The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1927-11-30
HEAVY DOCKET
WAITS SESSION
OF CONGRESS
Continued from page one)

Continued from page one)
which William s. Ware and Frank
Smith arc making for sdmittance
to the Senate. This fight, which
will be bitter, probably will be
brief. It looks as if the two will
be excluded. but no one is advised
to make any heavy bets.
Face q Heavy Program
With this matter disposed of, the
Senate and the House face q heavy
program. on which the problem Of
flood relief has = leading position.
The House doubtless will tackle
this measure first. The plan Of the
army engineers for q ''levecs only"
system Of curbing the Mississippi
probably will be adopted as a sort
Of stop-gap measure, with special
commission possibly being appointed
to draw up q more comprehensive
solution. There are so many
schools Of thought on the flood re-
lief question that, it is impossible to
predict accurately just what will
happen; but the problem is so press
ing, and Of such vital concern to SO
large section of the country, that
something undoubtedly will be done.
Next comes tax reduction, and
here too something unquestionably
will be done. With a presidential
campaign only . few months away
the senators and Representatives will
be straining at the leash to slash
the tax bill, and it seems safe to say
that automobile and nuisance"
taxes will 60 by the board. with .
total reduction Of something like
$500, 000, 900 being voted. The fed
eral inheritance tax will cause q
sharp fight, but probably will be re-
tanned.
W'+h tax reduction out Of the
way, farm relief will be next in or
=. A~.e the political aspect of
the situation is so clouded that
nothing definite can be predicted.
1t may be that the approaching
campaign will lead to enough COM
promises in both houses to put
through bill fairly satisfactory to
the farmers. Whether such q bill
would get by the president without
being vetoed, however, and whether
If it were vetoed, Congress could
muster enough votes to make it q
law anyhow, are other matters.
President Coolidge is expected to
press for some kind of farm relief,
and it may be that his enemies in
Congress would rather see no farm
relief at all than let him get the
credit for it. The situation is so
tangled and uncertain that the whole
thing may end up in q deadlock.
The Muscle Shoals and Boulder
Dam bills will come up again. Pow
err interests are fighting these
bills hard, and each has strong sup
port; what may happen is impossi-
BILE to foresee.
Another good fight will come
when the naval appropriations bill
comes up. The outcome Of the
Geneva conference has given an i'm.
petus to the big navy movement, and
while there will be. strong 0pposi-
ton it looks as II money for eight
new cruisers would be voted.
Confirmation Of certain presiden-
tial appointments is considered
doubtful, especially that of Eugene
Meyer as chairman Of the Federal
Farm Loan Board. An alien prop
erty bill probably will be pushed
through, and there will be any num-
Der of minor measures passed.
4 That then, is the program. But
any consideration Of it which leaves
, out the fact that a presidential
campaign is soon to begin is futile
i For example,: practically every
major measure that comes up will be
highly important to the political
! fortunes Of one or another Of the
candidates for the presidency
Flood relief, for instance. is more OF
less tied up with Secretary Of
Commerce Herbert Hoover; and Il
is obvious that some of Hoover's
enemies will fight bitterly to pre-.
prevent any kind Of a bill that would
add any lustre to his reputation.
i It is the same way with tax re-
duction. Farm relief is in SINH
lar. situation, and, as was pointed
out above, a desire to embarrass
|, President Coolidge as a potentia
candidate may raise hob with thu
farm bloc's bill.
! Third Term Question Up
Il In addition, there is the question
of the anti-third term resolution
. which certain senator's have beef
discussing. It seems probable tina
the Senate will be more or less al
) anti-administration organization
, with the "progrcssives" WELDING
the balance Of power, and it is prob
} able that it will find a number o
!, ways to harass the chief executive
!, LaFollette is expected to introduce
E his resolution protesting against
e presidency that lasts more thai
E eight years, and this resolution ma.
{ pass.
' All in all, Congress will have
Y busy season. It will be a stormy
5 colorful session; q good deal Q
S work will get done because presi
VI dental campaign is approaching
s and q good deal more will not &c
done for the same reason; and tn
i whole thing will doubtless be highl
n interesting and instructive t
watch.
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