Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1933-02-09
THE NATIONAL
GOVERNMENT
by CONG. JOHN PAUL KvALE

Flooding through another legisla-
tive week devoted to consideration of
the appropriations bills, the House
proceedings might be given notice in
two regards-that is. outside of the
continued work of its committees and
of the open forum which has been de-
scribed in previous letters.
First, President Hoover's veto of the
supply bill was sustained because the
necessary two-thirds vote to override
was not forthcoming. Reasons for
his veto, as embodied in the accom-
panying message, were based entirely
on objections to the provision calling
for congressional review of all Treas
ury refunds of income taxes in
amounts greater than $4,000. Hence
the bill had to go back to the com
mittee, which now plans to omit the
entire refund item and insert it in
later bill. in order that this de-
ficiency bill, carrying desperately
needed sums for relief work in the
District. may be Immediately enacted.
That means there will be another
fight on the publicity, when the Pres
ident will not have the whip which
the relief funds gave him in this in
stance.
Second. in considering appropria-
tons for prohibition enforcement
work, the House adopted amendments
doing away with overlapping and
with the present system of employing
paid informers. Sponsors of these
amendments won support by arguing
that this enforced change in present
policy would concentrate efforts on
the large and wholesale violators.
There is some doubt regarding the
Senate reception of the amendments
however, so the final result will not
be known for while. The upper
body is far behind the House in con-
sidering these bills. To date, the
House has passed seven, the Senate.
two. Of the eleven in all, none have
yet become law. About five weeks of
the session remain.
The action on the deficiency bill
hanks back to comment i'm this column
two weeks ago, regarding the growing
demand for publicity i'm all kinds of
public business, particularly in tax
alton matters. Since that time, open
insistence has been voiced for a great
er amount of publicity regarding tax
returns. The amendment was added
to the deficiency bill which brought
on the veto. Publicity has been given
to earlier loans of the r. F. c. 1t all
points to the strong probability that
after March this new policy will be
broadened and made more effective,
and the writer holds firmly to the be-
lief that it will materially effect rev.
enues into the Treasury as well as
raids upon it.
A small group has fought unavail-
ingly for such progress for years,
among them the writer's father and
more recently himself. 1t may be
that victory now is due to a consider
able degree to the increasing alarm
with which occupants of official pO-
sitions view the business and indus
trial developments. and the realiza-
ton of widespread public interest i'll
all phases of public business. This
has been discussed in these letters
before, and will not now be repeated,
except to say once again that every
possible thing is being done which
will make for speedy and drastic &C
tiOn when the special session con-
venes as soon as possible after inaugu-
ration.
In the Senate, attention continues
to be given to committee hearings on
two subjects in particular. A ire
mendous amount of the most pitiful
and CHASTITY evidence of widespread
distress and suffering is being ac-
cumulated, but SO far has not reused