Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-12-10
SUBJECTS STUDIED BY
MEMBERS OF CONGRESS
By FrederIc j. Haskin

)
las to the questions that will receive
the most attention during the ses-
sion of congress just opened Is to be
found in the list of subjects that SEN
, ators and representatives have been
J studying during the recess, or since
the close OF the last session. This
information Is to be secured at the
congressional library.
1t is not generally understood that
this great collection of books, docu-
ments, magazines, newspapers, and
all kinds of publications-the third
largest in the worlds essentially
the library of congress, as ii is Off
cially named. National legislators
have the first call on it's resources.
More than that, they have at their
command the legislative research
service, established in 1914, which
consists of a number of thoroughly
efficient and capable experts who
can assemble on short notice all the
available data on any subject.
/ -
A senator or representative who
/ expects to take an active part in
| formulating legislation on a given
question must necessarily be thor
oughly informed on the subject. His
| conclusions must be sound and he
must be prepared to support them
convincingly in debates in committee
or on the floor of the house to which
he belongs. He has his own office
staff TO assist him in preparatory
work, but his main reliance Is on
the library experts.
These experts compile statistics
and chronological records, and make |
digests of state and federal laws, and |
,ft . l,. 10 A4f Afh Tho |
views of recognized authorities to be |
found in books, pamphlets, and |
magazine articles are brought to-
gether and briefed, and public opin-
ion as reflected in newspaper edi- |
torials and articles is analyzed and !
digested. The legislative reference [
service files contain hundreds of I
thousands of clippings from which |
compilations can be made to meet |
almost any requirement. During a
single session of congress the bureau
may be asked to report on as many
as 1900 or 1900 questions. Many
OF these are of minor Importance,
of course, and can be disposed of
with comparatively little research,
but on some of the subjects members
of the staff must do months of work.
All the reports that are made by
the bureau are strictly nonpartisan
and unbiased. All sides of the ques-
ton are presented, accurately and
painstakingly, but no attempt is
made to prove a case. For ex-
ample, a congressman may desire to
make fight for government owner
ship of the railroads, and he will
want every bit of information that
l.; % 1rA hot RrvI, |
He can not call on the legislative
reference service for a report that
will show that government owner
ship is a good thing or the logical
solution of the transportation prob
lem. He can get, however, report
that will give him all the available
data on the subject of government
ownership, and it is then up to him
to make a selection of the material
to suit his own purposes.
On the big controversial questions
before the public there is such |
wealth of material that the same |
report may be used by senators and
representatives who are taking dia-
metrically opposed positions as to
what congress should do.
Thus the bureau undertakes to do |
exactly what it's name indicates
give members of congress service |
that will save them much drudgery |
so far as research work is concerned |
and make it possible for them to de-
vote more time to the constructive |
part of legislation.
During the recesses of congress, in |
addition to complying with requests |
for special reports, the bureau un-
dertakes to keep abreast of develop |
ments in connection with all the
more important public questions.
Material is gathered and studies are
made in anticipation of the calls
that will be forthcoming when con-
gress reassembles, and such articles,
reports, and bulletins as are of
especial significance are reproduced
by various mechanical processes SO
that enough copies will be available
when the session opens to meet the
usual requirements. To place a
single copy of any document in the
| hands of every congressman requires
| an edition of over 500 copies, and
when there Is an extraordinary de-
mand for some of the reports and
studies they are printed.
Inquiry at the library of congress
| discloses the fact that, in prepara-
! tion for the present session, mem
bers have sought information on
eight general topics-constitution
governmental, administrative, agri-
/ cultural, railroad, coal, labor, and
international affairs
One of the constitutional questions
| is that of amending the amending
clause of the constitution in order to
make 1t easier to change the nation
| organic law. Another bears on the
abolition of the electoral college and
substituting the direct election of the
] President and vice president, while
| others have to do with the length
of the presidential term, changing
| the dates of Inauguration and the
beginning of the terms of congress-
/ men, and limiting the power of the
| supreme court to declare an act OF
| congress unconstitutional. In this
latter connection digests of the fed
eral and state laws which have been
| held unconstitutional have been
+, greatly in demand,
Governmental matters engaging
the attention of congress include the
proposed reorganization of the exec
utive departments, the merging OF
the war and navy departments, the
creation of a new public welfare
department, creating the office of
assistant to the President, reclassih-
cation of government employees, con-
1 gressional reappointment, general
revision of codification of federal
laws, and public building program.
If the research work that has
| hean dana ia an index congress- will