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Show SMITH-M'NARY BILL BELNGJDISGUSSED PERSONAL CANVASS OF ALL MEM-TO MEM-TO BE MADE BY CONGRESSMEN CONGRESS-MEN FROM WEST Idaho Representative is Chairman of Committee to Work For Reclamation; Reclama-tion; Work of Canvass o House U. Start This Week Washington., D. C. A personal canvass can-vass will be made of all members of the house of representatives, beginning begin-ning this week, with a view of ac-; qualntlng them with the provisons and the importance of the Smlth-McNary bill, In the hope that such a campaign of education may develop sufficient Interest generally in the .111 to Insure its passage this session. Determination Determina-tion upja this plan was readied Saturday Sat-urday nt a dinner attended by most congressmen from the west, aad by some from the south, the dinner having hav-ing been arranged to agree upon some plan for "pepping" up the campaign for the new reclamation bill. Representative French of Idaho win made chairman of the "booster" com mittee of twenty-seven members of congress, all from the west arid south, and this committee will direct the campaign lof education. Serving on this committee will be Congressmen Oolton and Leatherwood of Utah, French and Smith of Idaho, McCorinlck and niddlck of Montana and twenty-one twenty-one others. Representative Mandell of Wyoming, by reason of his position as house floor lender, will not serve with the committee. Representative French Sunday assigned as-signed to each .member of his committee com-mittee a list of from fifteen to twenty twen-ty members to be interviewed, thereby there-by embracing the full membership of the house, and he says steps will be taken at once to get the canvasB under un-der way. This same plan was followed, fol-lowed, Mr. French says, when the western members organized and put through tile twenty-year extension bill, and the plan was sk successful that the conference Saturday night agreed to resort to the same tactics again. - In the meeting Saturday night, there was some difference of opinion as to whether the bill should be pressed In the house now or await action by the senate. Some members thought the bill would be in better standing if it should pass the senate before being brought generally to the attention of house members; but the prevailing sentiment was favor of going ahead in the house, irrespective of what the senate may do, especially as It was stated no definite plans have yet been made to bring this bill up for consideration consid-eration in the senate. It was also realized that if the bill did not get up in the senate before debate starts on the tariff bill It may be long delayed de-layed in the upper branch of congress. Furthermore, sentiment is developing develop-ing in the house in favur of a series of recesses beginning early in May, after the appropriation bills have all been passed by that body, nnd If that plan is followed, It will be necessarj to get a vote on the Smtth-McNnrJ bill before the recess starts, or It may he Impossible to get it to a vote this session. Western members who attended the conference recognized that it will be no easy task to get so Important a bill passed at a time when the treasury is empty; when taxes arc falling short of expectations, nnd when the fiscal situation Is si unsatisfactory. But they believe that an educational campaign, cam-paign, personally and persistently conducted, con-ducted, will get sufficient votes In time. They expect the canvass of the house may require severnl weeks. |
