Evening star., 1930-11-30
EXTRA CONGRESS SESSION
DEPENDS UPON DEBATES
Time Needed for Necessary Appropria-
ton Bills May Easily Be Taken Up
With Other Questions.

be among other bills, appropriations for
| additional Government construction
projects which have been brought for
ward to consume labor otherwise I'M
employed.
PrOgresSives Unafraid Of Special Session.
All the subjects for congressional ac-
tion so far mentioned could readily be
cared for in the 70 working days that
the new session will have. But other
matters will be pressed forward. Some
will be pressed before the routine mat
ters are attended to. They will be
pressed by advocates who now shrewciy
realize that the best way to get action
on the bills they desire is to urge them
early and continuously, and thus bring
about a condition which imperllS the
appropriations. IN the strategy with
which this sort of thing will be done
bills will be pressed with the tacit
threat that unless they are passed some
appropriatio bills will be held up and
an extra session will be forced. One
whole faction of the Senate-the Pro-
gressive RepublicanS-have no fear Of a
special session. On the contrary, most
Is Senators who compose the Progress
sive group are enough-the rules of the
| Senate being what they are-to be able
| to talk about their bills at such length
as to make a special session inevitable.
The insurgent Republicans say, in ef-
feet:
Permit us to have prompt vote on
these bills we desire and there need be
no special session." Turning the charge
of delay back against their foes. they
will add: IF you resist these measures
that we desire, then you, the resisterS,
will be responsible for the consump-
ton of time and for the ensuing peril
| to appropriation bills and for the bring
ing about Of a special session"
Norris Aims at Lame Ducks"
Among the projects that will be
| forced to the front by Progressive Re-
publicans one is called in current polit-
| ical slang the "lame-duck" amendment
the word for a Congressman who
has been defeated in the election this
month, but who, by virtue of the Con-
stitution, continues to sit in the session
from Monday next until March 4. This
condition has long irked Senator George
w. Norris of Nebraska. To state 1t one
way, he does not think it best that q
Congressman who has been rejected by
his constituents in November should
continue to legislate from December
until March. put the same thing
the other way around, Senator Norris
thinks that when the country on No
vember elected a new Congress that
Congress ought to take over control OF
the Government.
To effect the change he wishes Sena-
tor Norris years ago wrote constltu-
ticnal amendment. The effect OF 1t, In
part, would be that the new Congress
elected this month should meet in jan
uary. Senator Norris bill would rear
range the dates and periods Of congress
sional sessions. But the net OF 1t Is
that an old Congress would expire with
the election and the newly elected one
would take control of the Government.
AS it is, under the present system, the
Congress elected on the 4th OF this
month viii not step into power for more
than a year after that election, not until
December Z, 1881 (unless a special ses-
sion should be called earlier). Senator
Norris thinks that this long period
elapsing between the mandate Of the
people and the giving effect to that
mandate in Congress Is wrong, and the
aim Of his proposed amendment Is 70
remedy 1t.
About the merit Of the proposed
change literally thousands of pages OF
the Congressional Record are filled with
argument. It is as might be expected,
largely a matter of conservative and
anti-conservative The conservatives say
the present system is wise; that 1t would
not be well for a Congress elected, as 1t
must be in the heat Of controversial
questions, to begin within two months
to legislate on these questions. Con-
servatives, in short, are partial TO the
existence Of a 13-month period between
an election and the stepping into power
of the Congressmen elected.
Senator Norris amendment has passed
the Senate several times. The House
has always either rejected it or ignored
it. Senator Norris says now that tht e
have been sufficient years Of argument
and that there should be final vote
on his amendment in the present ses-
sion The Nebraska Senator is able to
say with justice that nothing is needed
except roll call; that there need be no
debate, because everything that can be
said on either side has already been
said.
Muscle Shoals Controversy Looms.
On the other matte pressed by Pro-
gressive Republicans and not, so to
speak, on the regular program. the most
controversial by far is Muscle Shoals.
Senator Norris has already pressed
through the Senate last Spring a bill
for Government operation OF Muscle
Shoals and for preferential sale OF the
electricity to municipalities. His bill Is
essentially a Government ownership and
Government operation bill. The House,
however. has rejected Senator Norris
bill. The House has written measure
of its own, providing that Muscle Shoals
be leased TO a private corporation ana
be operated as private business is oper-
ated.
Thus the two bills stand as the COM
ing session opens. Superhcially 1t Is
I Il. V4d
ate. Fundamentally it Is a deadlock
between the principle of public opera
ton of a public utility and the con-
trasting principle 1T the Government
should refrain from entering into busi-
ness operations and from competing
with private corporations.
Senator Norris thinks that II this
question Is forced to roll call in the
coming session his bill will win. For
thinking this the Nebraska Senator has
fair reason. He has seen In many State
elections in November the principle OF
public ownership Of public utilities make
sensational advances. In New YORK.
Tennessee, Nebraska, Oregon 1daho and
some other States the principle OF pub
| lie ownership Of Dublic utilities or some
approximation to that status has won
victories. Senator Norris undoubtedly
thinks that other Senators and MEM
bers of the House have observed these
elections as carefully as he has: He
has good reason to persuade himself
that If he can force his bill to a roll
call in this session 1t may win.
Here, again, Senator Norris is able to
argue that there need be no consump-
| ton Of time except enough to call the
roll. He will be able TO say that already
in session after session, there has been
immense and abundant argument-ar-
gument both about Muscle Shoals spe-
cifically and about the broad principle
| involved.