Evening star., 1939-11-26
President Approves
Leaders Plans for
Brief Session
Congress Chiefs Told
New Legislation Will
Be Kept at Minimum
By G.. GOULD LINCOLN.

BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.
President Roosevelt has told con-
| gressional leaders he is willing to 60
along with program containing a
minimum of new legislation. So
the next session of Congress may
wind up in May.
With the national election cam
paign just around the corner, the
congressional leaders are heartily
in favor of brief session. This
opinion was expressed yesterday by
both Republicans and Democrats.
They are not entirely sure, how
ever, that the Presidents "imagina-
ton has run out" and that he
will not, as he has done in the
past, send recommendations for
additional laws to Congress toward
the close of the coming session.
But. so far, there appears to be
nothing in the off1ng.
It is already clear that national
defense is to be stressed at the
coming session. The President has
said he will ask for about half a
billion dollars more for national de-
fense expenditures in the fiscal year
1941 than we're appropriated for the
present fiscal year.
Major battles in the coming con-
gressional session will take place,
it is expected, over appropriations
not excepted. Already members of
Congress have indicated they be-
lieve it is possible to overdo such ex-
penditures at this time. They are
not so much interested in spending
a lot of money when other naticL
are wearing themselves out in war
abroad as they would be if there
we're indications of a war against
this country.
Fight on Trade Pacts Likely.
Congressional leaders from the
West already are laying their plans
to defeat an extension of the Re-
ciprocal Trade Agreement Act which
expires next June. If the adminis-
tration presses for action on this
matter in the coming session-as
now seems entirely probable-there
is bound to be a real fight. Cppo-
nents of the trade treaties hope to
be able to prevent such legislation
in the Senate. They figure they
may have the whip hand, since
affirmative action by both houses
of Congress is required to extend
the life of the Trade Agreement
Act.
The administration, however, is
not likely to take such a defeat
lying down. Secretary of State Hull
already is laying the ground for an
intensive campaign defending the
trade agreements. They have been
the Roosevelt administrations sole
attack on the Republican tariff, the
Smoot- t-Hawley Act of 1880, which
is still the law of the land. Mr..
Hull insists it is necessary to break
down artificial trade barriers both
here and abroad and that the re-
ciprocal agreements are really hav-
ing this effect.
Not on Party Lines.
! AA4S SOAlSl CSS2Oklol lCdOSlS
the West, on the other hand, argue
/ that the agreements, while they
may advance manufacturing inter-
ests in this country, are distinctly
unfavorable to the farmers, the
miners and producers of raw ma
terials. They insist that west of
the Ohio River the trade agree
ments are unpopular, and they are
ready to 60 to bat against them.
The contest in Congress may come
down to a battle between the repre-
sentatives Of agricultural States and
those that contain the great indus
trial centers. While this might favor
the trade agreements in the House
in the Senate, where each State has
the same representation, the story
may be different.
Furthermore, in the Senate
where the rule of unlimited debate
maintains, it may be difficult for
, the administration to force a bill
extending the life of the Trade
Agreement Act to vote. The con-
, test will not, in all probability, be
; waged along strict party lines, for
| many of the Democratic Senators
| from the West already have reg
, istered strong opposition to some
of the trade treaties, either in ef-
feet or under negotiation. Gener-
ally speaking, however, the Repub-
/ licans may be expected to line up
against the continuance Of these
, powers for the President.
| Wagner Act Action Sought.
Another problem, which may be
, tackled by Congress, is revision OF
, the Wagner Labor Relations Act
This act, and particularly its
, administration, has been under fire
5 from many quarters. During the
last regular session of Congress, the
. administration forces were able to
, stall off any action on proposed
t amendments to the law. Now 1t
, appears that the Senate Labor Com
/ mittee. headed by Senator Thomas
/ of Utah, is to make a report to the
Senate.
, That committee, after delaying
the start of hearings on the various
| bills to amend the act, ran the
hearings through many weeks and
/ months, until it was too late to dc
I anything about the matter. But
! such tactics, it was said yesterday
would not be possible in the COM
] ing session, even if they were tried
! out
The House, also. may be in posi-
! ton to tackle such legislation at a
comparatively early date. The
special House committee, headed by
+ Representative Smith of Virginia
: created to investigate the admin
istration of the Labor Relations Act
= and to make recommendations fol
its amendment, already has done q
considerable amount of work and /!
expected to become very active.
New Taxes Unpopular.
The suggestion made by Presi'
dent Roosevelt at Warm Spring!