The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-28

campaign for the presidency, led this fight. Democrats joined with him.
 Despite the continual interruption to business caused by the blocking tactics of these groups and the frequent flare up on the floor of congress as result of the investigations, several important bills were passed, and a surprising amount of legislation was written on the books.
 The first session of the sixty-eighth congress, ending June z, appropriated nearly four billion dollars and enacted 300 general public laws and multitude of minor laws. There were, during the session, 10,436 bills introduced in the house, and 3,4S6 presented to the sen ate. House committees made 1,2O0 re- ports, and those in the senate a little more than third of this number.
 Shoals Issue Still Up.
 The outstanding piece of legislation nassed by the short session opening in December, up to the end of the year, was a new naval construction bill pro- viding for eight new scout cruisers, six river gunbOats for use in China, and re- conditioning of six first-line battleships. This bill had passed both houses in the preceding session, but final approval was held up in the senate on techni- cality when Senator King of Utah moved that it be reconsidered. A de- cision on Muscle Shoals legislation was expected in the early part of 1925. through adjustment in conference of bills passed by house and senate.
 The naval construction bill was sup ported by the administration, and urged as necessary to~bring the navy up to the treaty ratio, but the other major legislation passed by congress during the year ran counter to the desires of the administration. President Coolidge and Secretary ofbthe Treasury Mellon want ed a tax bill which would have cut the tax on normal incomes from 4 to 3 per cent and reduced suttaxes to maxi mum of 25 per cent. Congress gave the country a law which cut one-fourth off the income tax and lowered the surtax minimum from 50 to only 40 per cent. This was accomplished mainly through the combined support of democrats and insurgents. The bill also contained provision making theN amounts of tax payments open to public. inspection. which President Coolidge Scored in an accompanying statement when he signed the measure, and which was subse- quently contested in the courts on initia- tion of the attorney general,
 Contrary to the desires of the admin istratiOn, congress passed soldier bo- nus bill, largely an insurance measure. Coolidge vetoed it. Congress promptly passed it over his veto, many regular republicans joining in the vote. Under Protest
 Many regulars also aligned themselves against the president in inserting a provision in the general immigration bill which definitely excluded Japanese, abolishing the old gentlemen's agree ment through which exclusion had been accomplished for years without an ac- tual law. The president signed the bill under protest.
 In addition to these measures and nine major appropriation bills and three deficiency bills, other outstanding meas ures passed during the session provided: l.. Extension of rehabilitation and disqualification facilities for world war veterans.
 2. Increased compensation for disa- bled veterans.
 8. Authorization for the interstate commerce commission to make an in- vestigation of freight rates.
 4. Reorganization of the consular service.
 5. Appropriation of $165,O00.000 for improvement of roads, available in 1926-27.
 - 6. Creation of a rum fleet in the coast guard.
 z. Prohibition of crude opium impor- tatiOn for manufacture of heroin.
 s. American citizenship for Indians.
 9. General reclassification of federal employees.
 10. Adjustment of pay of commis- stoned personnel of army, navy and coast guard.
 II. Aid for settlers on reclamation projects.
 12. Remission of Chinese, indemnity.
 13. Funding of Hungarian and Fin nish debts.
 14>Protection of Alaskan fisheries
 One constitutional amendment was approved and sent to the states, giving congress the power to limit, regulate or prohibit labor by children under IS years of age. Another amendment mak- ing present tax-exempt securities sub ject to taxation, was defeated.