Montana labor news., 1937-09-02
Congress Quits After
Long Session With
Few Achievements
By Federated Press

WASHlNGTON-(FP) - With a
hang-dog expression on its face,
Congress has packed its bags, picked
up its hat and gone home spending
one of the longest sessions in recent
years here.
Its record of achievement was
meager in all phases and particul-
arly with respect to labor legisla-
ton. Paradoxically, it went into
session with one of the strongest
mandates to pass social legislation
ever given a legislative body and
emerged from that session having
defied to the teeth that mandate.
On the positive side Congress pass
ed a new Guffey act to regulate
the coal industry, a new railroad
retirement act, a housing bill, pro-
vided funds for the continuance of
the LaFollette civil liberties COM
mittee and a larger appropriation
for the National Labor Relations
Board.
On the negative side, it sidetracked
the wages and hours bill, took the
CUTS out OF farm tenancy legislation,
refused to agree on reformation of
the Supreme Court, failed to pass
any farm Legislation, and left the
government reorganization program
a blank.
As for peace legislation, accord
ing to the National Council for the
Prevention of War, Congress dir
ected the policies of this country to-
wards peace by adopting a perman-
ent neutrality law ~embargoing arms
and loans to belligerents, extension
of the reciprocal trade agreements
program, ratification of Buenos Air
es peace conference pacts, side
tracked the Hill Sheppard bill call
ing for fascism in war time, agreed
to hold hearings on a bill to nation
alize the munitions industry, and
defeated a bill for the construction
of an air base in Oregon.
Congressional action pointing to-
wards war, according to the coun-
Gil included failure to make the neu-
trality law cover American ships in
war zones or embargo wal materials
to belligerents, appropriations of
nearly a billion dollars for the Army
and Navy based on requirements of
a foreign war, defeat of a bill pre-
venting compulsory milita1. train
ing in colleges, and defeat of the
Boileau bill defining the nations
military policy as one of defense of
our shores against invasion.
In addition, Congress failed to act
on peace measures such as bills pro-
hibiting the sale of arms abroad at
any time, thef measure permitting
the people of the country to vote
on whether to enter a foreign war,
and the measure designed to en-
barge war materials, such as scrap
iron, to belligerents.
On the eve of adjournment Rep.
Boileau prog, Wis.,, Bernard GIL,
Mimi, Coffee Cd, Wash.), O'Con-
nell ID, Mont.) and Teigan (F-L.,
Mimi, addressed ian open letter to
the American people,. AS these re-
representatives. summed the action of
Congress, reaction refused to ac-
cept defeat" even after the great
mass of the people reelected Roose-
welt with the hope that "they were
on the threshold of a new life"
Minimum housing legislation has
been caricatured, the representa-
tives said, over 100000 people will
be dropped from WPA employment,
the wages and hours bill has been
"mutilated and buried" and anti
progressive forces have enabled the
millionaire and Millionaire families
of America to avoid bearing their
just share of the tax burden.
Anti-lynching legislation was
passed by the House but sidetracked
in the Senate and "one-tenth of the
population must continue on exist
ence under the shadow of the knout,
the rope and the torch" Attacks
have been launched on the Wagner
act. The farm tenancy problem
grows more acute.
War threatens to engulf the world
yet American foreign policy adheres
to ostrichism which requires u dip
donates to stick their heads in the
sands and refuse to face realities.
1T remains for us progressives,"
their letter said, "for others in Con-
gress sincerely DESTROYS of prcserv-
ing peace, and for the people gen.
orally to so shape our legislative
policy that arrogant aggressors and
peace-breakers shall at least know
that American policy is not a stand
ing invitation to them to do else
where what they did in Spain, what
they are now doing in China"
Declaring, 1--WE have just begun
to fight" the letter of the five rep
resentatives concluded, 1--WE are 60
ing home. We leave conscious that
reaction has struck the people blows
it would be foolhardy to minimizel
Nevertheless we feel encouraged by
the fact that the people are
awakening to the danger from a