Evening star., 1924-11-30
Custer of Four Republicans
Destroys Party's Major
ity in Senate.
MESSAGE OF PRESIDENT
TO BE READ WEDNESDAY
Fund Bills and Aid for Farmers
Are Principal Items for
Consideration.
BY G.. GOULD LINCOLN.

By q. GOULD LINCOLN.
The final session Of the turbulent
Sixty eighth Congress begins at noor,
| tomorrow, with promise of still
| further turmoil.
| The program advanced by Presi-
dent Coolidge for action in the new
| session Is awaited with interest. Il
has been indicated that in addition
to the big annual supply bills. the
administration will seek legislation
to aid in bringing further prosperity
TO the farmers Of the Nation.
. The President hopes to be able TO
submit to Congress recommendations
for this purpose soon after his re-
Gently appointed commission on the
agricultural problem makes Its re-
+, port. There is no valid reason. III
! the opinion OF the President, why
| such legisla ton should not be pu'
| through in the coming short session.
f, provided the Legislators really desira
! TO aid the farmers.
No Tax Cut Likely.
| While there IS little likelihood any
serious attempt will bc made 10
( duce taxes further at present, the
| Indications are that strenuous eff
: forts will be made to hold down ap
. propriations all along the line. By
{ practice Of rigid economy. 1t is hoped
I 70 be able to bring about further ta2
.
the present political complexion Of the
. Congress. Il would be Idle to seek
! reformation of the tax law. The most
! that could be hoped for-should the
| condition of the Treasury warrant II
would be horizontal decrease ir
! income taxes, like the c5 per ceCt
! Topped off the taxes Of 1923, paid th.
! year.
"Lame Duck Session.
. It is 4 "lane-duck" session The
Congress. which assemblies tomorrow.
is not that chosen by the people al
the polls & month ago. 1t includes IN
its membership many OF the men who
were then retired by q vote Of theil
conustituents. While It is not tie last
"lame-ducIt session that ever Will le
held, il Is possible that the legislative
action ;sccessary to abolish such seq
sions will be taken before the sessiol;
ends. A resolution Of Senator Norris OF
Nebraska, proposing an amendment 70
the Constitution providing for the meet
ing of Congress each year in January,
SO that a newly elected Congress vii!
begin It's labors soon after its eiea-
ton. has been adopted by the Scuatc
and awaits action by the House,
Swear In New Men,
Tie sessions of both the Senate anu
House tomorrow probably will be briec
included in the program will be
roll calls to establish quorums :r
both houses; swearing in OF neWl.-
elected and appointed Senator's and
Members: appointment Of committees
70 wait upon the President and in
form him Congress is ready for busi-
ness and to receive any communica-
tions he may desire to send 1t. Then
it is expected resolutions expressing
regret of the Senate for the death OF
Senator Ledge of Massachusetts,,
Senator Colt Of Rhode Island and
t..p Il,p,, ~ 'f.,,y- not
Will be offered and adopted in the
Senate and that body Will then ad-
journ until Tuesday as q further
mark Of respect. In the House. reso-
buttons of regret upon the death OF
Representative Mudd Of Maryland, OF
Representative Little of Kansas. and
of Representative Greene CT MasSa-
chusetts. will be adopted and an ad-
tournment taken until Tuesday also.
Coolidge to Send Message.
President Coolidge's annual mes-
sage to Congress will be transmit
ted Wednesday, If present plans are
carried out. The President Will not
deliver it in person, >as he did his
message 1T the opening of Congress,
but II will be read separately in
both Sonata and House. II is said. This
Will be the first time such a mes
sage has not been delivered by the
President in person since Woodrow
Wilson revived the practice Of ap-
peariur before Congress in 1913.
The session opens with important
changes in the Senate organization,
but with the organization of the
House relatively unchanged. Senator
Charles Curtis Of Kansas is the new
Republican leader, chosen 20 fill the
vacancy caused by the death OF Sen
ator Lodge and Senator Watson OF
| Indiana succeeds Senator Curtis as
| assistant leader. The important tor-
! eiRn relations committee will have
as it's head Senator Borah OF Idaho:
the judiciary committee leader VIII
be Senator Cummins of Iowa. filing
the vacancy caused by the death OF
Senator Brandegee, ard the commit
tee on immigration Will be headed by
Senator Hiram Johnson OF California.
! In the House Speaker Gillett, though
recently elected to the Senate, Will
continue to preside during this ses-
sion, and Representative Nicholas
Longworth of Ohio will marshal the
Republican hosts on tho floor, while
REPRESENTATIVE Garrett viii lead the
Democrats.
Trouble Is Possible.
The Republican conference OF the
Senate has read out Of the party
/ councils, If not out of the party IL
self, Senators La Toilette of Wiscon-
Z sin, Brookhart OF Iowa, and Lad anu
Frazier of North Dakota, and there
by has widened still further the
! breach between the so-called pro-
| gressives and the regulars. Should
these Senators undertake to retaliate
! by uniting with the Democrats and
| by the adoption OF parliamentary
! tactics to hinder legislation, it might
be impossible to get through all the
appropriation bills before March !,
| and thereby force a special session of
|! the new Congress next Sprirs.
! The situation in the Senate, briefly.
| is this. The Republicans have 52
seats, counting the vacancy from
! Connecticut caused by the death OF
| Senator Brandegee. The Democrats
have AZ, and the Farrner-Labor Party
2. BY ousting the four insurgent Re-
! publican Senators from the party, the
Republican strength has been reduced
to 4S. and the combined opposition
stands at the same figure, 4s. There 5
! is no Vice President to cast q decid-
| ing vote in the event of tie In the
'