The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1927-03-15

A Respite From Congress
MINNEAPOLIS Journal)

congress.
seventeen will not gather until next December II
months after its election. 1t is one of the vagares
of system adopted in pre-railroad days. that
congress which has been superseded, should go on
functioning four months after its own death.
The sixty-ninth was, the whole, an efficient
lawmaking body. Thanks to the budget system
with its thorough disposition in advance of the great
mass OF details Congress is able to put through
all the appropriation bills in the short session. and
have no little leisure for other legislation.
Thus the session came to its constitutional end
yesterday with all the great supply bills out of the
way. except the second deficiency, which was caught
in the senate's final fbuser
That performance demonstrated up to the hit, if
demonstrations were needed, the fatal defects of
the senate's Unanimous consent method of doing
business-or rather of not doing it.
1t was purely political dispute that tied the
senate up in hard knot. The Democrats and Pro-
gressves wanted Senator jim, Reeds campaign fund
committee to go on Investigating" all summer
The regular Republicans objected. AS neither would
yield. number of important measures were left
Enacted on-bills that would have gone through
without serious opposition if action could have been
had.
But for this untoward finale the late congress
would have had exceptional record for transac-
ton OF business Even so, the short session pro-
duced an unusual list of things done. Among them
were:
Re-chartering the federal reserve banks and
regularizing branch banking.
Rescuing radio from chaos and putting it
under regulatory control.
Postponing the national origins" basis for
immigration for year, SO that the present
quota system may be retained or a better one
devised.
Beginning the work of restoring national de-
Tense to sounder basis, with larger army
and a better navy.
Setting the prohibition enforcement unit off
into a separate treasury bureau, distinct from
internal revenue.
Providing 20 millions for we'll considered
river and harbor improvement, including the
reclamation of the upper Mississippi for COM
merce
Shutting unclean milk and cream from Can
ada out of the country, to the benefit Of the
domestic dairy industry.
Putting salaries of federal judges on a decent
level.
. That is an impressive list for short session t
! put through in addition to the supply bills. The
there was, of course, the passage of the McNary
Haugen bill, which fortunately failed to involve tn
government in huge and dubious economic adven
ture, thanks to the Coolidge veto.
While congress and the administration did not pull
+ together as we'll in the first session, they wer
able to cooperate in most of the vital matters
Several Coolidge appointments were turned dowr
and the treaty with Turkey was rejected in tn
senate. Indeed, the upper house, while having
nominal Republican majority, was really anti
Coolidge, because of the propensity of the "Pre
gressive' group to join with his Democratic oppor
ents occasion This situation will be accentuate
:. in the next congress, even if the Republicans
:, the narrowest of margins are able to retain tn
organization.
!" The house refused to order reapportionment 70
lowing the of 1880 on the basis of the pre-:
J. 'ent number of members To do so would mean mo,
: seats for number of states and correspondent
e losses for others. The delegations of the latte
were able to defeat all such proposals. 1t appear
d that reapportionment which has been refused d.
n spite the constitution since the 1920 censu
y will not be accomplished by any other basis than
. enlargement Of the house membership, despite il
already unwieldy size. Only thus the states tn,
4 have fallen behind in population growth retain the
present number Of seats. Minnesota, it happen
would not lose under the rejected proposal and ma
II gain under some other.
t The country will now have nine months Of respt
from congress-which will be relief for the coul
! try for congress- and for Coolidge.