San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-02-04
viii Quit for Nine Months
After Eight Years Of
Constant Work. =.
NO EXTRA SESSION
Harding to Take Vacation
AS Trips to Alaska and
EIss Florida for Golf. ~
By ROBERT T. SMALL.

!, copyrisht, 1898, BY The San Antonio Lish
y Washington, d. C., Feb. 3.-Wash
ington Is about to try a new expert
ment, that Of running the government
8 without Congress.
e Congress has been on the Job Amos
Il continuously for the last eight years
But the lawmakers are going ava!
3 from here four weeks from today anC
Il Is safe to say that everybody In
n eluding the lawmakers, Is breathing
Spigh OF relief. ~
President Harding has no intention
3 b "spoiling" the vacation promlseC
: the country on and after March by
4 calling q special session. II the shlT
Z subsidy bill does not pass, Mr.. Hard
ing viii let Congress take the respon'
4 ribility, He called the legislators into
4 extra session last November to consider
the shipping measure and since that
4 time. Congress, especially the Senate
has been considering everything but the
Nor win President Harding call a
epecial session II some Of the big APP
propriation or supply bills get stymied
In the Jam Of the closing hours. A
simple resolution continuing existing
app. OPERATIONS for another year can
cure that situation and probably will
J have 10 be resorted to.
Has Held -Four Sessions.
a The Sixty-seventh Congress, now on
i IT'S last legs, has broken all records.
1t has twice been called into extra
session, making four sessions in all,
and this has never before happened in
the history Of the country. OF course,
there are mean persons-especially
Democrats-who viii say it has broken
records in other directions-but the
only thing proved and admitted is that
the 9th has outdistanced all rivals in
the matter Of multiplicity Of meet
ings.
It IL necessary 70 70 back to the
spring Of 1915 TO find a situation
parallel to the one promised after
March 4 next. There was a congress
ional vacation that year from March
to December, but there has been vir-
tually no vacation since. In 1915 Con-
gress went home and President Wilson
went to Cornish, n. n, a pleasant
time being had By all. In 1928 Con-
gress promises to 60 home, President
Harding Is going to Florida and then
TO Alaska, hoping for a bit Of golf in
both places, 30 that once more a
PLEASANT time for all Is in the offing.
From the reports reaching Washing
ton it is quite evident that the country
at large is looking forward as keenly
TO the coming congressional moratorium
as those most Immediately concerned.
Business interests in particular are
happy over the prospects Of not being
: legislated for or against for a period
of nine long months. Business wants
Z a rest from national legislative activi-
ties and is going to get it. President
Harding has been so advised and the
! President Is not given to stirring up
: unnecessary trouble.
Farmers Are Hopeful.
The farmers OF the country who for
Z long time have been viewing Wash
fngton with alarm are hopeful that
: at the end OF the coming nine months
OF legislative rest and recuperation
they may point to the capital with
? pride. Certainly this last session of
the record breaking Congress has been
DOING Its best to write something on
! the statute books Of especial benefit
to the agricultural class. Whether the
new credits the Congress has authorized
Z viii solve the difficulties Of the farm
I er remains to be seen. The corn hollis
AMI the cotton belts and the wheat
! belts all are trying to look on The
i optimistic side. Washington homes
their optimism will be justified.
: Admittedly it is going TO he very
difficult to try to run the government
without Congress. Many habits can
be formed over a period OF eight yeors,
During that time Congress-once 3goin
particularly the Senate-has formed
I the habit Of trying to run everything
sticking its fingers in the governmental
! fire, no matter how often they NAV
have gotten burnt.
Democratic senator's are SAVING ort
/ loud that President Harding and Sec.
/ Rotary Hughes view the Forthcoming
congressional absence in the same light
as the old fellow who was going into
town on Saturday night.
what you goin' for, Henry" he
Coin to get drunk" he renIied
"and. gosh, how dread It."
Breathing Space For President
As a matter Of plain fact ,be
: absence of Congress will give the Prosi.
dent and the State Department tbci,
first real breathing spell since III,
advent of the present administrator
The Senate has insisted on discussinr
the. foreign relations of the countrT
with frankness which at times Main
~ has proved embarrassing 70 tb,
executive branch of the government
The Senate took the bit in its teetI
Immediately after the peace conferenc,
Mt Versailles-even during that confer
enee-and it hasn't let go vet. II vii
have to let go on the fourth of March
however. The constitution provide,
for that and one can detect aIrnad,
at the executive end of Pennsylv9ni5