Evening star., 1926-11-30
MANY ISSUES RISE
AS SESSION NEARS
Opening of Congress to See
Fight on Navy Cut in
Prominent Place.
By the Associated Press.

The confused chorus Of procession
talk at the Capitol is rising in volume
as the last assembly of the Sixty
ninth Congress approaches, with va
! rious notes which have been dor
mant thrusting out for more atten-
| ton.
Not only are the farm relief advo-
Gates crying their wares and Repub-
lican leaders discussing, in moderate
tones of reconciliation, the status Of
insurgent members of their party,
but the Democrats have projected d
! motif Of their own which dwells on
tax and tariff reduction, the plight of
agriculture and corruption in prima-
rieS.
Behind all Of this more or less in
formal medley can be heard the
efforts Of number of committees
which are Justify striking their an
wills to fashion a supply of bills that
will give the House plenty to de-
bate about from the moment it meets.
And when idle periods intervene in
any of the varied movements, the
election by Maine of Arthur j..
Gould, Republican, to the Senate
provides ample basis for revived gos-
sip about the complexion Of that
chamber in the Seventeen Congress,
to which now 48 Republicans, Al
Democrats and one farmer-labor
member have been elected.
Navy Cut Studied.
Although the committee anvils are
placed behind. closed doors, it is pos
sible now and then to detect the pur-
port of their part in the general
chorus. For instance, in the barred
room of the House appropriations
committee considerable discussion has
taken place in the last few days over
the advisability of a reduction in the
Navys enlisted personnel.
The budget is represented as favor
ing a parking down by several hun
dred of the present enlisted strength
of $500 men. This has not met with
unanimous approval among the COM
mittee members.
If the committee should sanction
any reduction, some feel, it would
meet with strong opposition when the
bill comes up for consideration on the
House floor, and many favor more
nearly unanimous solution of the
problem in committee if possible.
A number of arguments have been
brought into the oral conflict. 1t has
been recalled that the present enlisted
strength is slightly below that
authorized two Winters ago and that
a reduction this year would be the
second cut within two-year period.
Many Ships Tied Up.
The reduction was approved by
Congress last Winter after 1t had
been explained that several ships
| would be tied up for repairs during
the year and that their crews could
be assigned to other duties. Pro-
ponents of further curtailment see
| the same condition in prospect for the
| coming fiscal year.
The other side contends that, since
| the two new airplane carriers, the
Saratoga and Lexington, are sched-
| uled to be launched during the period,
continuance of the present enlisted
strength will be necessary If they are
! to be manned without inroads being
made on the enlisted compliments Of
ships now in active service.
Negotiations looking to restoration
to insurgent Republicans Of commit
| tee positions and other party privi-
| leges taken away from them because
Of their support Of the La Toilette
presidential ticket in 1924 are pro-
ceeding more rapidly in the Senate
| than in the House. In the Senate only
one of the excluded insurgents, Fra
zier of North Dakota, remains on the
rolls, and, in view of his apparent
willingness to accept committee as
| signments as a Republican, the Incl
| dent, as far as he is concerned, prob
ably can be closed soon after Congress
meets. In the House, however, more
| than a dozen insurgents were barred
from the Republican caucus.