Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-03
CONGRESS STARTS
ON BUSY PROGRAM
Seating of Smith to Be One
of Senate's Big Problems
This Week.
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
Congress returned to work today,
and it was far from the child's play of
the Kris Kringle suspension that
faced it.
Their oratorical organs supposedly
in top form from the 1f-day respite
members went to their desks con
fronted with the almost hopeless task
of completing action on the varied
new year calendar in the two months
left in the Sixty-ninth Congress.
Leaders, however, had planned to put
through the legislative threSher the
more important measures and leave
the chaff for next December's session.
Some of the questions that will
come up during the week on the
floors and in committees are primary
expenditures, provided Frank l..
Smith, Senator designate from Illi-
nois. appears to take the oath; the
Lausanne treaty with Turkey, rivers
and harbors, annual supply bills, farm
relief. railroad consolidation, sale OF
Federal patronage charges, coal and
contested nominations.
Base Ball Probe Likely.
There also are prospects that the
latest base ball scandal will come ur
for an airing, as well as the contro
versv born in the holidays over the
use of poisonous denaturants In IN
dustrial alcohol.
The Senate's program was uncer
tain. due to the impending battle over
the seating of Smith. This, however
is not expected to get under way be
fore the middle of the week, when the
late Senator McKinley's successor ar
riyes to take the oath. Meanwhile,
both sides are marsnanng theIf
forces, with Senator Curtis, the Re
publican leader, trying to persuade
the Senate to admit Smith and then
refer his case to the elections com
mittee. and Senator Ashurst, Demo
crat. Arizona, remaining firm in his
| nurnose to press to vote his resolu
ton Withholding the oath pending in
vestigation by this committee OF his
| qualifications.
Today the Senate had only mis-
| cellaneous bills to consider for the
first two hours, with the Lausanne
treaty a probable vehicle thereafter
In the House Chairman Dempsey
of the rivers and harbors committee
had planned to ask immediate
acuuiescence in Senate amendments &c
the SEQ 100000 omnibus rivers and
| harbors bill to stave off the delay that
t~would result in sending it to confer
ence with the Senate.
House Gets Navy Bill.
| The House received the annual ap
propriation bill for the Navy and ex
| pected to have some time lett fol
minor measures on the calendar. The
| War Department supply bill, to be
taken from the committee in the next
| few DAYS, will, with the Navy bill
keep the House busy most of the
week. A fight was in sight on the
| latter. several members having plan
ned to offer amendments to provide
| funds for construction of the three
light cruisers authorized but not ap
propriated for in 1924.
Both houses faced an active com
mittee program today, the Senate
elections committee turning it's atten
ton to charges made against Senator
! Gould of Maine, while another hoped
to put the finishing touches to the ag
ricultural supply bill already passed
| by the House. A subcommittee OF
/ the judiciary committee was to starr
| it's inquiry into charges of the salc
of Federal patronage.
The House commerce committee
planned consideration of numerous
bills vesting the Government with au
| thority to act in coal strike emergen
| cies and another proposing consolida
| tion of the railroads.