Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1933-06-15
THE NATIONAL
GOVERNMENT
BY CONG. JOHN PAUL KvALE

Saturday evening and listened to
the national lookup descriptive of
what was then thought to be the
closing meeting of the special session
heard the writer, who was honored
with an invitation to open the broad
cast by telling little about the
dramatic occasion, express the doubt
regarding the ability of leaders to
carry out their adjournment plans.
The doubt quickly proved to be justi-
fed, but only after the House had
stayed in session until almost mid
night, it becoming apparent only then
that the Senate would refuse to CO.
operate even though the House stayed
in session all night.
That is why this letter is being
pounded out on sultry Sunday after
noon. That is why quitting time for
Congress is still a complete uncer-
tainty, even though leaders still cling
to the hope that they can quit one
of the first days this week. Three
major conferences are still in pro-
gress, and they must reach an agree
ment which both Houses will accept
and the President will sign. The
events described here last week-ap-
preaching foreign debt payment time
and the London economic conference
each threaten to inject their COM
plicatiOns. Rumor has it that the
President has been forced to make
sharp notifications in the statement
q ad ,Inn 20 C., 81
ference opening tomorrow. And sew
eral Senators will avail themselves
of every opportunity to voice their at
titude on the commitments of our rep
resentatives over there. 1t all makes
for a situation the administration has
sought desperately to avoid.
There was serious effort to hold
the House in check, and to withstand
the usual f1ral-day hysteria which is
familiar to those who have read these
letters in past years. Every session
closes like that. This one has more
justification, if any can exist, because
the record-breaking hot spell has
been the last straw that has borne
down upon members, goaded through
session unequalled for completely
of duties and for volume and inten-
sity of work. Yet, as stated, there
was an attempt to work deliberately
and calmly, instead of proceeding
blfndly to approve conference reports
which had drastically altered several
vastly important measures.
Such, for example, was the case
when the conferees returned to the
House with the mammoth Industrial
recOvery-public works-taxation bill.
The Senate had made some mighty
important changes. 1t had added an
amendment, sponsored by Borah, see
ing to it that monopolies would not
be allowed to fix prices, restrain
trade and competition or otherwise
work against the public interest. 1t
had dropped the House tax plan, de-
Scribed here two weeks ago, and had
made a complete substitution, much
better and fairer than the House plan
in most respects. 1t had provided
for publicity of income tax returns,
largely a result of the Morgan inves-
tigation and facts developed there re-
garding wholesale tax evasion. 1t had
provided for tax on the billions of
dollars in taX-free securities.
But the House had no opportunity
to register its will on these vital pro-
visions, for its conferees had rejected
them in the main, and the Senate con-
ferees had evidently been willing to
abandon their position despite the
strong majority that the Senate gave
many of the amendments. The final