Evening star., 1935-06-29
LONG TASK AHEAD,
CONGRESS TO|LSO
Half-Year Mark of Session
Reached, but Two Months
Work Remains.
By the Associated Press

oy LIl0 hooOCldJcu FIeob.
In a turbulent six-month session
vastly different,fror1 that which snap
ped through early New Deal Iegisla-
ton, Congress mas ground cut four
major administration measures and
blocked a great many proposals
opposed by the President.
AS the half-year mark in the legis-
lative seige was reached today the
lawmakers had yet to finish work on
such explosive Roosevelt measures as
the utility holding company bill the
omnibus bank bill TO give the Federal
Reserve Board power to control cur
rency and credit, and amendments to
bolster the A. A. A. against court
attack.
The social security bill, which the
President has lnClcated he regards as
the most important Of all the legis-
lation pending III Congress. has passed
both houses and seems destined -
become law within a short time.
Two More Months Seen.
But even as the long-diSpured Sc
| curity program moved clear Of tia
congressional Jam, Mr. Roosevelt's
recommendations for new and higher
taxes on the wealthy and for IegIsla-
ton to plug loopholes left by the Su-
preme Courts gold decision. led lead
ers to predict that two more months
would be required to enact the admin
iStration program.
Among the New Deal measures al
|
these stood out:
l. The s4,88O, 100000 work-relief
appropriation
2. Extension Of a skeletonized N.
r. A.
3. Extension Of the Federal gaso-
line tax and other nuisance" levies
estimated to raise $500 100000 a year.
4. The Wagner labor disputes bill.
which had been credited with having
less chance than many others on the
administrations must list.
Appropriations Cared For.
In addition, Congress has passed
and sent to the White House all OF
the regular, but vital, annual appro-
priation bills to carry on the Gov
ernment, except the legislative bill
providing funds for Congress, and
the second deficiency measure. Both
are expected to go through il the
next few days.
While public attention centered on
major measures, an almost unpre-
cedented number of mi-important
and minor bills also has been turned
nf Ian onti viz in
this field is the fact that altogether
Senate committees have acted favor
ably on more than 1000 bills. All
but 200 or 300 have been passed.
The present Congress has re-
sponded neither as quickly nor as
willingly to President Roosey elts
leadership as did the first two New
Deal sessions.
Starting slowly, both houses waited
weeks for details OF the President
program, SO that committees could be-
gin work. More time was lost con-
| sidering measures that finally failed.
such as proposed adherence to the
| World Court, the anti-lynch bill ard
! the bonus.
Bonus Veto Sustained.
After months of agitation, bill TO
pay the bonus with new currency vas
passed, but the Chief Executive brohe
precedent to veto it with q PERSONAL
delivered message The House passel
it over the veto, but the Senate sus-
| taind him.
Senator Long. Democrat, Of Louisi-
ana conducted spectacular all-night
| hlibuster against the N R. A. extern
sion resolution, but it got through
| despite him.
Throughout the session President
Roosevelt found that his big problem
was to keep his overwhelming Demo-
cratic majorities in the two houses
! in line
In only one respect has the session
been less controversial than most.
That is in regard to confirmation of
presidential nominations. Nearly every
session of Congress for years has been
marked by at least one big dispute
over confirmation, but none developed
during the first six months of this one.