Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-11-08
TEMPORARY CHAIRMAN
OF HOUSE IS PROPOSED
William Tyler Page Says Business Could
Be Transacted if Members We're
Sworn In.

:, once elected and an organization once
| set I'D has never been endorsed, vet it
| is a possibility And in a House so
| evenly divided as the next House will
be any unusual thing may happen. Ger
tainly a political majority will not con-
troll legislation, although it will be held
responsible for it. 1t will be impossible
to enact major propositions ether than
by a physical and not by political ma
jority. In other words, by a coalition
Of members Of both or ell parties in
dividually. support depending upon the
nature of the measure itself.
Manifold Issues to Come Up.
At best the situation in Congress, as
Abraham Lincoln once said, will be
piled high with difficulty" The
troubles emitted from Pandoras box
would be blessings in comparison Sell
dom, not even in so-called war Con-
gress. have as many problems confront
ed Congress as will await them this
time. Worldwide economic depression,
from which no nation has escaped, and
its resulting unemployment has brought
| in its train ills of the body polite, REM
edies for which will be sought and SOL
vents for which will not b. lacking.
| There will be many men of many minds,
and political majority responsible to
the country for its acts will not be in
evidence Nevertheless, the party which
organizes the House will be held re-
sponsible by the people for the leg.S'A-
tive results. After all. the people are
not so much concerned with the niceties
and complexities of the parliamentary
situation as they are with the final re-
suits, which may restore prosperity or
retard its return. The pocketbook
nerve Of the people will be severely
strained.
The deficit in the Treasury will neces-
state more and new sources of reve-
nues. At the same time economy must
be practiced, appropriations must be cut
down. These questions alone present a
sufficient serious situation to engage
careful study and consideration. But
other problems will force attention upon
Congress. Farm relief. including the
proposed debenture, the equalization
fee and ether like remedies will again be
proposed. The silver question, long dor
mant since the days of Bryan, will
come to the front, and there will be a
demand for the reconciliation of silver
and for a bimetalic basis as there was
in the days Of the Ccmmoner.
We will hear much about frozen as
sets, and the banking problem acute be-
fore the establishment of the Federal
Reserve system will press for solution.
Unemployment relief measures will
loom big. Even a proposed dole will
have its champions. Sure 1t is that the
soldiers insurance, turned down by the
American Legion, will have its doughty
champions, who will demand the pay
ment Of the $4,000, 100000 balance.
Measures for the sterilization Of indus
try will receive serious consideration,
and foreign debts and reparations in
general will come in for big share Of
speechmaking The German moratorium
will meet Congress at the Threshold.
This must be disposed Of early. It will
give rise to much apprehension and
possibly some opposition owing to the
fear of gradual and ultimate cancella-
ton of foreign debts.
May LiberaIize House Rules.
Philippine independence will take a
major place among the vexatious ques-
tons to be decided. Tariff revision in
general and in particular will have adj
vocates, and the Tariff Commission and
the Hawley-Smoot act will be subjects
of much criticism for the making of
presidential campaign thunder. Likely
as not popgun tariff bills such as
harassed the administration of President
Taft will be resorted to. These bills
would deal with individual schedules of
the tariff act. Other problems will press
for solution. If all Of these matters are
to receive consideration and legislation
result, then Congress may not hope to
adjourn at all next year, but run with
out stopping into the short session a
year hence.
The parliamentary situation presents
difficulties for either party that may Or
game. There will be a demand for
liberalization Of the House rules. This
means in its last analysis greater indi-
vidual latitude. The rules Of the House
are an evolution. Those of the last
Congress were formulated for the pur-
pose Of enabling a responsible majority
to legislate. Special rules brought in by
the Committee on Rules were designed
to expedite consideration of measures
selected by a Steering Committee for
preferential consideration. Such spe-
cial rules could not be adopted except
by responsible majority. One purpose
of the demand for liberalization is to
divest the Committee on Rules Of much
Of Its power.
Another demand is for a workable
rule to discharge committees upon the
petition of 100 members instead of by q
majority as provided in the old rules.
It Is also proposed seriously to change
procedure in all committees to enable
them to meet without the call Of the
chairman and to reduce the number
necessary for a quorum. These and
other changes in the House rules de-
manded by Progressive members will
furnish much embarrassment to those
in control: Proportional representation
on committees is usually relative to
party strength in the House itself. In
the last Congress the ratio of a 81
member committee was IA Republicans
and Democrats. With the House so
evenly divided this ratio is likely to be
IL to 10, but hardly IL to Gust a
hairs breadth of difference
Committees May Bring Issue.
In the matter Of committee chair
manships, If the seniority rule is OBJ
served much trouble between the North
and the South may be embarrassing tt
the party In control unless averted by g
give-and-take policy. Sectional claim:
of this kind have been embarrassing
in the past in Speakership fights, but
that was when the Speaker had the
4 power of appointing committees. Nov
committees are elected by the House
The manner in which they shall bt
nominated may be another source Of
trouble for the party in power. The
method is different in the two parties
The Republicans nominate through {
Committee on Committees composed O.
one Republican from each State having
Republican representation, who has thu
voting strength of his State delegation
The Democrats heretofore have in
trusted this function to the Democratic
/ members of the Ways and Means Com
: mittee. This method of nominating
for places on committees may b
: changed in the Democratic caucus t.
: be held on December 5, and the adop
7 ton demanded of a plan similar Il
t that of the Republicans, which per