Evening star., 1924-03-16
Start to Be Made on March
81, Day Set Aside for
Capital Legislation.
L0NGW0RTH AND OTHERS
ANXIOUS TO AID CITY
Press Of Other Business Makes
Local Consideration Diff
cult Problem.
BY WILL p. KENNEDY.

A program of constructive legisla-
tion for the National Capital likely
will be passed at this session of Con-
day, March 81, the fifth Monday in
the month. Such a program will
have the support of House Leader
Longworth and the republican legis-
lative steering committee.
This is good news for the District,
especially in view Of these facts:
That the press of other important
general legislation is giving party
leaders a yexatious task to find time
for consideration of the various meas
ures in the House chamber; that
while all Of the big departmental ap-
preparation bills that must be passed
before July / have been prepared in
committee, the House is far behind
schedule in passing them; that Con-
gress is trimming its sails to ad-
journ in time for the republican and
democratic national conventions.
Lsst Regular Day.
Tho National Capital lost its regu.
lar day in the House last Monday, be-
cause important fiscal legislation had
right OF way and took precedence
and quite properly so.
House Leader Longworth Is ex-
tremeiy anxious to be absolutely
square" with the District of Columbia,
even though he Is being pressed hard
on all sides for time on the floor for
scores of measures. He Is willing to
give the District committee Monday,
March 81, to bring up legislation Of
fecting the National Capital.
He is willing, and even anxious,
to take delegates from the District
committee before the republican
steering committee with definite
prnENm OF legislation for the Dis
trict and argue that time be allocated
for action in the House upon such a
program. preferably on the regular
District days and even on other days
when 1t can be fitted in
To Avoid Time waste.
Mr.. Longworth, however. will re-
quire that the District committee CO.
ly free OF controversial bills which
would start wrangle and waste
time without reasonable prospect of
being passed-just as the Fitzgerald
workmen's compensation bill served
as legislative dam to hold back scores
Of other desirable measures in the last
Congress.
The teachers salary bill Is an ex-
ample Of constructive legislation
that can be passed, even though there
is now some difference OF opinion.
The committee is unanimously behind
this bill, with Representative Thomas
l. Blanton of Texas objecting to only
one maximum salary rate, which can
be easily settled by an amendment, if
not by compromise.
individually, the members Of the
committee are good fellows" proud
Of their National Capital and intend
we'll towards helping to make It -the
most beautiful and best governed
city In the world" as they have fire.
quently stated A sincere effort will
be made this week to have the com
mittee come just as close as it can
by compromise to reaching an agree
ment upon q legislative program of
bills to which there is little or no
serious opposition. which can be laid
before the steering committee for
priority consideration
Suffrage Bill Chance Slim.
OF course, such very important
measures as voting representation
for residents Of the District, or local
suffrage, or street car merger, are
not in such shape that action on them
could fairly be asked now from the
steering committee. Nor, II Repre-
sentative Fitzgerald of Ohio and
Representative Underhlll of Massa-
chusetts persist in their bitter rivalry
over their respective workmen's COM
pensation bills. is there hope for pas
sage of either, and in that event
workmen's compensation must not
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