The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1926-06-07
PRESENT SESSION
. SETS RECORD FOR
NUMBER OF BILLS
More Measures Have Been
Tossed Into Congress
Than Ever Before.

." WASHINGTON, Juno What.
ever other fame II achieves, tho
present Congress will set up one rec
ord that probably will stdnd for
long time-the number OF bills It's
members poured into the hoppers of
House and Senate.
More bills have been introduced
this year than in any other single
session of Congress, according to yet
eran employees who have counted
them for years.
III all the bills aud resolutions were
enacted, the treasury would face
deficit of billions OF dollars, the coun.
try would be dotted with new and
strange projects OF all kinds, new
procedure would be established, and
The Constitution would have d new
face
There have been introduced during
1874 days of this session grand total
OF 1906 bills, an average OF III
day, of which 1880 have been pre-
sehted TO the House and 4,S7o 10 tho
Senate. This is the record for one
session. half of the Sixty-Ninth Coz
gress, and it surpasses that for the
whole of the Sixty-Eighth Congress
which was 1924. At the present
rate. the record for the Sixty'Ninth
Congress will be 33,9lO.
Few Pass
OF course members have no idea
that any great number OF these bills
will be passed. To date only 3tS
bills have been enacted into law this
session, slightly over ? per cent OF
those proposed.
Bills range from the tax reduction
measure to one fixing the price for
human blood used in transfusions'
from bills to eradicate disease among
cattle to Federal supervision OF Their
mometers to protect the health OF
people. N'and includes measures to
regulate chiropractors, to regulate
mediums. to turn over to n Rotary
Club in Indiana bell from a battle
ship. Resolutions for probes or va
rious kinds include one TO invesu-
gate those who criticize Congress.
1t is usually the new House mem
Der who feeds the hopper most free
". The record In the House this
year is held by a new member, Rep
resentative Menges, Pennsylvania
Republican, who overran the page
assigned in the record book with
100 bills. all private in character.
Curtis Hold Record
The record in the Senate, however,
is held by a veteran, Senator Curtis
of Kansas, Republican floor leader
who has introduced 300 bills, mostly
private claims. His closest rival isI
a comparative newcomer, Senator
Copeland. New York, Democrats who
has presented 205 of which about
twenty relate 10 immigration
Senator CARRIER OF Kansas has in
troduced 1872. one Of the Senate
millionaires, Senator Du Pont, Del
aware Republican. is close to the
bottom with four.
Eccentricities OF members are
recorded in the bill files. Representa-
tive Landlord. Georgia Democrat,
for instance, openly admits his belief
in the good luck OF the numbers
Z and IL, and every bill he has in
troduced, with four exceptions, has
one OF two numbers In II. lie
arranges the numbering to this end
For three sessions, another Georgia
Democrat, Representative Upshaw,
has introduced an amendment to the
Constitution for restriction or sec.
tartan schools. and has held ii for
the same number 159 I'm which TO
date there has been no particular
efficacy.
War Blamed
The flood of bills this session Is
laid 10 the reduction in the need for
major legislation. During the war
all minor legislation was showed
aside for war measures, and for
four years the private calendar was
never called. Hundreds of claim
bills have been waiting and are now
being brought forward, while the
general disposition TO pay more at
tention TO small measures has en-.
couraged members to bring In many
small bills. The majority Of bills IN.
troduced this session are minor meas
ures.
There Is one noticeable tendency
in proposed legislation this year,
which may be a reaction from the
World War, the introduction Of
numerous bills for inspecting Civil
War battlehelds in the South to the
end of preserving them as national
parks, and requests for markers for
historical personages and events,
such as the proposed monument 10
Virginia Dare. the first white child
born in this country. Congress also
passed a bin buying for tho Federal
the famous Oldroyd col.
lpctiop IF lincoln rplfpg