Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-10

Although congressional pessimists fear
the special session may drag Its hot and
weary length along until September,
both House and Senate are wondering
what's really going to keep them busy
all that time. President Hoover's mes
sage will ask Congress to do only two
things-enact farm relief and moder-
ately revise the tariff. The ways are
already creased for relatively speedy
action on both matters. The farm bill
will go through not only first, but more
quickly than the Hawley -Smoot tariff
act. But when the House has sent both
the agricultural and tariff bills to the
Senate, where do Nick Longworth's
little playmates go from there, while
waiting for the upper branch to act?
And how is the Senate going to put in
its precious time after passing the farm
bill and while waiting for the House to
send over the tariff measure? The
House thus far has organized only its
agricultural and ways and means COM
mittees. theoretically, it isn't prepared
to tackle anything but farm and tariff
business There Is q batch of minor
bills which might be adjudged part and
parcel Of the general farm program.
It's suggested that these would be ap-
propriate time-fillers and time-killers in
the House And there's always the base
ball season.
/ AS the Senate is continuing body,
all of Its committees will be organized
at the outset of the special session.
The new chairman of the all-powerful
committee on committees Is Senator
McNary, Republican, of Oregon, whose
name once again will adorn the farm
relief bill. Senate committee assign
mentS are greatly coveted, especially
the ones that carry with them GER
tain recognized social opportunities
These, in the order Of their social rank
much in Washirgton--are the commit
| tees on foreign relations, naval and
military affairs. Chairman McNary
has IL applications Tor the two vacant
| Republican places on the blue ribbon
| foreign relations committee. One is the
chair left empty by the retirement from
Congress Of former Senator George p.
Mclean Of Connecticut. The other is
the additional place created by increased
| @. o. p. representation on the commit
tee. The Senate's newest conner. Gov.
Henry J. Allen Of Kansas. Vice, Presi-
dent Curtis successor, Is understood to
have his eye on the foreign relations
| committee.
The new Senate list counts up Sc Re-
publicans (including Ware of Pennsyl1
| vania), 80 Democrats and Farmer
Labor (Shipstead of Minnesota). As
| signments, in the case of committees of
| ordinary size, will be in the ratio of
Republicans and Democrats. In some
| of the larger committees, like foreign
relations, appropriations, agriculture
and finance, the ratio will be something
| like IL Republicans and Democrats.
| That's about as equitable an arrange
ment, based on the political makeup of
| the incoming Senate, as 1t seems pcsSi-
| BILE to work out. It Is reputed to have
| the approval of Senator Joe T. Robin
son of Arkansas, Democratic minority
| leader. One cannot overeStimate the
| importance of congressional commit
tees. The floors of House and Senate
are where the talking is done, but COM
| mittee rooms are where the work is
done. Nine times out of 10, what COM
| mittees do today, House and Senate
| confirm tomorrow. That's exactly what
| is about to happen with regard to farm
relief and tariff revision.
X X n 4
Representative Fred S. Purnell OF In
/ diana, ranking Republican member OF
/ the House agricultural committee, says
/ it's sinple as pie to write the new farm
bill. IAN we have to do" he explains,
! "is to take the Kansas City platform
/ tack on few passages from President
/ Hooyer's st. Louis speech, add an en-
acting clause, and there you are"
4 X 4
| Senior DR.. Noises Saenz, undersecre-
tary for education in the Mexican gov
eminent, Is In washington at the OUT
set Of q whirlwind speaking campaign
/ arranged by the committee on cultural
! relations with Latin America. The COM
nittee has booked him for % addresses
i III two weeks. DR. Saenz looks young and
sturdy enough to stand the pace. He