Evening star., 1923-09-30
The Presidents Message.


Congress at the opening Of the regu-
lar session, two months off, will be re-
garded as his campaign platform. He
cannot avoid this. 1t will be his first
official statement of the aims of his
administration, and will outline his
recommendations for legislation to the
new Congress.
Naturally, republicans who have
presidential aspirations will await this
message with the greatest interest,
knowing that it can scarcely fail to
have an effect one way or another on
the preconvention campaign. Natu-
rally, the democrats, who have been
waiting and waiting for something
tangible from the new Chief Execu-
tive on important issues of the day.
will scan the message eagerly when it
is delivered. Beyond declaring his ad-
herence in general to the Harding
policies the President has in the two
months and a half since he took Of
flee given little inkling OF what his
administration will ask of the Con-
gress.
Suggestions are coming from some
quarters that it would be well to call
the Congress together in special ses-
sion in November so as to get a jump
on the work that must be done, and
thus make it more certain that Con-
gress will be ready to adjourn sine die
before the national conventions of the
republican and democratic parties
next summer. The campaign promises
to be brisk: in fact, one of the most
hotly contested in years, and mem
bers of Congress would like to get
into their states and districts as soon
as possible.
The legislative program looms large,
with transportation. coal and the
farmer problems among the foremost
that await consideration. The demo-
Gratis may be expected to play the
game in Congress to the limit on the
eve of the election. The organization
of the new Congress promises, also, to
give trouble, with the apparent repub-
lican majority cut to the bone in both
houses and the radicals of the party
holding the balance of power. Why
not, some are saying, get the Congress
here so that it may have at least a
chance of getting away by convention
time?
In 1916, when President Wilson and
Secretary Hughes were the nominees
of the two parties, Congress returned
to Washington after the conventions
and worked almost continuously
throughout the summer and fall. In
1920. however. Congress adjourned be-
fore the conventions, and the battle Of
politics received the entire attention
of the legislators thereafter until the
election in November.
President Coolidge has been giving
constant study to the issues of the
day since he entered the White House.
He has been on the job day after day
for long hours, listening to all who
came to him with suggestions and in
formation regarding the coal industry,
the agricultural situation, foreign re-
lations and many other subjects.
Senators and representatives. labor
organizations and veterans organiZa-
tions are submitting to him their pro-
posals for legislation dealing with
many subjects. The next two months
is little enough time in which to di-
gest this information and put into
form for Congress the proposals Of
the administration. it appears. The
work of the next Congress, as well as
the administration of President Cool
idge, must be relied upon by the re-
publican party in its appeal to the
voters for return to power.