The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-02-15
Business Men Unlikely to
Know Their Fate
by July /
AGRICULTURISTS
PUSHING HARD
Making Determined Effort to Get Their
Relief Bills Through This Session of
Congress - Early Special Session Is
Likely
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
Especial Despatch to The RefOrmer.)
Copyright 1921.


must pay for this year seem to be going
by the boards OH account of the inability |
of congress to get much done at the
present session. which ends in a fort |
night. So much legislation of a general |
character will be left over for the spe- !
cial session to be called by Mr. Harding
that the plan of getting revenue legis-
lation out of the way by the end of
June is obviously impossible.
During the campaign it was whispered
by the knowing ones that every business
man in the United States would be adj
vised by July 1 just how much of the
income of the year 1921 must go to the
government The day was tentatively
fixed as a goal because many business
houses keep their books from July l to
July l and 1t was considered valuable
To know. for example, just how much
buying to do and at what margin bust
ness could be conducted for the ensuing
year. Moreover, concerns which had
tailed to do very much business in the
first six months of the year 1921 were
TO be benefited by the knowledge that
they wouldn't be troubled with the ex-
cess profits tax either for the first or last
six months of 1921. Indeed. while there
cess profits tax, business cannot proceed
on that assumption until action to the
effect has been taken and some idea is
given Is To the character of the substi-
tute tax.
Until the present congress got into a
legislative jam. it was assumed that
March 4 would see the passage of all
the important appropriation bills as well
as the passage of some general legisa-
ton for which the agricultural interests
of the country had been pressing. The
danger that some appropriate bills may
go over until the next session and that
the farmers organization Will continue
their fight early in the next session il,
for example the bill to control the pack
ers fails to get through makes it likely
that the first months of the new session
will be slow moving.
Mr. Harding is being urged to call the
extra session as early as March 10
though April Il was the date that pre-
viouslv had been mentioned as n tenta-
tive date. The date of the extra session
is of double Importance to Mr.. Harding.
First. it bears a direct relationship to
the amount of work that can be accom-
plished before the heat of midsummer
affects the legislative energies and en-
thusiasm of an OvCrwOrked congress.
Second, it means an avalanche OF en-
gagementS for the president with men,
berS of congress, who will be seeking Of
fees for their constituents or else the adj
vice and influence of the president with
respect TO pending legislation. President
Wilson always used to shape his plans
50 as to keep congress away from Wash
ingtOn as much as possible so as to be
renewed of Legislative pressure but he
did not succeed. Congress was always
a milestone around the neck of the chief
executive both in the demands for favor
and precious time.
The new president will be so busy
getting his feet on the ground in the
first few weeks of his administration
that his work in organizing the eXecu-
tive departments will be seriously inter
fercd with, if he must give his immediate
attention to conferences with congress
sional leaders. If the present congress
had needed the warning sounded by Mr..
Harding when he was last in Washing
ton, namely to get aS much done during
this session as possible, 1t would nave
been feasible TO postpone the beginning
of the extra session to the latter part of
April and thus permit of at least six
weeks of uninterrupted effort in getting
the machinery of the executive branch
of the government working smoothly.
OF the many organizations whose leg
iSlatiOn may be lost in the shuttle, this
session. the farmers bureaus are prepar-
ing most actively to push their measures
through before March t. 1t begins to
be apparent that the emergency tariff
| bill will fail to become a law even though
the conference committees of both houses
get it ready to go to the White House
| in the next week or so. presidential
veto will further delay the bill. How
ever, the bill to control the packers
which has already passed the senate and
has been favorably reported. by the
| house committee on agriculture simply
| waits an opportunity for Il vote. Petl-
! tions for a special rule are being clrcu-
| lated in the house and today a demand
will be made for a rule that will make
/ it possible for the packer bill to get i'm
mediate consideration. The farmers or
| carnations are already emitting bitter
| criticism of the Republican house leaders
| and demanding new leadership for the
| next session. This is their way of max
ing the house leaders realize that any
move to suppress packer legislation VII
not be tolerated
However, the plight of the farmers j.
no different from that of other OrganiZa
tions which have been clamoring for ac
ton at the present session of congress:
and it will be a lucky thing if the tive
houses pass all the appropriation bills il
the short time left before March I. Thu
cause of the jam is indeed lack of lead
crship. 1t is largely due to the fac
that only the chief executive can stee
congress and make it work Mr. Hard
ing was unavOidably absent and Mr.. vii
sons word doesn't go very far with con
gress because it is of an opposite politi
cal faith. But congress Will get into
| similar Jam next session unless Nj
Harding takes the bit into his teeth an
drives congress just as Alessrs. Nilso
and Roosevelt found it necessary to d
to get things done.
Cornell was the first American colleg
to possess a professorship OF America
1