Omaha daily bee., 1921-04-05
Solons' League
Will Meet Here
Every Odd Year
Rodman Named President of
Body at Annual Banquet
In Lincoln; Senator
Hitchcock Speaks.

! Lincoln, April 4,-(Special Tele-
gram The Nebraska Legislative
league will be entertained i'll Omaha
every odd year under rules adopted
tonight by league members on the
eve of the tenth annual banquet.
This means that every year in which
there isn't a session OF the legisla-
ture the league will hold its love
feast in Omaha
Victor Reynolds of Omaha, retlr-
ing president of the league presided
at the banquet.
Representative James A. Rodman
was elected president; Col. Tom
Majors, 81, Peru, vice president;
Representative Vincent Hascall.
Omaha, secretary-treasurer.
Following the business meeting,
hundreds OF members and former
members attended the banquet,
heard witticisms on this session, wit
messed moving pictures of this ses-
sion and those in the past and lis
tened to speeches by Senator Gill
heft M. Hitchcock of Omaha and
A. J. Weaver Of Falls City.
Remarkable Development.
Speaking of changes in the legis-
lative machinery, Senator Hitchcock
said:
"Within the IS years of my pub
lie life, | have seen remarkable
development of the government at
Washington. Its activities have
enormously increased. Congress,
which formerly alternated one year
long session and next year a short
session with a recess each year run
ming from five months to elgh,
months, has had during the last Is
wears, so many extra sessions and
such short recessD that senator's
and representatives hardly have
been able to get home at all to their
constituents.
"The change began under Roose-
velt's administration with a great
OF regulatory and reform
legislation. 1t continued through
Taft's somewhat reactionary four
wears of tariff tinkering and the
struggle over Canadian reciprocity.
Then came the eight years OF Will
sons administration just closed,
during which congress has been IN
almost continuous session in peace
as we'll as in war time, with an un-
paralleled program of legislation. =,
Facing Difficult Program.
"And now, one week from today,
after months rest, congress is to
meet in extra session under the cal!
of President Harding, facing dit
ficult legislative program which IS
likely to keep it busy for many
"These years through three ad-
have seen annual gov
ernment expenditures of $700,OOO,0OO
to $800,000.000 a year grow to a
81 900, 100000, then to 81 $1,200,0OO,OOO
before the war and finally now to
over $4,OOO,00O,000 a year. They
have seen a great increase in gov
ernment machinery, including the
of several members of the
cabinet. They have seen four great |
constitutional amendments adopted,
for income taxes, for the !
election of senators by the people,
;or prohibition and for woman suf- /
rage.
"They have witnessed the estab-
ishment of the great Federal Re-
serve bank system, which has be- |
come the most powerful financial
system in the world. They have
seen the beginning of agricultural
,redits in the establishment of the
federal Farm Loan banks, and the
starting of an era of internal de-
,elopment by the new good roads
They have seen the
nonopolies of the country checked
md regulated by law and legitimate
rade protected by the federal trade