Evening star., 1928-05-30
LAWMAKERSlEAVE
FOR HOME AS DOORS
OF CONGRESS CLOSE
Near Riot Marks Final Hours
in Senate-CooIidge Busy
With Signing.
BOULDER DAM BILL
DEFEATED IN JAM
House Ends Session With Jokes.
Record for Decade Set in Legis-
lation Passed.
By the Associated Press.

With Congress in recess until next
December after session which ran
the gamut Of everything predicted for
it and then some more, battle-scarred
legislators we're enjoying double holi-
day this Memorial day.
Six months of freedom from legis-
lative cares, five of which are available
for repairing political fences back home,
lay before the more than 500 Senators
and Representatives as they trekked
homeward.
Only wonder at the outcome Of the
imminent national political battles TO
be fought at Kansas City and Houston
was a possible disturbing element to
clash with thoughts Of renewing old
friendships and plans of individual cam
paigns for reelection.
The last day Of the first session Of the
Seventieth Congress ended yesterday at
$50 pm. With 1t ended near last
minute riot in a filibustertng and Dawes
applauding Senate and a fraternizing,
joke-swapping House.
1000 New Laws.
Cries of Speech Speech!" and a
smiling refusal from Vice President
Dawes preceded the fall Of the gayel
in the Senate.
A brief farewell from Speaker Long
worth, whose final word was the Ha-
waiian good-by, Aloha" came Just be-
fore the final pound Of the desk in the
House.
The session thus brought to a close
saw the enactment Of approximately
1000 new laws, covering everything from
bridges and insignificant pensions TO one
of the greatest engineering problems
ever to be placed before the Nations
builders for solution-the controlling Of
the great Mississippi River. It was a
legislative record unequaled In decade.
Except for Boulder Canyon Dam bill
which was left for the short session to
worry about after filibuster prevented
1t reaching vote, Congress disposed
Of almost every bill on its calendar Of
any importance.
A total OF 19,770 measures we're In
troduced In both houses, not counting
those offered the last day. and Of this
number 1,323 were reported by House
committees and q little more than 90G
by Senate committees. A total Of 923
were put on the statute books.
shoaI BIN Unsigned.
President Coolidge, sitting at a desk
In his room in the Senate wing, af-
fixed his signature to 81 bills during
the last hour of the session. but the
Muscle Shoals Government-operation
measure was not among them. Unless
this bill is signed by midnight June 4.
when the 10 days allowed for action
expire, 1t will receive pocket veto.
Before going to the Capitol Mr. Cool
idge signed another batch of measures,
including the tax reduction, second de-
ficiency and postal rates revision bills.
One of those signed at the Capitol was
the Denison bill trebling the capitaliza-
ton of the Inland Waterways Corpora
ton and extending the facilities of the
Government barge lines.
Scenes unrivaled in years marked the
final hours in the Senate, but the
House, having completed its work a
day or two before, was its old jovial,
peaceful self 1t heard some speeches.
of course, but good-natured banter and
back slapping was the order OF the day.
Both houses stopped work few mo-
ments as the body of the veteran
Thomas S. Butler of Pennsylvania.
chairman of the House naval commit
tee. was being taken to its grave in
Philadelphia.
Senator johnson, Republican, Call
fornia, who lost a 30-hour fight TO
obtain a vote on his Boulder Dam
measure, which the House passed, but
was successful In keeping the bill before
the Senate as Its unfinished business
next December, had the last word of a
days wordy wrangle just before ad-
journment.
Cheers Dawes.
Walking up the center aisle and
standing close in front of the Vice
President, he paid tribute TO Dawes
fairness and courage as presiding
officer. Long applause followed, and
was checked only after Dawes good
naturedly refused to make speech and
brought down the gavel.
Going into executive session to con-
firm last-minute nominations. the
Senate reopened its doors just FIVE
minutes before quitting to allow re-
entry to the crowds that had jammed
the galleries for the final scenes. but the
short interval remaining was not
enough. Only few got back in. and
the body closed down with most OF the
spectators In the outside corridors.
A long address by Senator King.
Democrat. Utah. on Armenia: a rushing
through of several small bills. and tilt
between Chairman Nye Of the Teapot
Dome committee and Senators Walsh,
Democrat. Montana. and Bratton,
Democrat, New Mexico. members Of
that committee. over Nye's supple
mental report on the oil disclosures.
were developments Immediately preced-
ing adjournment In the Senate.
Before the curtain dropped in the
House. Representative TilSon OF Con-
necticut. Republican floor leader, drew
a smattering OF applause and some
laughter when, reporting back for the
joint committee waiting ON the Presi-
dent TO inform him of the impending
adjournment. he said Mr.. Coolidge had
no further communications except ITO
congratulate the Congress on the good
work done"
What happened 10 Muscle Shoalsa"
Continued on Page 5. Column s.