Evening star., 1924-03-24
LEGISLATIVE LULL
IS LAID TO c. 0. P.
Coolidge and Some RepubIi-
can Leaders Said to Feel
Responsibility for Delay.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

Is the Senate finance committee
wasting time in it's consideration of
! the tax bill? Are the republican lead
ers asleep at the switch and allowing
Ithe legislative program to drift along
without propulsion?
! These questions are not being
asked by democrats, but by republi-
cans, for. there is evidence that the
administration is chafing under the
delays. President Coolidge's confer
ences with members of Congress in
the last few days grew out of an eff
fort to cure a situation which, if un-
tchecked, may wreck the party's
chances for continuance in power
| The: democrats are not obstructing.
indeed, when Representative Long
worth. republican leader, asked the
/ House for, unanimous -cansent so as
] to speed appropriation bills or work
longer sessions, the opposition party
did not avail itself Of the privilege
| OF combating him.
Coolidge Presses for Action.
| So also. in the Senate, the demo-
Gratis say that they are not imped-
| ing progress and are willing to as
slst the republicans in. getting the
| that II may have its chance on the
iioor. In other words. the main re-
| sponslbility for delay is on the party
IN power, and the administration is so
conscious of that responsibility that
ii has automatically begun to press
for action.
As the situation stands now. the
appropriation bills are not in peril.
The only measures which are likely
10 cause controversy are the Army
and Navy bills and the bill providing
funds for independent establishments
OF the government, like the Shipping
Board All these bills, unless they
encounter extraordinary delay, should
be out of the way by the first wee k
in April.
The tax bill, if completed in COM
mittee, would be given right of way
about the first of May. Six weeks
thereafter the national conventions
will be held. and it is the hope of the
administration that an adjournment t
can be taken at the end of the fiscal
year, June 80.
May Pass Bill by June 30.
BY holding night sessions the tax
measure can be put through the SEN
tie by the end of May and, allowing
Tor a few weeks in conference, could
become law by June 80.
1t would be Of great help to the gov
ernnent to know on June 80 what rev.
enues il may expect for the year 1925.
Also the separate resolution providing
for reduction in 1928 incomes is ex-
pected to be acted upon before the next
payments become due on June Is.
Apart from the tax bill, the immgra-
ton bill must be acted on one way or
| the other, as the present law expires
on June 80, and some measure to pre-
vent wholesale Immigration is sure to
be passed.
Farmer relief is in the ofing. The
west is demanding action. The Nc
Nary Haugen bill is the principal
measure under consideration, but it
is being bitterly attacked as econom-
ically unsound, impractical and i'm
possible of operation.
Bills May BE Combined.
The bill introduced by Senator Cur
tbs of Kansas providing for inter-
state marketing associations has
many features in il that are com
mended by the administration and
while the McNary-Haugen bill has
been faVorably reported, there is hope
that substitute measure taking
some OF it's provisions and some of
the Curtis provisions may be ANAL
gamated, though the policy to be fol-
lowed has by no means crystaIlized
and President. Coolidge has given no
indication of how he feels about it.
In due time, he expects to be con-
suited, SO that measure suitable to
all interests may be pushed through
at this session, for any radical meas
ure is likely to be the subject of pro-
longed debate and mean ultimate In
action.
Besides the foregoing proposals,
there are other important items on
the legislative program, such as the
endowment insurance bill for ex-
service men, the Muscle Shoals bill
and the amendment to the Constitu-
tion prohibiting child labor. Some
i of these matters will not be acted
upon before June 80, but Congress
Will not adjourn without answering
in some way the demand for a SOL
dier bonus and providing for the
amendment of existing laws with re-
spect to the care of disabled vet
Grams. It's a big program to finish
before June 80, but IL the republG-
can leaders really get down to work
and hold night sessions they can do
the major part of IL by June so.
That's how the President feels and
what he is telling his party colleagues
on Capitol Hill.
Copyright, 1s24)