Evening star., 1929-12-01

or business man.
After this year and two weeks of con-
tinuous hard work Mr.. Smoot and his
fellow Senators begin tomorrow new
session of the Senate. This new session
will be abnormally long. Senator Sim
mons of North Carolina thinks it will
last probably to the latter part of Au-
gust or the first of September" The
reason this coming session will be alb
normally long is the same reason that
the sittings of this Congress have al
ready been long. That reason is the
tariff The tariff began April Is last.
As this article is written it is not yet
done and the end is not in sight. Just
how soon it will be done depends on the
order of eYents Congress adopts next
week.
Ware Case on Hand.
One of the leaders anticipates that
the first thing taken up in the Senate
will be the case of Ware, who has been
officially held suspended between the
State of Pennsylvania and his Senate
seat for nearly three years. and whose
suspension between election and admls-
sion has caused the second largest State
In the Union to have but one repre-
sentative on the Senate floor, David A.
Reed-an exceptionally able and hard-
working one, but only one.
The Ware case will consume some
time; how much no man can tell. Al
ter ware has been told by a Senate roll
call whether he can or cannot take his
oath of Office and seat, the Senate
may or may not return to the tariff.
AS this article is written some Senate
leaders think they will. But there is
q tax reduction ahead: it is a very
popular tax reduction; about everybody
outside the Senate wants it. and hardly
anybody in the Senate resists 1t. For
psychological reasons, the Senate may
take account of the urgency of atmos-
phere attending the tax reduction and
take that up before it resumes the tariff.
In any event the tariff will not be out
of the way for some weeks.
Democratic Senator Simmons Of
North Carolina (oficial Democratic
leader on tariff matters), says that COM
pletion of the tariff will consume from
four to six weeks of the coming session.
Democratic Senator Copeland of New
York, putting the matter in rather acid
terms, says: IF any farmer in America
thinks the tariff bill is going to pass
before Christmas, or even before Janu-
ary or February, he is fooled once more.
[ThiSl will probable be one of
the Senate's longest sessions in years" !"
Senator Copeland's acidity may make
him overpessimistic, and both has acid
ity and his pessimism may arise out of
the conviction. which he holds strongly
that such prolonged and continuous ses-
sions are bad for individual Senators,
bad for the Senate as whole, and be-
cause bad for the Senate, therefore bad
for the country. Senator Copeland is
. one OF the two physicians in the SEN
ate (the other being Hatfield of West
Vrglnta). AS man, Senator Copeland
Is one Of the Senators who least needs
his own professional services or advice.
He Is big and husky and permanently
well conditioned. He is as well able to
stand the strain as any other Senator.
and much better than most. But if not
Tor himself, then for the Senate and
the country, DR.. Copeland deeply de-
plores the length and continuity of these
sessions:
1T is absolutely wrong it is
cruelty, it is indecent. to keep these men
here on the Senate floor. Today, this
very day, Senators have come to me and
said: ! cannot sleep nights. I am so
worn out We have no business to be
here attempting to legislate E.
We are not fair to the citizens Of the
United States if we attempt to legislate
when we are in no condition physically
or mentally to carry on our work &.
All any one has to do is to read the
Record Of this afternoon to know that
the Senate is not in frame of mind to
legislate as it should
And yet this tariff, as yet, has not
consumed any more time than any past
tariff. Some Seantors the other day got
into a petulant argument about the
time consumed. It may be inferred
from what has already been said that
senatorial arguments these days are
rather strongly tinged with petulance
But veteran Democratic Senator SIM
mons dating from 1901) agreed with
dating from 1909 that the average
time in which We have been able to
pass tariff bills in the past has been
something like five months The
Senate has had this present tariff bill
exactly five months. 1t is going to
have it probably a month longer, and
the ensuing conference between Senate
and House may, in the present case,
be exceptionally prolonged.
Large Program to Meet.
Not only will the tariff continue to
consume good deal of time during the
coming weeks and months. In turn,
the time spent on the tariff will cause a
future telescoping of that portion of the
program of Congress which arises after,
and when. the tariff is out Of the way
This regular and normal program, omit
ting the tariff, is already large. There
are the great supply bills, the appropri-
alton bills for the Government depart
ments. Other than these. and other
than the business already mentioned as
likely to come up early there will be
many further matters. Some are
already in sight, and no doubt Presi-
dent Hoover, in his address next week
will mention yet more.
Senator Glass of Virginia, Repre-
sentative McFadden of Pennsylvania
and others have exceedingly important
proposals dealing with banking, credit
the Federal Reserve system, branch
banking and allied subjects which In
the aggregate would alone be enough
work to consume a full session of Con-
gress. considering the pace at which
Congress normally makes progress
Senator Fess of Ohio has an urgent
bill affecting railroad consolidation
Senator Couzsns of Michigan has g
carefully worked out bill dealing witt
radio, other forms of interstate com.
munication and public utilities. Sena-
tor Sheppard of Texas has proposal
extremely provocative of prolonged de.
bate-dealing with the liability of thu
purchaser under the prohibition law.
Because of the possibility Of some oe
gree Of business depression, and in orde
to take up any slack in employment
plans win be enlarged and put in fore
to carry on waterway improvement ol
the Mississippi and other streams. Fo
the same reason good roads, publ
buildings and other national improve
ments will be expanded and appropria
tions made for them. Some advocate
Of the World Court hopes to bring tn