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Show CONGRESS OPENS " FOR BUSY SESSION, i VICE PRESIDENT DAWES CALLS 8IXTY-NINTH CONGRESS TO ORDER Many Distinguished Persons are Present Pres-ent and Fill Galleries to Look Down on First Act of Law Body Washington. Marked by insurgent strife even before it started, the Sixty-ninth congress, elected with President Presi-dent Coolldge In 1924, went through the brilliant ritual of Its opening ceremonies, cer-emonies, December seventh. Roth house and senate convened promptly at noon. A distinguished audience looked down upon the pits of the senate and the house of representatives as Vice President Charles G. Dawes and William Wil-liam Tyler Page, clerk of the house, ascended the presiding rostrums at noon and tapped their gavels, summoning sum-moning the new congress to the nation's na-tion's business. The scene more resembled a social function than a convention of the country's delegates met to legislate for national ills. Fashionable women and boplumed foreign ambassadors crowded the galleries, and senators and congressmen were garbed in their official morning coats. The crack of the gavels hushed a buzz of conversation and a general round of handshaking among the assembling as-sembling members, and the big show was auspiciously opened. In tho house Dr. Shera Montgomery intoned a prayer and in the senate Rev. J. J. Muir asked divine guidance. Then tho formal business was set under un-der way. The Democrats went throubh the routine of organizing in a brief conference con-ference before the opening. They selected se-lected C. E. A. Halsey, Lynchburg, Va., as confidential secretary to succeed suc-ceed the late Thomas W. Keller. L. L. Biffle, Arkansas, was named to succeed Halsey as chief of pages. The body authorized Senator Hod Robinson, Arkansas, Democratis leader, lead-er, to name the Democrats' nominee for secretary of the senate. Robinson Robin-son chose J. J. Byrnes, Monticello, N. Y. Prospects of a bitter tight over the plans of Republican leaders to repeal - the committee discharge provision of bouse rules appeared shortly before the lower body convened. Representative Finis Garrett, Tennessee, Ten-nessee, Democratic leader, announced In a speech he was in favor o retention reten-tion of the rule which permits a motion mo-tion to discharge a committee from consideration of a bill upon petition of 150 members, and indicated that the minority would present a united front against the proposed changes. The discharge provision was incorporated incor-porated in the rules of the last cou-gress cou-gress at the insistance of the insurgents. insur-gents. Seventy-one Republicans joined join-ed with the Democrats in effecting the change. Should this number of majority members vote with the Democrats, Dem-ocrats, it is likely that the proposal of Republican leaders will be turned down. |