Evening star., 1927-05-26
The Special Session Proposal.

Inc latest Qen1anO IOr Sp0Cldl SeS-
sion of Congress to deal with the flood
situation in the Mississippi valley
comes from Chairman Glenn Shaver
of the Democratic national committee.
Mr.. Shaver takes the view that the
National Government must come to
the aid Of the flood sufferers without
delay. He differentiates between the
need to provide such relief and the
need of legislation to adopt flood pre-.
vention measures for the future.
1t is noticeable, however, that some
Of the legislators from the Mississippi
valley are not favorable to q special
session at this time, believing that lit
tie could be accomplished by Con-
gress which cannot and is not being
done now through the agencies of the
Federal Government and through the
American Red Cross. Among them are
Senator Pat Harrison of Mississippi
and Representative Lowrey of the
same State.
MIR. Shaver scouts the suggestion
that the demand for a special session
is grounded in politics. The chairman
Of the Democratic national commit
tee doubtless is entirely sincere in
his recommendation that Congress be
called to appropriate for the flood suf-
ferers. It may be remarked, however,
f1of the c.thvS,iftnI fa
dent Coolidge for a call for an extra
session have come from the Demo
Gratis and not from the Republicans
1t may be suggested, further, that if a
special session were called now for
any purpose, the political pot would
quickly begin to boil on Capitol Hill.
Opponents of the administration have
been greatly chagrined that the TO-
runs Of the Senate and House have
been closed to them for several
months and promise to remain closed
until next December. unless, indeed,
a special session should be called in
November in order to give Congress
an opportunity to deal more expedi-
tionausly with flood prevention legisla-
tiously with flood prevention legisla-
There are Democrats who desire to
attack the administration policy in
foreign lands. There are insurgent Re-
publicans from the Middle West who
would like to agitate the farm re-
lief problem. There are opponents Of
President Coolidge who would like
to put the Senate and House on
record as being opposed to more than
eight years of continuous service in
the White House, hoping thereby to
halt the rising demand that President
Coolidge succeed himself. And, finally,
the agitators of the slush fund attack
on the Republican party are eager to
come to grips with Senators Frank
L. Smith Of Illinois and William S.
Ware of Pennsylvania. Both of these
gentlemen have been charged with
excessive expenditures in their pri-
mary campaigns for the Republican
nomination for the Senate.
1t seems quite clear that Congress, If
called into session at present, would
be without the necessary information
to guide it in the enactment of proper
flood prevention legislation. 1t would
be idle to pass ill-advised laws for
flood prevention, and worse. For they
might prevent better considered legis-
lation at later. date. The magnitude
of the problem can be appreciated
when it is considered that the Missis.
sippi drainage basin covers an area
Of 1,240,050 square miles. The river
drains about As per cent of the area
Of the United States. Several methods
Of flood prevention have been ad.
vanced, and Congress must decide
which is the best. Among them are
raising and moving back the levees,
spillways, reservoirs, dams and refor.
estation. 1t may be that a combination
Of these methods must be adopted to
give the greatest protection from the
floods.
The floods this year rise to the pro.
portions of a national disaster. It is
the duty of the Government to make
provision against a recurrence of such
disaster. if that be possible. A hastily
summoned Congress, without all the
facts before 1t, might do as much
harm as good.
------s~s0Ss-S----
Nothing is too hard for Mussolini
He is even willing to undertake solu
ton of the price-fixing problem.