Evening star., 1933-01-01
BY WILL p. KENNEDY.

House members have established a
forum for discussion Of the most i'm
portant and complex subjects OF vital
interests to the country which some
OF the closest students of government
and legislative procedure believe will
continue as an Unconstitutional ad-
junct to the legislative machinery
This forum in which some 100 mem
bers of the House are now taking deep
interest provides an opportunity for free
exchange of ideas and unembarrassed
contribution of judgment or opinion
without restraint of the more formal
deliberations in the House itself. 1t
represents an earnest effort by the
members to get at the truth regard
ing legislative proposals and to work
out comparatively what seems best for
the people and to make that agree
ment effective in law.
These discussions are non-partisan
and non-sectional. The forum ains to
work with the leaders and the regular
committees. 1t supplements the formal
work of the committees by informal
thrashing over of subjects, drawing out
the suggestions, opinions, views and
ideas of members.
It saves the time of the House and
committees by having the major ques-
tions of legislation carefully and even
exhaustively considered IN advance, SO
that when presented they are the result
of mature, unbiased consideration from
all angles and are presented with bulk
support and a more general under
standing Of each subject by a larger
percentage of the members.
Farm Problem Tackled.
Because just now the great problems
of the country are economic, and be-
cause it is generally recognized that
the plight of the farmer is 9. key to
the whole situation, the forum Is giving
concentrated thought to that program,
The forum is safeguarded against being
a narrow, selfish bloc because a large
percentage Of It's members are from
the big cities and the subjects are being
studied more from the standpoint OF
interest OF the entire country and all
business and industry rather than for
the particular advantage of particular
group.
It is a sincere effort to provide an
opportunity to draw out and get intI
usable form the benefit Of careful, hon
est, pubhc-spirited thinking of great
many persons.
This forum had its inception in the
last session of Congress when very
small group of members started the
custom Of getting together and talking
over legislative problems that bothered
them. 1t has grown as other members
heard of these conferences and asked to
be permitted to join in them. II was
Representative Hatton w. Summers OF
Texas, chairman of the House JudiCia-
ry Committee, with 20 years of consecu-
tive service and a rlQSa student of the
history Of government ana of people,
who started the forum in an humble
way. He started with the conviction
that Congress hadn't got started right
on economic relief, and that I'VE can't
borrow ourselves out of debt" He is
chairman, and Representative James
v. McClintic of Oklahoma is secretary.
The forum Is divided into four groups:
One is considering farm loan fore
closures, a second is considering cur
rency reform, a third group has been
discussing farm relief, and the fourth
city cooperation Members of the
regular committees of the House which
have jurisdiction over these or related
subjects, such as the Banking and Cur
rency Committee and the COMMITTEES
on Agriculture, are represented in this
forum by individual members but they
in no way dominate discussion.
Meeting Set Tuesday.
There is to be meeting of the forum
next Tuesday evening at 1880 O'Clock
in the Judiciary Committee room in the
House Office Building. on the general
subject of economic relief. There is to
be a meeting of the special group on
currency reform next Thursday eye-
ming. The meetings usually last about
two hours.
Chairman Summers has announced
that in dealing with these particular
subjects it is assumed that some things
are known, and that 1t is waste OF
time and dissipation OF effort 70 de-
bate what is known and on which tne
members are in agreement. He holos
any attempt along this line out OF
order. There is no oratory. There Is
no opportunity for exercise OF pride ol
authorship or reference to my bill.
No outsiders are admitted. just mem
I bers Of Congress No propagandlsts OF
| lobbyists or selfish interests are heard
| Speeches are limited to five minutes
| No record is kept of the discussion
| There L no association with running
for office. There is no consideration OF
political benefit for any person.
When a legislative proposal comes ur
1 for consideration in the House the only
members having sufficient knowledge OF
the details to have independent 1udg-
ment are those who are members OF
/ the particular committee to which thai
bill was referred. The forum offers ar
opportunity to spread out the knowledge
/ and comprehension that is now concen-
| trated in the committee, and to have i
spread out before it is time for consid.
/ Grafton and debate in the House.
| It is operating toward better under
| standing Of community interests anc
cooperative endeavor. For example
the city relations group is bridging ovel
the breach between the farm COM
munity and the city. 1t is bringing tc
the farm people and the city people 9
better realization of their interdepend-
ence and economic relationship. 1t Is
developing cooperation between then
in dealing with problems of common
| interest. 1t has been emphasized thai
I the foreclosure on farm home is q
| much more serious matter than the
| foreclosure on a city home, both from
a social and economic standpoint. Ths
| foreclosure on a city home does no
mean that the supporter Of the home
also loses his job or his business o.
| that the family Is forced to move ou
Of the neighborhood. But the fore