The Washington times., 1935-08-27
74TH CONGRESS
MAPS ISSUES
FOR 1896
Record for Peace-Time
Legislation Set;
Historic Session
BY GEORGE r. HOLMES
International News Service


international News Service
Irrespective Of what the second
session of the turbulent Seventy
fourth Congress may do when II
meets in January, the first session
which went to an unmourned and
somewhat hilarious death today
has already Staked out the broad
issues upon which the campaign
Of 1886 will be fought.
It appropriated more money
than any peace-time Congress in
history, approximately 10000 mil
lion dollars-and that will be an
issue, with the Republicans as
saulting Roosevelt spending"
It enacted much legislation Of
debatable constitutionality, the
Guffey Coal Bill, the Public Util-
ity Bill, the Frazier-Lenke Farm
Mortgage Moratorium Bills. etc.,
and that will be an issue-consti-
tutionalism.
Increased Taxes
It increased surtaxes on great
wealth and boosted the taxes on
corporations through a graduated
scale, and that will be an issue
taxation.
It frightened up the AAA, giving
the Secretary Of Agriculture
more czar-like power over crop
production and control, and that
will be an issue-regimention OF
the farmer, which will be coupled
with the controversial processing
taxes.
It established a national labor
relations board with power to
compel collective bargaining and
authority to prohibit unfair
trade practices, and that will be
an issue, or may be, after the
Supreme Court has had chance
to decide its constitutionality.
If the second session doesn't
do anything but merely meet
and adjourn, the Seventy-fourth
Congress would still go into the
history books as probably the
most momentouS peace.time Ses'
sion in history, comparable in
the field of social and economic
legislation only to the first Con-
gress of the Wilson administra-
tion, which saw 7the creation Of
the Federal Reserve System and
other far-reaching legislation.
Headed for Courts
Much of the work Of the
Seventy-fourth Congress is routed
to the Supreme Court as directly
as a locomotive on a track. Op-
ponents of the Roosevelt reforms
have already been successful in
beating down the NRA. They
are hopeful of similar success
with the AAA, with the utility
holding company bill, parts Of
the social security program, the
coal act, and the labor relations
act.
Both parties appear likely to be
somewhat embarrassed in going
into the 1886 battle ION the rec
ord" A perfect illustration OF
this is to be found in the issue Of
the processing taxes. They are
unpopular in New England, and
in East generally, and the Demo
Gratis of the Atlantic Seaboard will
be forced to apologize for them.
They are popular in the agrarian
West and South, having put hum
dreds of millions into producers
pockets, and the Republicans
from those sections will have to
speak softly if at all in criticiSing
them. In fact. most Of the Mid
western Republicans voted for the
processing taxes, and thoroughly
approve the AAA principle.
President Victorious
On the whole, President RooSe-
velt got about what he wanted
from the seventy-fourth Congress.
It was rebellious at times, it soft
ened up some of his legislation, as
in the banking, utility and tax
bills, but in the main Administra.
tion bills went through about as
desired by the White House.
Not a single "major" defeat can
be chalked up against Mr.. Roose-
welt, save in the Senate'S rejection
of the League Court, and he was
never more than lukewarm in
that issue. anyway.
If an epitaph were written for
the first session of the seventy
fourth Congress it might well be:
'He (the Prcddent) got what
he wanted"