Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1934-02-15
Washington Observations
BY Congressman Roy +. Ayres

been In session the House of Req
resentatiyes has passed Legislation
surprising, in equal time, that o
any other regular session.
The liquor tax bill. the bill es
Nablishing a national corporation 4
aid farm ~refinancing, the bill con
tinuing the RFC. the gold bill. tn
District of Columbia liquor ball
and the bill authorizing the con
struction of naval vessels accord
ing to treaty limits have all becom,
laws.
The following appropriation
bills have passed the House ant
are now IN the Senate: The indie
pendent Offices bill. the interior
Department. Navy Department
Treasury Department, Post Office
Department, State Department, De
Commerce. Department of Labor
The House has also passed a bill
appropriating $3.50. 900. 600 to con-
tinue the Civil Works program,
and GENT Il over to the Senate
where it was passed with a slight
amendment and returned to the
House for conference. This is a
lot Of money. but the argument is
that a lot of people are being TAX
en- off the relief rolls and put on
employment -
Such progressive Senators as
C~ostigan, LaFollette and Cutting
are among the Senate leaders who
see the necessity for increasing the
/ CWA appropriation sufficient to
keep it going. Their argument re-
wolves around the fact that more
than Is. 0 900 were on the unem-
| ployed list last March and since
that number has been reduced to
about 5000. 900. they urge that
we must keep going forward with
this program with the idea OF
further reduction. until industry
can absorb the
This program Is a monsterous
undertaking. but the humane as
pect demands a continuance. In
the fiaI analysis it is entirely a
question OF whether the National
government shall finance 1t or shall
that be left as a local burden. For
me. | have decided to cast my lot
with the Costigan-LaFoIlette-Cut
ting movement and let the Nation
al Treasury carry the load rather
than send 1t back to the local com
munities.
Forecast: Early Adjournment
Old-time members on both sides
OF the House are forecasting an
early adjournment. they say by
May 18th. This seems feasible, for
the members generally are aware
that in these depressing times the
people would like to see the meas
ures of the Presidents program en-
acted into law. the necessary ap-
preparations made and adjourn
ment had, SC that all can settle
down to his share in the great work
of recovery.
The machinery on Capitol Hill
has been working smoothly. The
only dispute between the legislative
and executive branches so far Is the
failure OF the Senate to approve
the st. Lawrence Waterway treaty
with Canada. The Senate must
ratify all treaties and the President
has recommended ratification OF
this one. 1t takes a twoIthIrds |
vote to ratify a treaty, and 1t is
doubtful ii that number a be had
on this treaty Just now.
History Of Previous Sessions
If this regular session., which Is
the long-term session as compared
with sessions before the passage
OF the lame-dnck amendment, ad-
journs by May 18th, as forecast by
the leaders, 1t will have been a
session Of only 127 days. This
would be the shortest longlterm
session since the organization OF
our government. The shortest ses-
siOns to date were 141 days. There
were two OF them. the 9th Con
gress during Thomas Jefferson's
second term, and the 18th Congress
during James Monroe's first term.
The two longest sessions were
those OF the 65th Congress during
Woodrow Wilson's second term.
the War Congress, which remained
in session nearly a year-354 days.
The NEXT longest was that OF the
10th Congress. This was the SEES
sion In which the House filed i'm
parchment charges against Presi-
dent Thomson and the Senate tried
and acquitted him by one vote.
That session continued for 345
days.
The average time of the long
term sessions since the c~onYening
of the first Congress by George
Washington In 1879 has been 217
days.
objectionable Deceit
In the District OF Columbia there i
are some five thousand children In
the grade schools whose parents
cannot by reason 81 financial dis
tress, furnish lunches for them and
who are served with free lunches.
A short time ago a report was cir
culated that these lunches were
not UP to the standard specified. 1t
was then announced. and the daily
papers headiined Vt, that Mrs.
Roosevelt would make an investa-
cation Of these lunches at noon on
a particular day. and she did. She
found an excellent lunch being
served. fruit, bread, butter, milk,
and a ~well-balanced meat-vegetable
stew. Everything looked fine, but
in her kindly manner Mru Unnro