Evening star., 1923-03-04

With the passing of the present
Congress. in session practically con-
tlnuously since early in 1891. Wash
ington faces suspension of congress
ional activities which probably will
continue until the first regular ses-
sion OF the Sixty-eighth Congress in
December. In the event President
Harding adheres to his present in
tention OF not calling a special ses-
sion. the recess will be tho longest
since 1915.
The closing Congress. record
breaking in that it has consisted
In history and It's acts have touched
hitherto virgin fields In American
legislation, was ushered in with the
Haruing administrator.
Concluded Peace Pact.
The four sessions were preceded by
a special but brief session OF the
Senate only March to Is, 1921. at
which, with the new President and
former senator establishing a prec-
edent by appearing personally be-
fore the Senate behind closed doors,
the new cabinet members were con-
firmed.
The first session of the sixty-sev-
from April II, 1921, to November IS,
and was notable for it's conclusion
| Of peace with Germany and Austria,
reduction of the Army and naval
establishments and for revision or
Internal revenue laws, reducing taxes
/ about one billion dollars annually,
according to administration estimates.
The second. and first regular. ses-
| sion. was from December 5. 1921, to
September %. 1922, with passage Of
! the Fordney tariff act
after more than a years considera-
tion, Senate ratification OF the Wash
| inston arms conference treaties and
| the soldiers bonus fight, which ended
with the presidential veto. as its
signal affairs. During this session
came the record breaking single
| Legislative day of the Senate. the
longest in American congressional
history, lasting. on the tariff bill.
| from April 20 to August 2, without
formal adjournment.
/ The third session was special one.
| called particularly for House considera-
| tion of the administration shipping bill.
| 1t lasted from November 20, shortly
| after the congressional elections. until
! December 4. Passage by the House Of
| the shipping bill, seating of the first
woman senator. Mrs. w. H. FELTON, of
| Georgia, resignation of Senator Truman
! II. NewberTy. republican. Michigan. and
| Senate blocking Of the Dyer anu-lynch-
/
| proposing a $4,000, 900 loan to Liberia
| were its principal features.
| The Congress closes with the recent
| regular session beginning December 4.
| in which the shipping bill fight farm
| credits legislation and the British debt
| funding bill have been predominant.
/ Billions of dollars in annual and spe-
cial appropriations have been ordered
| during the four sessions; hundreds of
| bills, public and private, passed and
| thousands OF appointments confirmed.
| Among the latter were those OF Chief
Justice Taft and three associate justices
| of the Supreme Court-Sutherland. But
| Ter and Sanford-and scores of ambas-
| sadors and other American diplomats,
| including new ENJOYS to Germany and
Austria after the peace treaties.
Nearly 500 LAWS Passed.
| fourteen thousand unpassed bills and
! resolutions, some of wide Importance,
! Nearly 500 public laws were passed by
; the Congress, or, excluding Sundays and
J holidays. about one law per day.
| The final gavels will close the public
careers OF many veteran public men.
| including Uncle Joe" Cannon. the
| former Speaker. with his record OF serv-
dell of Wyoming. republican floor leader;
Senators Williams Of Mississippi and
| Culberson of Texas. both former demo-
cratic floor leaders, and others. some
/ uele edteO IN Ine last el6CuOnS ana some
| retiring voluntarily.
The closing Congress, In it's relations
! with the President. has been noted for
continuance Of executive addresses to
joint sessions. Mr.. Harding made
half dozen of these. chief among them
being his presentation of the shipping
legislation February 2s, 1922: the Brit
iSh debt funding agreement, with a re-
newed demand for Senate vote OH the
shipping bill, last month: his discussion
! last August IS of the railroad and coal
strikes: his request for postponement
of the soldiers bonus bill. July IL, 1921,
and his addresses coincident with the
opening of sessions Of Congress.
The "bloc" movement was born
during the present Congress, with
organization OF the Senate farm bloc,
headed by former Senator Kenyon,
republican, Iowa. with Senator Cap
per. republican, Kansas, as his sue
cessor. 1t has been very active in
passing farm legislation. The pro-
gressive bloc was organized last De-
cember at the conference called by
Senator La Toilette, republican, Wis
consin, and Representative Huddle-
ston. democrat, Alabama. but has
never met again, although it prom
ises to be a factor in the next Con-
gress A war veterans bloc in the
House also was inaugurated recently.
An unusual fux of congressional
Investigations also has marked the
closing Congress in both House and
Senate Few were concluded. Several
will be prosecuted during the COM
ing recess and others in the new
Congress:
Many Probes Undertaken.
Prominent among these investiga-
tions were those into impeachment
charges against Attorney General
Daugherty; the Ford-Newberry SEN
atorial election contest from Michi-
gan: the escape of Grover Cleveland
Rergdoll Philadelphia draft dodger;
the West Virginia coal mine warfare
Of 1921; American occupation of
Haiti and Santo Domingo: agricul-
tural conditions by the Lenroot-An-
derson commission; leases of naval
oil reserves and into oil and gas
prices by the Senate manufactures COM
mittee.
Other Investigations included the
Muscle Shoals. Ala, power project,
including Henry Ford's offer; the al
legged dye lobby, treatment of war
veterans, civil service and charges
of former Senator Watson, democrat,
Georgia, that wholesale illegal exc
cutions of American soldiers of the
A. F. F. had occurred.
International affairs have been
prominent in the Senate. with fire.
uuent discussions of and interven-
tions in immediate European devel-
opments. Prominent among these
was the Senate resolution requesting
recall of American troops from the
Rhine, which was followed in q few
days by the Presidents withdrawal
order. Efforts of Senator Borah, re-
publican, Idaho, to initiate an inter-
national economic conference all fur
nished several spectacular periods.
A large number of treaties, mostly
of minor character, were ratified by
the Senate, including the $25,000,00