Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-16
The Political Mill
By C. Could Lincoln.

| The House may have q shot ct the
much discussed proposal to do away
with the lame duck" sessions of Con-
gress during the present week. The
Republican leaders Of the House have
tntimated that Thursday, or Friday or
some other day they misy permit the
special rule for the consideration of the
Clifford resolution proposing an amend
ment to the Constitution doing away
with the lame duck" sessions and in
cidentally, the present short" sessions
of Congress, to come to vote. A ques-
ton which quite naturally arises Is
why the Clifford resolution" The de-
mand that the lame duck sessions 60 by
the board has become linked with the
name of Senator George w. Norris of
Nebraska, Progressive Republican. It
was Senator Norris who pressed the
proposal to a successful vote in the
Senate years ago. That body, indeed,
has passed favorably upon the Norris
resolution five times. The Norris reso-
luton was put through in the present
Congress and sent to the House. The
Speaker, however, held the resolution on
his desk for months, until the House
Committee on Election of President,
Vice President and Representatives in
Congress had reported out the Clifford
resolution.
There are two reasons for shunttng
the Norris resolution in the House and
bringing out the Clifford measure, ac-
cording to Senator Norris. One of the
reasons, he says, Is that such course
may delay and prevent final action on
the constitutional amendment in this
Congress and make 1t necessary to
begin all over again in the next. For
the passage of the Clifford resolution by
the House, although the Senate has put
| through the Norris resolution designed
to accomplish the same end, does not
| put the proposed amendment up to the
States. Instead, the Norris resolution
remains in the House committee and
the Clifford resolution must be adopted
| by the Senate If there is to be final
| action on the proposal in the present
Congress. Senator Norris points out
that the way to get action, If the Hou, e
leaders had been so inclined, was to
take the Senate resolution, amend 1t if
necessary and report 1t to the House for
a vote. The Senate could then concur
In the House amendments, If there
were any, or If it objected to the. amend
mentS could send the resolution to con-
ference and have the differences be-
tween the two houses ironed out there.
The Nebraska Senator feels, too. that
there is an attempt on the part of the
House Republican. leaders to rob him of
any personal credit that may attach in
the future to the constitutional amend
ment ending "lame-duck" sessions of
Congress For that reason, he holds, the
Senate. or Norris resolution has been
| pigeonholed in the House committee.
| while the resolution of Mr.. Clifford of
Massachusetts, has been brought forth.
me Nebraska Senator made it clear,
however, that he Is more anxious to
| get action on a resolution doing away
with the ame-duck" sessions than he
was in having his name attached to the
resolution, and for that reason he pro-
posed to ask the Senate to put through
the Clifford resolution promptly. If it
came to the Senate from the House.
The two resolutions are basically the
same; their purpose Is the same, al
though the Clifford resolution fixes
slightly different dates for the assem- SEM
bling Of the newly elected Congress and
the Inauguration Of the President and
Vice President and also makes provi-
| sion for caring for a remote contin-
gency of death in the event the election
OF President and Vice President be
thrown into the House and the Senate,
respectively.
Even though the House adopt the
Clifford resolution the last of the pres
ent week, 1t Is still a question whether
the Senate action on the resolution can
| be had before noon March brings the
| present Congress to a definite end
| There are a handful of Senators who
| have been opposed to the amendment
to the Constitution. If they wished TO
block action on the House resolution
they might be able TO do 50 in the last
few days OF the session. Furthermore,
the Clifford resolution may be amended
| so as to f1X date for the conclusion of
| the second regular session of each Con-
| gress in May or June. This is one
amendment which Senator Norris him
self opposes, preferring to leave it pos
Sible for Congress to continue in session
until 1t shall have completed its BUSH
ness, or until its term shall be at an
end. Speaker Longworth is understood
to be strongly favorable to such an
amendment, however. and the amend
ment may be offered when the Clifford
resolution is taken up in the House.
| \ X
The report of the Senate Campaign
| Investigating Committee on the Penn
sylvania primary and election, which
| resulted in the choice of Senator James
J. Davis, still lags. It has been prom
tsed from time TO time, and now the
Senate has but two more weeks in
which to receive the report and to take
| action on Senator Davis right to retain
hts seat, II any attempt is made to GUST
him. Incidentally, it may yet happen
that no effort will be made to take his
seat from Senator Davis. A careful
reading of all the testimony taken in
| the Pennsylvania primary and election
investigation. it is said, shows that the
case Of Mr.. Davis is by no means on all
| fourS with that of William S. Ware, who
was elected to the same seat in the Sen
ate in 1926, but who was not allowed to
| take that seat. Although it Is a fact
| that about the same amount of money
was expended in the two campaigns,
running close to million dollars for
the ticket with which Davis was allied
and for the ticket with which Ware was
connected more than four years ago,
those who have made the inquiry say
they see a great deal of difference in
| the two cases. For example, Mr.. Ware
| expended large amount of his own
| money, something like 10 times the
| amount expended by Mr.. Davis. Mr..
Ware has for years been the head of the
| Republican machine in Philadelphia,
while Mr.. Davis was picked by that ma
chine to aid the State ticket put for
ward by the machine.
Senators who nave expressed them
| selves strongly in opposition to large
| expenditures for primary and general
elections to the Senate face, however,
dilemma. While they r1ay be con-
WINGED that Senator Davis was chosen
without large expenditures on his own
part and without excessive expenditures
made by others for his nomination and
election, they are yet confronted with the
fact that the Pennsylvania election, for
the side which won was a million-dol-
lar affair. If they do not express their
disapproval in the case of Senator
| Davis. they fear that their failure will
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