The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1923-02-01

44O came from 81 States in the United
States and 10 from different parts o
Europe, Mexico and Canada. In form
ing an opinion of the, travel bushes:
for 1928 | have based it upon report:
from our 32 branch Offices in The
United States and those we maintain
for the convenience Of our patrons IL
every principal country abroad, and
feel justified in predicting that 1872;
will be a banner travel year"
Leaders in Congress have passed
around the word hal if the ship sub
sidy, rural credit measures and the
appropriation bills are passed Marcel
4, that there would be a legislative holi
day until December. The President
adds to the aroused expectancy by
making it plain that If the subsidy
bill fails TO come to a vote by March
4 that he would call an extra session
to consider it. Talk Of the Legislative
holiday is heard everywhere. But
that is not strange or unusual. Every
two years Congressman try to talk
themselves into the belief that at the
close of the short session that they
will go home to their law books for
eight or nine months. But during the
past dozen years they have rarely got
ten away from the Capitol for more
than a month or two at the longest.
There never were SO many politicians
in the country who want to participate
in the happenings of a new Congress
as at present, and the prospects are
that they and their friends in both
houses will see to it that the legisla-
tive calendar will be in such a jam
on March 4 that it will be necessary
for. the President to call an extra SEES
sion in order to keep the Governments
business running.
The Senate has taken up the QueS-
ton of farm credits, and the so-called
Capper and Lenroot-AndersOn bills
have been reported. Evidently the
Senate committee that made favorable
reports on both measures did not share
in the newspaper complaint that they
are in direct conflict and interfere.
Senator Capper's measure is princi
pally intended to- help the livestock
interests. 1t provides for agricultural
credit corporations that are largely of
a private nature, but under the super
vision Of the Controller of the Cur
rency. The features Of the bill are
such that it's friends believe that under
it's provisions there will be an eXten-
sion Of credits, and that this can be
done without financial backing by the
Government. The Lenroot-AnderSon
bill provides definite means of putting
Government money back of farm cred
its. 1t authorizes the increase of the
capital stock of the twelve regional
credit departments proposed under
the Federal Reserve Farm Loan Board,
from So, 100000 to SO, 000, 900 each.
Congress undoubtedly is in favor Of
increasing the means of extending en-
larged credits to the farmers, and it
will pass some kind of a law to &C
cOmplish that purpose. The only queS-
ton seems to be one Of methods.
Governor Smith of New York advo-
Gates amending the constitution, only,
by a direct vote Of the people. At the
present time the legislatures must rat
ify the proposal of Congress to affect
an amendment, SO hat in the process
every branch of Federal and State leg
islative machinery must urn before
the good old document of Our fore
fathers can be changed in wording.
A good many people seem to forget
that in the beginning that the consti-
tuition was a broad and intangible set
of rules and regulations covering the
operation of democratic government.
When Chief Justice John Marshall eX-
his very acts were challenged as "un-
constitutional" For more than a hun
dred years the Supreme Court has fol
lowed Marshall's lead. Every time a
spoke drops out of the constitution,
an amendment is proposed. In recent
years these amendments have included
direct election of Senators, woman suf-
prohibition, and other features.
The next step will be an attempt to
stop the issue of tax-exempt securities.
are now running into the bill
lions Of dollars and only a constitution
al amendment can shut off the onrush
of tax-dodgers who gobble up these in
vestments.