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Show Doistic Peoblems Demand Attention of Congress WASHINGTON, May 29. One hundred and thirty years and more have passed slnco the first Congress of the United States met In New York for Its first session, with John Lang-don, Lang-don, of Now Hampshire, president pro tempore of tho Senate and Frederick Fred-erick A. Muhlenberg, of Pennsylvania, Pennsyl-vania, speaker of tho House. Dllll-cult Dllll-cult and numerous as v.'cro tho problems which then stood out ahead of that Congress, they were In many respects no more dllllcult than tho questions which loom up ahead of the Sixty-sixth Congress, now in extra ex-tra session. For tho 'first tlmo In Uie history of tho United States a Congress opens op-ens its session with tho White House empty of the chief executive,, Its encumbent en-cumbent having beoa abroad for months and, as a matter of course, out of touch with domestic affairs. The end of tho war with Germany and tho beginning of tho reconstruction reconstruc-tion period has brought tho country face to face with new issues and new problems, which, so far as the domestic peace, welfare and happiness happi-ness of the American peoplo are concerned, are fundamentally vital. DOMESTIC ISSUES MOST VIAL 1 From many points of view, they are much more ultimately concerned concern-ed with tho well btng of the people than the International Issues which for months have been threshed over at Paris. From all quartors of the United States, north, south, cast and west, cotno demands and entreaties that those thlngu of deep American interest inter-est bo taken up and dealt with wisely wise-ly and comprehensively. Tho new congress is looked to by the nation to do this. Comparatively llttlo was dono towards to-wards reconstruction in tho last session ses-sion of the Sixty-fifth Congress. Virtually Vir-tually the entiro vast task of lawmaking law-making for tho reconstruction period falls on tho now Congress. The leaders of tho House and Senato re-nllzo re-nllzo fully what this means in the way of responsibility. At tho sTimo time, they feel that while the responsibility respon-sibility Is great tho opportunity is llkowlso great and they are not shrinking from tho undertaking; This is one of tho times in American Amer-ican govornmnot affairs when tho majority In both houses of Congress Is of a dlfferont party from the President. Tho Houso and Senato are Republican. The administration is Democratic and there is a strong minority of that party in tho Houso and Senate. Presumably, however, thoro will bo no sorlous attempt from tho Whlto Houbo or from minority min-ority members of House and Sonate to Interfere with tho passago of Important Im-portant constructive measures which in the eyes of tho nation without re-gad re-gad to party, aro imperatively needed. need-ed. WILL DEMOCKAT8 OBSTItUCT? It is easily concolvablo that a policy pol-icy of obstruction from minority sources might make it well nigh Impossible Im-possible for tho majority in congress to get needed laws on tho statute books. While there have been intimations intim-ations that such obstructive tac(ics would bo unaorUikon for tho pur-poso pur-poso of ombarassing tho majority, and for tho purpose, too, of politics that 1b hardly concolvablo. Cortninly a consfdorablo number of tho Democrats Demo-crats in Houso and Sonato will unite with tho ItepubllcunB In trying to get tho country out of tho conditions in which it finds Itself and putting It on a soundor and stronger baBls. With Europe in turmoil now and likely to continue In turmoil for generations, gen-erations, with more than a dozen wars stilt raging there, with social conditions thoro In upheaval and , .. !' M ' ,t I i. ' . fear of Bolshevism pripplng every European stato which is not already I ' in control of tho Bolshevists, ther 1 Is ample reason for Congress to feel I that It will not do to neglect th I great array or domestic problems t I feel that those problems must bo set. I tied In Washington and not on th I other side of tho Atlantic. Grave at are the International questions whltk I are to come before tie new Coagresj I tho solution or them Is' not the solu. Mi tlon or tho home affairs which crowsjH for consideration. I Bight at tho outset, within th 1 next five or six weeks, tho now Con- I gress must pass appropriation bills I which, as they stood In the last se. I ion, amounted to nearly 14,000,000,- 1 000. These aro tho six approprla- 1 tlon bills which wero pending hen I tho Sixty flfoh Congress ended on I March 4. How far they can be seal- "l ed down Is not yet clear. Tho effoit will be made to economize as far as II possible but nearly a billion of the I total represents deficiencies already I Incurred by tho exccutlvo depart- J menu which will havo to bo paid. I Additional estimated to meet deflc- 1 loncles nro also looked for. 1 WILL CLOSELY SCKUTI.MZU j LEAGUE COVENANT i tSK Of course tho Senato will have to ( ') tako up tho" pcaco treaty and the covenant for a league"" of nations early n the session. In a genoral way, efforts will be made by Senato leaders to expedite action. This dofisV not mean, however, that they arev j, going to accept tho document blind- ly and without looking i.t it closely. They will discuss It freely and efforts will be made to amend It through reservations re-servations in such particulars ag seem essential In order to protect Amorlcan sovereignty and American rights and interests. ; Subjects apart from appropriations and International affairs which Congress Con-gress will take up and consider Include In-clude the following, among many others: Railroads, telephones and telegraphs, tele-graphs, labor measures; Immigration, Immigra-tion, a shipping policy, woman suffrage, suf-frage, revenue, taxation and tariff - matters, tho military policy, reform In court martial procedure, land set- tlement for the benefit of returned soldiers, sailors and marines, a meas-uro meas-uro to control tho packing Industry, proposed legislation relating to education. edu-cation. Americanization and public health, nnd establishment of a budget bud-get system. I To these could bo added many 1 moro, such as proposed water power I legislation, mlnoral and leaslug 1 rights, -ofoim In tho civil service, I pension and retirement for govern- I ment employes, and a greaj number m of related or subordinate subjects JT Ono of tho questlona which tho last, Congress fought shy of was law enforcement en-forcement legislation to supplement prohibition. A largo element of Congress will seek to havo this tak- j en up In tho extra" session and di- posed of. MANY PROBES NECESSAJ1Y The work of tho now Congress, ' too, will include, as Is well understood, under-stood, Investigations Into tho manner In which tho departments have eon-ducted eon-ducted themselves and especially into tho affairs of the War department depart-ment Such Ib the widespread publle feeling that thero has beo na reign of waste andincapaclty on tho part of certain officials that tho pressure for Investigation is groat. In a general way, tho purposo of Uio now Congross la to build for the country a great structure of legislation legisla-tion of an advanced character. In doing this, It cannot escape tho taskV of probing Into tho affairs of various V departments and setting rorth the J truth as to tho charges or waste, bad management and even worso, which proceed rrom so many directions. |
