Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-12-11
BUSINESS IN HOUSE
| SHOWS GOOD PACE
Smith and Ware Cases Delay
Senate, but Session Gets
Under Way.
BY WILL KENNEDY.

BI WILL +. KENNEDY.
Congress is one week old, with the
Senate having accomplished little to-
ward action upon the many important
matters of legislation awaiting atten.
ton, and with the House making prog
ress on carefully considered pro
gram that calls for passage of at least
one appropriation bill, the tax.reduc-
ton bill and the alien property bill
before the Christmas holidays.
House Leader TiIson, after confer
ing committee, Is working toward ad
journment for the Christmas recess
not later than December %, the holi.
day period TO continue until January 2.
OF course, the exact dates have to be
settled in conference with Senator
Curtis, leader OF the Senate.
The Senate--a continuing body
with two-thirds of its membership re
tanning seats and committee places
from the previous Congress, devoted
the week to refusing admission TO
Frank l.. Smith of Illinois and William
s. Ware of Pennsylvania on account of
charges of excessive use of campaign
funds. That body took yesterday off.
Details Of Proceedings.
A few bills were introduced in the
Senate on Friday. One postmaster at
Concord, n. H., was confirmed; a
resolution was adopted putting an
additional Democrat on each of some
| of the larger committees, and reso
luton offered by Senator Reed OF
Pennsylvania, for an investigation OF
charges that four United States Sena
tors had received $1,250,00 of Mexi
can money, was adopted with hear,
| lngs to start next Thursday. No com
nittee appointments were made.
The House organized for business
| listened to the Presidents annual mes
| sage, received the $3,556,95 ,031 bud
! get, authorized it's ways and means
and appropriations committees to get
| to work, adopted an important re
! form when it abolished II minor com
mittees and substituted one new
major committee, passed the first de.
ticiency appropriation bin carrying
more than $500 100000. completed
general debate on the 1892 900 900 tax
| reduction bill, completed the ex
tremely difficult task of assigning 43.
| members TO committees, and took q
half hour off yesterday to give ar
ovation to Col Lindbergh, voting hin
the Congressional Medal Of Honor.
With SO new members and with the
| ii committees abolished and the mem
bership of several committees en-
largcd. the House faced a decidedly
veXing job in making up the commit
| tee assignments, which called fol
! transfers and adjustments all along
| the line. This tremendous detailed
work of compromise. in an effort Il
get the membership on the commit
tees where they would give the hes
service and, as far as possible, wher,
they would like best to be, was prac
tically completed last night. The full
committee on committees is TO NEE
Monday morning to approve the stat
on minor committees worked out b,
a subcommittee and the resolution
will be presented to the House Mon
day afternoon.
Flood Relief and Other Tasks.
The committee system has beer
| strengthened to complete the bulge
system and to handle specially i'm
/ nortant legislation to come before TIL.
/ Congress, such as flood relief ant
preparations for the 1880 decennia
census, and all of the committees vii
| be a1.e to organize the first of tn,
week and get down to the stead,
routine work of considering the more
| than 5000 bills and resolutions tia
have been introduced
| The appropriation committee whicl
has the most important special worl
OF the present session in handling i
large appropriation bills-the first De
f1ciency. the nine regular depart
mental measures and second de
| Aclency toward the close of the ses
! Ion-has its work Well in hand ant
Is working on a schedule that CALI
Tor breaking all previous records.
| The S1S8,S76,264.91 deficiency bill
| was reported to the House late Tues
| day and called up for consideration or
| Wednesday. OF course, some of thu
| members had speeches to be delivered
| and so considerable time was given tC
general debate, but the bill was passed
early on Friday, with the House add
ing about $i.500,0OO to the commit
tees recommendations
Other subcommittees of the House
appropriations committee are hard at
work on hearings on the budget for
ire departments of State. Justice
Commerce and Labor. The program
calls for all of the nine regular de.
pdrtmental bills to be reported to the
House before March Is This would
be as good as. if nor better than. any
previous record on appropriation meas
ureS. especially as the number of Fed
eral activities and the amounts called
Ter are constantly growing.
Tax bill to Be Debated.
The $232. 100000 tax reduction hill,
also offered opportunity for consider.
able talk In the House under general
debate, but this has now been dis.
posed of, so that the kill can come
up Monday or Tuesday for serious
debate, paragraph by paragraph.
This measure provides for an esti.
mated tax reduction of approxima tely
S7,000,0O in excess of the maximum
set by Secretary Mellon and by Pres.
/ ldent Coolidge in his budget message.
1t seems probable that the House
VIII not make any serious change in
the bill as it came from the ways
and means committee.
This week promises to be one of
hard routine work in the House.
with all of the committees organizing
and going through a winnowing proc.
ess on the great mass of bills that
are awaiting consideration.
-