Evening star., 1940-12-29
Congress May Set
An-Time Record
For Staying on Job
New Session Opens Day
After Old One Closes;
Problems More Grove
BY GOULD LINCOLN.


Seventy-sixth Congress Thursday
and rises on the Seventy y-seventh
Friday.
Congressional leaders said yester-
~day they expected the new Congress
to be as busy-and probably TO re-
main in session as long as the dying
Congress, which will establish an
all-time record for remaining in
session. With the exception of re-
cesses at the time of the Republican
and Democratic National Conven-
tions, the Seventy sixth Congress
has been constantly in session since
last January 8.
The new Congress will face i'm
portapt national defense and aid-to-
Britain problems on the interna-
tional front It will face scarcely
less important problems relating to
taxation and Government finance
on the domestic front
Annual Message January 6.
President Roosevelt is expected to
deliver his annual message to the
Congress Monday, January 6-the
same day that the electoral ballots
are counted in a joint session of
the House and Senate, when the
President will be declared formally
to have been elected for third term
in the White House. Two weeks
later, he will go again to the Capt.
tol to take the oath of office and
to deliver his third inaugural ad-
dress.
The bulk of the members of the
present Congress will continue to
serve in the new Congress. During
the last year, the Congress has BE-
come national defense minded.
When the session opened last jan
uary, the Congress had recently put
through in special ses; on the
changes in the Neutrality Act asked
by the President, particularly the
repeal of the embargo on sale OF
arms and munitions to belligerent
nations. There was no talk then of
a military act. There was no
thought that within few months
Congress would appropriate billions
of dollars for the upbuilding Of the
Europe was called a 'phoney" war;
the Scandinavian, the Low Coun-
tries and France had not been over
run; Italy had not entered the war
on the side of the NaZis.
Today the situation is vastly
changed, and the United States is
engaged in a program of national
defense so large that it may prove
deterrent to involvement of this
country in the foreign struggle.
Austin Believes War Remote.
Senator Austin of Vermont. act
ing Republican leader of the Senate,
expressed the opinion yesterday
that this country was further from
entering the war than at any time
in the last year. He predicated
his belief on the proposition that
no nation, seeing the thorough
manner in which this country was
arming itself, would wish to tackle
the United States.
There are other Senators and
Representatives, however. who have
a very different feeling; who believe
that as aid to Britain is further
increased, America will eventually
be declared an enemy by Germany
and open to attack. Signs point to
brisk. if not bitter, discussions of
the policies and practices which
should be followed by the admin
istration.
Some of the most insistent isola-
tinr1ictS in
now come round to support Of the
utmost in national preparedness.
And most Of them have declared for
aid to Britain. But they are de-
manding that everything possible
be done to keep this country out of
the war. One avenue of attack by
them Is demand that the Presi-
dent initiate peace proposals. Others
reply to this demand, however, by
saying that two worlds are at war
and that the only outcome that
could give long respite from war
would be the victory of one over
the other. A negot .ated peace now.
they insist, would be only delay
during which ma ions would arm
for further struggle.
Face Appropriation Bills.
One of the first tasks of the new
Congress will be the appropriation
bills, based on the Presidents new
budget, which will be laid before
Congress soon after it meets. The
administration leaders have given
much consideration to double
budget" one to cover the ordinary
expenses of the Government and
to be balanced" with Government
receipts, the other to cover expenses
for national defense, which will be
amortized and paid off by special
taxes.
Tax legislation will be one of the
major legislative tasks of the Con-
greSS. There are other financial
problems. however, which must be
given strict attention, leaders say,
including the financing Of the huge
Government program, the use of
the huge gold reserve now held in
this country, and, above all, the pre-
vention of imitation.
Some of the critics of the admin
istration will demand legislation
amendatory of many of the New
Deal acts, among them those relat-
ing to labor. On the other hand,
there will be demands from ardent
New Dealers that further social leg
islation be enacted. Senator Wagner
of New York already has such a
program in mind, particularly ex-
tending the benefits of the Social