OCR Text |
Show SMITflf NJUIY BILL B1GJISCUSSED 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 of. House to 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 acquainting ac-quainting them with the provisons and the importance of the Smith-McNary bill, in the hope that such a campaign of education may develop sufficient Interest generally in the bill to insure its passage this session. Determination Determina-tion upun tills plan was reached Saturday Sat-urday at a dinner attended by most congressmen from the west, and by some from the south, the dinner having hav-ing been arranged to agree upon some plan Dor "-pepping" up the campaign for the new reclamation bill. Representative French of Idaho wai made chairman of the "booster" com mittee of twenty-seven members of congress, all from the west and south, and this committee will direct the campaign of education. Serving on this committee will be Congressmen Colton and Leatherwood of Utah, French and Smith of Idaho, McCormick and Riddick of Montana and twenty-one twenty-one others. Representative Jlondell of Wyoming, by reason of his position as house floor leader, 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 canvass under un-der way. This same plan was followed, fol-lowed, Mr. French says, when the western members organized and put through the twenty-year extension bill, and the plan was so 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 vet 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 fhe senate before debate starts on the tariff bill It may be long delayed de-layed in the upper branch of congress Furthermore, sentiment is develop! Ing in the house In favor of a series of recesses beginning early 1 Mav after the appropriation bills have all' been passed by that bodv, and If thut plan is followed, It will be necessar, to get n vote on the Kmith-MoNan bill before the recess starts, r It mav be impossible to get It to a vote thl'i session. Western members who attended the conference recognised that It will he no easy task to get so Important a bill passed at a time when the trwsurv N empty; when taxes are fMK 8,;ort of expectations, and when the fWl situation Is unsatisfactory n,-t they believe that an cdncatlonnl earn-paign, earn-paign, personally and persls'.entlv con-ducted, con-ducted, will get sufficient votes in time They expect the canvass of the houso may require several weeks. |