Evening star., 1930-06-21
The Record of Congress.

| first Congress is drawing to close. July
is the date now advanced as the time
of adjournment by the Republican lead
ers of both Senate and House The pas
sage of the river and harbor bill yes
terday, coupled with an agreement
which looks to an early vote on the
World War veterans pension bill, now
pending in the Senate, has given hope
to the jaded legislators that they will
be able to wind up the business of the
session and get away.
The members of the House and one
third of the membership Of the Senate
must stand for reelection In November
Many of the sitting members have still
to run the gantlet Of the primary, with
aspiring opponents ready to snatch the
nominations for congressional office If
they can. The contestants for renomt-
nation and reelection must stand be-
fore the voters on the record which they
have made in the special session called
last April and in the regular session now
about to close.
The Seventy-flrst Congress up to date
has had a stormy career, with conflicts
between the two houses, and more
especially with conflicts between the
Senate and the President. In the main,
the House has backed the President,
and together they have overridden the
Senate. This was true in the case OF
the farm relief bill, now a law, and it
was true also in connection with the
tariff bill, although many Of the Sen
ate amendments to that measure were
acceptable to the Chief Executive.
Whether the Seventy-first Congress will
reassemble next December in more
chastened mood or more ready to defy
the lead Of the Hoover administration
will depend to great extent upon the
outcome of the elections in November.
Dire predictions have been made by
the opponents of the administration
They claim that the voters will register
their emphatic displeasure with the ad-
ministration, with legislation it has
sponsored and with conditions generally
when they go to the polls next Novem-
Der. The campaign, however, has still
to be waged.
The people have still to assay the
legislation enacted by Congress. They
have still to weigh the acts Of the
Hoover administration. II the Demo-
cratic opponents and the Republican
insurgents who have attacked the ad-
ministration are TO be credited. the
Judgment of the voters will be adverse.
But that Is largely campaign talk,
speeches that may be used in the
coming political contest and sent
through the mails free of charge under
the members frank. The voters will
wish to know whether the new tarift
bill has actually increased the cost OF
living or whether 1t has aided Alneri-
can farmers and American industry.
They will in all probability decide for
themselves. Much will depend upon
| whether conditions improve economical
ly during the next three months In this
| country.
Another matter the people may help
to determine when they 90 to the polls
is whether the Congress or the Presi-
dent Is the more popular or unpopular.
It would be more correct to limit the
decision to the President and the Sen
ate, for the House has followed the lead
of the administration consistently. The
opposition TO the President among
members of his own party in the Sen
ate has been the cause Of most Of the
trouble. Some of these Republican in
surgents were opponents of Mr.. Hoover
long before he was nominated and
elected. Others turned upon him
during the special session of Congress
and have grown more bitter because OF
the split that arose between themselves
and the White House.
The record is largely written. Upon
that record the members OF the Congress
must stand or fall. The President has
not yet completed half his term of Of
flee and the judgment of his party and
of the voters generally upon his admin
istration will not be registered for an-
other two years. 1t Is quite true, how
ever, that the course Of the administra-
ton will be aided or made more rough
by the result Of the congressional elec-
tions. A swing to the opposition, which
would put the Democrats in power In
either house of Congress, would have
the effect Of making 1t impossible fol
the administration to obtain favorable
action on many Of its projects.
In estimating wage scales and pen