Evening star., 1934-06-03
Must Drop Some LegisIa.
tion or Face Continuing
of Session.
WAGNER AND HOUSING
MEASURES TARGETS
Senate Agreement on Tariff Vote
and House Gag" Rule Prom
ise Saving of Time.
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

President Roosevelt, on his return to
Washington tomorrow, will find the
Democratic congressional leaders fig
uratively on his doorstep to learn
what he wishes done about:
l. The legislative program.
2. Adjournment of the present
Congress.
The leaders admitted yesterday that
1t would be impossible to put through
all the legislation which has been
tentatively on the program and to
reach an adjournment by next Sat-
urday night. The President will have
to choose between the early adiour-
ment date and some of the bills to
which he has given an administration
blessing.
1t is expected that soon after the
President reaches the White House he
will call the House and Senate leaders
into conference to discuss the situa-
ton II the President is willing to let
the so-called Wagner Labor Board bill
and the administration housing bill
slide, there is a possibility. it is said,
that the rest of the so-called essential
legislation can be put through and
an adjournment had at the close Of
the week.
Status of Measures.
Here is the situation as the Senate
leaders see it. The upper house has
still to dispose finally Of the reciprocity
tariff bill, but has an agreement to
begin voting on the bill and all
amendments which remain to be acted
upon at pm. tomorrow. That con-
sumes practically whole day. The
Seante has still to consider and vote
upon the administrators silver bill,
the Wagner Labor Board bill. the pub
lie works and relief bill, the housing
bill, the bill amending the agricultural
adjustment act, a bill by Senator
Frazier of North Dakota dealing with
farm mortgages, the airmail confer
ence report, not to mention the NOM
ination of Assistant Secretary Rexford
G. Tuswell of the Department Of
Agriculture to be undersecretary OF
that department.
That program is so much too much
for the Senate to bite of during flve
DAYS. that, the leaders say, it Is OBJ
vious there must be a considerable
curtailment or the session must be
extended for a week or two beyond
the end of this coming week.
House Gag" Rule.
So far as the House is concerned
the situation there is pretty well IN
hand. The Democrats have adopted
faI1
legislate in double quick time. But
even in that body. if the President
continues to demand the passage OF
the housing bill and the Wagner bill.
and the A. A. A bill, there may be
difficulty. These measures are i'm
portant, and Democratic members as
we'll as Republicans in the House will
wish to discuss them.
While the Republicans in the Sen
ate have acquiesced in the termlna-
ton of debate on the tariff bill and
are ready to vote on that measure late
tomorrow there is no way on which
the Democratic leadership can adopt
a gag" rule in that body. II the
Senators wish to discuss the silver bill
at length they will do so. 1t Is true
that night sessions as well as day
can be held in an effort to force leg
islation. But those tactics are likely
to rouse bitterness and in the end to
cause the delay they are seeking to
terminate. The tariff bill will be
passed by a large majority in the
Senate. That presupposes rejection
of the johnson and Fletcher amend
ments which would exempt from the
operation of tariff reductions to make
trade agreements agricultural prod
ucts. The agreement entered into
Friday night by the Senate calls for
vote on these amendments at noon to-
morrow. They are expected to rally
a larger administration vote than
any other amendment that will be
proposed. Should either of them be
adopted the bill might fail entirely.
Frazier Bills Chances.
The Frazier farm mortgage bill is
to be given its day in court immedi-
ately after the passage of the tariff
bill, unless plans are changed. If that
bill leads to extended debate, it will
be laid aside. The silver bill will be
debated by Senators who favor silver
legislation and by those who do not
favor it. Some of the members of the
silver bloc are not satisfied with the
bill, believing that it does not go
nearly far enough. On the other
hand, there are sound money" Sem
ators who are ready to denounce the
silver bill and all that it stands for.
Among the latter is Senator Fess of
Ohio. who intends to 60 into the sub.
ject at some length.
The Wagner labor board bill.
amended materially by the Senate
Committee on Education and Labor
is on the calendar, and Senator
David !. Walsh, chairman of the
committee, is ready to proceed with
the measure as soon as he gets word
that it has been finally included in
the program for the remainder of the
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