Evening star., 1922-08-27
CONGRESS IS RELUCTANT
TO PROVIDE LEGISLATION
Every Move of Leaders to Enact
Federal Ownership Law
Is Opposed.
By the Associated Press.

tual industrial crisis, which he doe:
not now foresee
Despite the apparent deadlock ir
both the rail and anthracite strikes
the President is described as still con
fident a way will be found to protect
the interests of the general public
without resort to actual government
direction of the two industries.
In the meantime. however, Mr.
Harding is said to consider 1t ex-
tremely advisable that if Congress is
to iecess it must first clearly define
his powers to act. and legislation
looking to that end is being prepared
for submission at the Capitol early
this week.
LegislatiOn Delayed.
This policy of preparedness, emerg-
ing from another day of inquiry and
consultation by administration Off
cials. was received with manifesto :
tion of approval among many of the
majority leaders in Congress. but was
followed by evidences of reluctance
among others to go further than is
provided in the industrial investiga-
tion and control legislation already
pending in both houses.
In every move they made to ad-
vance the pending legislation itself
during the day, the congressional
leaders met with opposition and de-
lay, although they remained confident
that in the end all the emergency
measures introduced with admins
tration backing would be enacted into
law. Their plans for bringing the
government operation authorization
into the general program of strike
week were not complete. however, and
it was indicated that further consul
tations would be necessary to whip
the whole scheme into shape.
In the Senate the Borah bill for
fact-finding commission in the coal
industry, similar to the one already
passed by the House. met with such
prolonged attacks that it finally was
agreed to lay 1t aside entirely until
vote has been taken on the bonus
bill. probably late Tuesday. Provision
in the measure for an inquiry into the
advisability of nationalizing the in
dustry was one of the features against
which the most stubborn opposition
was directed.
Meantime, in the Senate interstate
commerce committee, second ad-
ministration measure proposing to
create a coal distribution agency and
to extend the authority of the Inter-
state Commerce, Commission over
priority of shipments failed of the
immediate approval hoped for by the
republican leaders and further con-
sideration was postponed until to-
morrow. with some members intimat-
ing that comprehensive hearings
would be insisted on before vote was
taken.
Coal Bill in House.
A coal distribution and priority bill
of similar character to that under
consideration by the Senate committee
was presented in the House during
the day by Chairman Winslow of the
interstate commerce committee, but
after a long discussion among COM
mittee members it was decided that a
hearing on this measure also would
be held tomorrow. Only Ave hours
was allotted to hear all of those in
terested, however, and it was agreed
that a report should be made before
adjournment of the committee tomor-
row night. with view to considera-
ton Of the bill in the House itself on
Tuesday.
With attention occupied by these
measures and by consultations over
the government operation proposals
to be submitted later, President Hard
ing's recommendation for creation Of
a federal agency to buy and SELL coal
in the interest of the public dropped
completely out of sight. 1t was in
dicated that the administration still
thought such legislation would be
advisable but that Senate and House
leaders were not inclined to ask for
it In the present situation.
A bill authorizing the President to
take over Individual railroads which
do not adequately perform their func-
tions as common carriers Is under
stood to have been already prepared
by Chairman Cummins of the Senate
interstate commerce committee, and
he indicated today that it might be
presented tomorrow or Tuesday along
with q similar measure dealing with
the coal mines. He and other Senate
leaders professed entire confidence
that the temper Of Congress. had
reached a state insurinE approval OF
the authorization without serious de-
lay.
In the House, however, tho ma
jority managers did not appear 30
confident, and Chairman Winslow de-
clared in q public statement that in
his opinion the coal distribution and
priority bin he had presented would
sufficiently sound tho alarm" for the
present. Should "evildoers'' fail to
take warning, he added, and restore
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