Evening star., 1937-05-01
Legislative ProcrastinatiOn,

SSAoAo4NN VII IdSt1ldl1Olls
With potential legislative program
OF great size and Importance, the
Seventy y-fifth Congress has been mark
Ing time, most of the period, since 1t
opened its present session almost four
months ago. Take, for example, the
record of the Senate and its daily ses-
slons. For while many measures must
and do originate in the House, it is the
upper house which often-more often
than not-has the final say. Since Con-
eress met January there have been
100 working days-days exclusive of
sundays-and the Senate has been in
session go days and has held no session
on 40 days. Rarely, If ever, has such
q record been made in the past.
Regard the record month by month.
In January the Senate met on IA days
only; in February it met on Is days; in
March it met on 18 days, and in April on
13 days. Last month the record for doing
nothing outdoes the record for the other
SAAA ~ AAAOA1SAlS. 41IClC lldS UttIl d SlUWs
Ing down, If anything And this is not
the whole story, for on many of the
days when the Senate was sitting it was
IN session for only few minutes, or
for two or three hours.
What is the result and what is the
answer to this period of procrastination?
A number of the annual appropriation
bills are still to be acted upon-although
IN the old days of the short session."
when Congress met only for three
months before adjournment, all these
measures were put through on time and
usually many other legislative bills in
addition. During the present Congress
only few major pieces of legislation
have been enacted-among them the
permanent neutrality act, which was
given the final approval of both houses
day before yesterday. Several bills have
been put through extending the life and
operation of some of the so-called emer-
gency agencies Of Government. There
has been no major labor legislation, no
legislation for the farmers, nothing
has been done about amending the So
tial security act-although it cries out
5or amendment. So much for the results.
The answer as to why all this pro-
dastlnation is found in the partial
paralysis on Capitol Hill ever since Presi-
dent Roosevelt startled the legislators
and the entire Nation with his proposal
to increase the membership of the Su-
preme Court so as to obtain more liberal
Interpretation of the Constitution and
10 secure decisions from the court which
the New Dealers desire This court bill
was sent to the Congress by the President
ON February 5, just month after Con-
gress assembled. For three months it
has been discussed in Congress and out,
and the bill is still in the committee
stage in the Senate with little prospect
OF reaching the Senate itself until after
May 18. The word has gone forth
that the President must have this legis-
Ation before anything else is done In
ehe meantime all labor and farm legisla-
ton must wait, and other measures
which have been considered part of the
administration program are hanging fire,
such as the Federal housing bill.
Either Congress is storing up for itself
a long Summer and Fall session, with
work piled high, or this is to be a do
nothing session, with an adjournment
soon after the court bill has been dis
posed Of. The President has proposed
to Congress, with great fervor, plan
Tor the reorganization of the executive
departments and agencies of the Gov
ernment. This measure has been limp
Ing along on three cylinders for months
and nothing has been done about it.
Perhaps this delay is a good thing
Tor the country after all. At any rate
there has been turn toward economy
and a balanced budget, and possibly
some OF the measures which have been
advanced in important quarters are to
be allowed to lie or die. However, the
legislators should not be surprised. If
they keep up their present rate of in
activity, when demand is made that
they be paid on per diem rate instead
OF monthly and annual salary.