federal and State
cooperation carrying an authorization OF
100000. 900. the wise passport bill OF
Representative Newton (Minn.) extend
ing war control for a year over the
passports by consular or diplomatic off,
scers. and the bill authorizing return Of
the body OF one unidentified American
soldier from France for burial In
, Arlington National Cemetery as SYM
bolic memorial.
Important bills pending in the House
that probably will fail are: The bill
for regulation OF the packing industry
passed by tho Senate and favorably re-
ported 20 the House from the Agricul-
t1ral Committee but amended by sub
stituting the House bill Tor the Senate
bill; regulation OF grain futures, on
which extensive hearings have been
held but which has not been reported
the so-called Sheppard-Towner ma
ternity bill designed 20 lower infant
mortality through Federal and state CO.
operation: also the Smitn-Towner bill
for a cooperative scheme Of education
nnd the creation of a new Department
Of Education, with new Cabinet off,
Ger.
situntS In senate BAD.
-, Ill.