Evening star., 1923-03-04
BY WILL u. KENNEDY.
Y HEN Congress adjourns-


VI yUEN Congress adjourns-
Nv v Most people. including the
majority of members of
Congress have a notion that when
tile gavel falls at the close of the
. legislative day of March 3. dismiss
ihg Congress sine die, that the doors
OF the Capitol are locked. the MEM
bers scatter to the four winds and
the wheels that have been grinding
out legislation promptly stop re-
yOlving
prevailed simply because those en-
tertaining il have not stopped TO
think about what really does happen
when Congress stops the wrangle in
the Legislative chambers.
OF course. the Senate being a con-
tinuing body. the situation there is
different than at the House end of
Ihe Capitol
Members scatter Widely.
| The members are today scattering
20 all parts of the United states and
many of them went home some days
ago. II is worth a thought that
:hese members of Congress are going
to nc distributed over this country
Just "a evenly as it is humanity pos
sihle to distribute them, proper
tionatrly to the body of citizenship.
nnrinG tho Approximately nine
months that it is expected Congress
will h. "out" some members are go
ing on long voyages, as. for example.
the trip to Egypt by Representative
Allen L. Treadway. who sailed
week ago Many will go on So
rallied "junkets" The immigration
committee has planned an inspection
trip to Hawaii There is a proposed
investigation OF reforestation by A
.toint committee from tfc committees
on agriculture of both the House and
senate. There is n proposed joint
investigation Of the Veterans Bu-
reau. quite a sizdble party is go
ing on d warship trip planned by
Secretary Denby to the West Indies
the trip to Alaska being arranged
by Secretary Weeks.
Some 10 Work Here.
Then there are committees which
will work right here on the ground.
4 special committee of the Senate
ia to Investigate the street railway
mil t..l
with a view 10 forcing sive-cent
fares \ Joint committee is proposed
10 represent both houses of Congress
IN planning Redistribution of the
salaries of ali employees of the leGis-
lative branch of the government,
who were not covered in the Smoot
or Sterling-Lehlbach reclassification
bills.
OF course. all legislative routine
business falls with adjournment, and
must be revived-de novo-in the
new Congress. That is. each bill. no
matter how near it may have come
to becoming a law. must start all
over again.
But there is great deal of after
'math cleaning up on the outgoing
congress and preparing for the in
coming Congress. Most of the mem
hers have a clerk who stays in Wash
ington to keep the member in touch
with matters transpiring here of con-
Germ to his home district, and to car
ry on business for his constituents
with government offices.
Activity Below Decks.
The House has been likened to an
ocean liner. because there is great
deal of activity below the water line.
Those in first-class passage, that is,
those on the floor of the House, little
realize the work of the stokers and
crew I'm running the ship.
All the various branches of work
done for Congress. such as the fold
ing room, document rooms. station
cry rooms, disbursing offices and the
serReant-at-armS offices where the
members receive their pay and mile
age and do more or less of a general
banking business. remain open
throughout the year, whether Con-.
gress Is in session or not.
Advantage will be taken Of the first
opportunity since 1915 for a complete
overhauling and renovation of the
Offices and corridors, although some
of this work has been done during
the brief recesses of Congress. This
means general housecleaning, of car
pets, walls, desks, filing cabinets,
bookshelves and necessary repairs to
furniture. The furniture repair shop
has work already laid out for it that