Salt Lake Herald-Republican | 1918-05-26 | Page 61 | Conferees Cause Most Law Delays

I CONFEREES CAUSE I MOST LAW DELAYS Time of Congress Frittered Away as Joint Committees Commit tees Meet I By L. L L C. C. C Martin United Prey M Staff Stuff Correspondent WASHINGTON May y is 5 lonal leaders havo have arisen to resent pleas from all parts arts of at the country that hat congress hurr hurry up with war leg- leg Thc They have denied as on former former former for for- mer occasions that congress has an any need to hurr hurry Look at our record they said We e have hurried The same record to which they pointed with such pride however shows that congress has delayed a Teat great deal of ot war legislation even en months beyond Its approval al b by th the house louse and the senate separately The Tho committee on conference Is the answer Neither house nor senate separately Is s to blame Both act with fair tair prompters prompt prompt- ers ress on measures presented to them But each reckons without the tho other The senate passes a bill and the house amends It and then them passes It it too oo The Tho senate refuses to accept the house amendment The house insists Insist on Its amendment and asks s for tor a COnference con- con ference The senate agrees to the conter conference nee and a committee Is appointed appointed ap ap- ap- ap pointed from each elch house to Iron out differences These conferences are bound b by Ironclad ironclad iron ironclad clad rules rales They must not write any new provisions pro Into the bill nor take takeout takeout takeout out any provision upon which both houses louses agreed They are simply there to o compromise somehow on the disputed disputed disputed dis dis- portion The agricultural appropriation bill I providing mane money for the a. a agriculture department went to conference twice because some conferees wanted anted the price of ot wheat to be bo a bushel and amr I C others ers Insisted 20 0 was enough Be Be- cause causo COUld not agree the they tied 1 up p for tor man many weeks the money needed for tor or stimulation of ot agriculture a a most Important feature of ot war work The same thing happened happen on the mea measure lUre subjecting to the draft those who have havo become 21 since Juno June 5 o. o 1917 er e Everybody agreed the measure was wise But there was an awful wrangle wrangle wran wran- gle over the qu question of ot divinity and medical students Meantime l tho war department appealed for or action on the measure so It could make these men available for tor the enem enemy Another example is the measure fixing fix fix- ing InS draft quotas on the number o of men In class one one instead of oC on total pop pop- President Wilson finally had to write letter lector a a. before he ho could reconcile rec roc the differences between those who wanted communities to have credit for or volunteers and those who did riOt not Dozens of or similar r examples could be cl cited ted The Overman empowering hill bill faces the same Ia de-Ia delay so no does the arm army R ap appropriation ap- ap bill now being drawn and andI I tho the new war tax bill Members l of or orI I congress frankly rankly admit admit In in fact the they charge that charge that members of oC conference committees are often moved by br politics poli- poli tics local considerations and similar pott potty reasons Conferees are always in bad with their respective houses But nobody has figured out a way to do awa away with them