Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-04
BY MARX SULLIVAN.


anything that comes to fruit
Il within the year-but rather
progress of capitalization toward
an event of which the outcome arrives
in 1882. That event of 1882 is choice
of candidates of the two parties for
Democratic candidate, because as re-
spects the Republican nominee prac-
tically everybody assumes as of today
that he will be Mr.. Hoover
AS respects the Democratic nominal
ton, and as of the opening days Of
1881, there are two visible facts. One
IS that Gov. Franklin Roosevelt of New
York is more generally mentioned as
the Democratic presidential nominee
than any other one man. The other is
that the leaders of the party, who will
determine the outcome, show general
and definite reluctance to give the NOM
nation to the New York Governor.
OF course, there will be other things
in the political year 1881 besides the
matter of presidential nominees. There
will be prohibition, as usual-exactly as
usual, because nothing will be done
about it. The WickerSham Commits
sion's report, or reports, will not be
acted upon by this session Of Congress,
which has only until March to live.
j Thereafter, with the old Congress dead,
there will be no Congress whatever un-
til December z, when the new Congress
meets.
Prohibition Action Unlikely.
Obviously, the final % days of De-
cember, which will be all the existence
the new Congress will have during 1881,
will be too short to do anything about
prohibition. If another reason were
needed, that new Congress will be sit
ting right on the eve of a presidential
/ aInrfiOY1-aFd that lie rIY1lfITolv
time for Congress to do anything about
prohibition or about any other acutely
controversial subject having partisan
assets and partisan liabilities.
In what I have said so far there Is
an assumption. The assumption is that
the present short session of Congress,
ending March 4, will complete all its
routine work, including the passage of
all the appropriations indispensable to
keep the Government running. On that
assumption Is based the statement that
there will be no special session of the
new Congress. The assumption at this
moment is reasonable.
The statement here made that this
present session of Congress will COM
plete its imperative work and thereby
obviate the calling of a special session
OF the new Congress, Is made upon q
rather careful survey Of the sentiment
of all the factions In Congress. To say
that during 1881 there will be no spe-
cial session Of the new Congress is a
negative statement, but 1t is an afflrma-
tive fact having important meanings.
Two Important Steps.
In the existing Congress. between
now and its expiration, March 4, two
important steps will probably be taken.
This Congress win probably vote-and
the vote, IL taken, is likely TO be con-
cluSive-on Muscle Shoals. This Con-
gresS will vote either ca that Muscle
Shoals is to be operated for the produce
ton of electricity directly by the Fed
eral Government, or (b) that Muscle
Shoals Is to be operated by a private
corporation under lease from the Gov
eminent, or Co that there shall be
some intricate compromise between the
principles of Government operation and
private operation.
This action on Muscle Shoals espe-
cially If it Is a decisive action and not
a compromise-wtll have high and per-
manent Importance. Muscle Shoals has
come to be more than a local water
power development on the Tennessee
River, which the Federal Government
happens to own and to have brought to
the present stage Of development as an
incident which began with our war
time activities more than IL years ago.
Muscle Shoals has come to be the
symbol of the issue of public versus
Government operation of public utili-
Ties. All over the country, in State
after State, this issue is to the front.
The issue takes the form Of resentment
against some activities of some public
utilities, and Of determination by some
States and municipalities that the balsi-
ness of manufacturing and supplying
electricity shall be carried on by NUM-
IFS4E ~ IfxE 4nA r~&Ia A.
owned plants and organizations. Wher-
ever the issue has arisen and come to
a vote in elections, the outcome as a
rule has been favorable to Government
ownership.
May Be 1892 Issue.
OF this Nationwide issue Muscle
Shoals has come to be the symbol. Ex-
ponents of public ownership, such as
Senator George w. Norris of Nebraska,
regard the disposition of Muscle Shoals
as decisive. If the decision of Congress
is that Muscle Shoals shall be operated
by the Federal Government (and If that
decision Is approved by President
HooVer), then the Government owner
ship advocates win regard themselves
as having successfully inaugurated an
opening step. On the other hand, If
the decision Of Congress Is that Muscle
Shoals shall be privately operated, then
the public ownership advocates will re-
gard themselves as having suffered q
decisive setback. In both cases the
public ownership issue will probably
emerge in the 1892 campaign.
If during 1881 America embarkS upon
Government ownership, that fact will
be regarded by future historians as CIV
ing to the year 1891 a high Importance.
There is only one other important
question that the present Congress is
likely to take up. This issue also Is
fathered by Senator Norris of Nebraska.
He wants a constitutional amendment
which will bring it about that when q
new Congress is elected In November
such new Congress shall take its seat
and go to work ON the subsequent LIST
OF January, two months later.
| AT present, under the existing provi-
sions Of the Constitution, the new Con-
gress elected last November does not
begin its regular SfttingS until more
than q year after 1t was elected; that
is, not until December, 1881. Mean
time, under the present working, the
old Congress continues to exist and
continues to legislate. This gives rise
to what is called the '1ame-duck" ses-
sion Of Congress; that Is, session Of
a Congress Of which many members
have previously been defeated at the
polls.
lame Duck" Action Possible.
To do away with "lame duck" sessions
Of Congress, to bring 1t about that a
Congress elected In November shall i'm
mediately supplant the old Congress
and go to work two months later on the
succeeding 1St Of January-to achieve
that Senator Norris long ago devised
an amendment to the Constitution. The
amendment has passed the Senate some
five times. In the House It has been
defeated once or twice and at other
times ignored.
TT iS Y0raslIroad and n ic vlTol,o HE