Evening star., 1932-02-08
The Political Mill
By G. Could Lincoln.

This week may see q proposal for a
new amendment to the Constitution
well on itssway to the States for rati-
fication. 1t win have nothing whatever
to do with prohibition. however. 1t
is the old Norris lame duck" amend
ment, so-called, to do away with the
present short sessions Of Congress In
which Senators and Representatives
who have been defeated for reelection
at the polls continue to legislate for the
people. The Norris amendment has
passed the Senate many times. The
House has before it for consideration
a resolution offered by the late Repre-
sentative Rutherford of Georgia, who
died suddenly Thursday, as substi-
tute for the Norris resolution. It diff
ferS in no material respect, however.
from the Senate resolution. With slight
differences in dates, the two resolutions,
Norris and Rutherford, provide for the
meeting OF the newly elected Congress
in the January following Election day,
and for the Inauguration of a newly
elected President of the United States
also in January following his election.
The House put through a resolution in
the last Congress with the so-called
Longworth amendment, which would
have provided for bringing the second
regular session of the Congress to a
close on a specified date. The reso-
luton died in conference between the
Senate and House. This time the
Democratic leaders have placed no limit
on the second session of the Congress
and it looks as though the proposed
amendment would soon go to the States
for ratification.
x
One Of the busiest and most impor-
tant committees OF the House, the Ways
and Means Committee, has completed
its hearings finally on the tax revision
bill and tomorrow will tackle the lob
Of drafting this measure. The WAYS
and Means Committee has made q
record for activity since the session
opened last December, putting through
the Hoover moratorium resolution, the
Democratic tariff bill and completing
the hearings on the $1,000, ,00O, 900 tax
bill, so called because the Democratic
leadership has about decided that it is
essential to raise an additional billion
dollars of revenue in order to balance
the budget and do away with the
Treasury deficit by July l, 1884. The
leaders do not believe that it will be
possible for the Ways and Means Com
mittee to have the tax bill ready tc
report to the House until about March
l. Since it has been determined that
the new taxes shall not be retroactive
the need for haste is not so great. In
creased rates for income taxes and
Surtaxes, much larger estate taxes and
a new gift tax are all expected to be
included in the bill Beyond those
for solid ground. Three hundred wit
nesses. representing MANY industries
have appeared before the committee
and all Of these industries have pro-
tested against further taxation.
X. X *
1t is about time, however, for repre-
sentativeS of American industry to real
ize that the important thing is for the
Government to balance its budget, to
stabilize Government finance and tC
make it impossible for a destruction OF
confidence in the bonos and other Sc
curities of the United States Govern
ment. If that confidence is destroyed
the very keystone of the arch of credit
and values in this country will have
been shaken loose. The industries
would find themselves in a period OF
economic chaos. That is the reason
that the House Ways and Means Com
mittee and the Hoover administration
is so anxious to raise the needed addi-
tional revenue. The Ways and Means
Committee will consider tapping new
sources Of income, including electric
power and light, household gas, oil i'm
ports, and manufacturers sales tax
II appears to have set its face against
a sales tax on necessities, however.
&
Up in North Dakota the regular Re-
publicans would like very much to retire
from the Senate, If they can, Senator
Gerald P. Nye, who belongs to the old
Non-Partisan League group, the Pro-
gressive wing of the Republican party
But the present outlook is that Senator
Nye will be renominated and reelected
to the Senate. The present Governor
of North Dakota, George F. Shafer be-
longs to the regular Republican outfit
He has been urged to run for the Sena-
torial nomination against Senator Nye
when the primaries come round next
Summer. But the latest reports re-
ceived in Washington rather indicate
that Gov. Shafer, if he wants to come
to the Senate, will wait for a mors
propitious year. Senator Nye has a
stronghold on the Progressive group in
his State. He has made e. record for
himself since he has been in the Senate
and has been in the limelight to q
greater extent than any other Senator
from his State since the days of Nc
Cumber, who was chairman of the Sen
ate Finance Committee and one of the
authors of the Fordney-McC Cumber
tariff act, put through when the Re-
publicans took charge after the late
President Harding cane into Office
Senator McCumber belonged to the
regular Republican group in his State
and was for many years Senator from
North Dakota. Senator McCumber
when he went out of Office was ap-
pointed a member of the International
Joint Commission.
This North Dakota political situation
this year has plenty of interest for the
rest of the country. 1t is in North
Dakota, for example, that Gov. Franklin
D. Roosevelt of New York made his first
formal announcement of his candidacy
for the Democratic presidential nomina-
tion. He and Alfalfa Bill Murray,
Governor of Oklahoma, entered in
JIle IL ID LII 4NOi III
Dakota. too that former Senator Joseph
I. France, a Republican opposing the
denomination of President Hoover, has
elected to make his throw for delegates
and for the choice of the voters in the
presidential primary.
Senator Nye headed the Senate In
vestigating Committee which looked
into the campaign expenditures of sena-
torial candidates in 1880. His commit
tee caused a good deal of grief to not a
few aspirantS for senatorial seats, among
them Mrs. Ruth Hanna Mccormick of
Illihois. former Senator Joe" Grundy
of Pennsylvania, not to mention
Grocer" Norris of Nebraska, who was
put forward by opponents of Senator
George W. Norris. but who quit the race
at the last moment. Bishop James
Cannon, jr., who headed the anti-Smith
campaign in Virginia and other parts
Of the South in 1928, has no kindly
recollections Of the Senate Investigat-