H. R. 656. Lassen and Plumas National Forest, add certain lands to. App. June 3. Public 180. S. 699. Medicine Bow National Forest, add lands to. App. June 7. Public 229. H. R. 2713. Colorado National Forest, transfer certain lands from Rocky Mountain National Park to. App. June 2. Public 172. H. R. 4830. Reforestation of forest lands and extension of national forests, to provide for. App. June 7. Public 270. H. R. 498. Recreational area in Crook National Forest, Ariz. App. May 29. Public 154. S. 2147. Complete ranger station, Willow Creek, Mont. App. 15. Public 88. H. R. 3682. Develop roads in national parks. App. Apr. 9. Public 70. H. R. 4985. Hawaii National Park, amend act to establish. App. June 5. Public 198. S. 668. Utah National Park, establish. App. June 7. Public 227. Pending H. R. 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 5555, 6651, 8366, 9063. Bills to add lands to various national forests. (On the calendars.) S. 377. To limit the creation and extension of forest reserves in New Mexico and Arizona. (Passed by Senate; on Calendar of Committee of Whole House.) S. 1762. To acquire Santa Barbara grant by exchanging for it timber or timber lands in national forests in New Mexico. (Passed by Senate; on Calendar of Committee of Whole House.) GAME AND WILD LIFE Passed Four measures relating to game sanctuaries and protection of wild life. (Public Laws Nos. 246, 248, 268 and Public Resolution 34.) GERMAN RELIEF Pending H. J. Res. 180. Appropriating $10,000,000 for relief of starving women and children in Germany. (Passed House March 24; Senate Committee did not report it and motion in Senate to discharge the committee and bring the bill before the Senate was defeated June 6.) IMMIGRATION Passed H. R. 7995. To limit immigration of aliens. App. May 26. Public 139. (See article in April Searchlight.) H. J. Res. 283. Permit certain unauthorized aliens to remain in United States in excess of quota. App. June 7. Public Resolution 37. INDIAN AFFAIRS Passed H. R. 185. Providing $100 per capita payment for Chippewa Indians of Minnesota. App. Jan. 25. Public 1. H. R. 694. Regulate suits and attorney's fees of Chippewa Indians, Michigan. App. May 24. Public 129. H. R. 2876. Provide payment of claims to Chippewa Indians, Minnesota. App. Apr. 14. Public 82. S. 1174. Indians, Sioux Tribe, claims for horses. App. June 7. Public 211. Six acts to permit Court of Claims to settle claims of Cherokee, Choctaw and Chickasaw, Creek, Semi(Public nole, Stockbridge and Wichita Indians. Laws Nos. 57, 124, 134, 187, 222, 257.) H. R. 2883. Validating to Indians certain allotments of land, Lac Courte Oreille, Wisconsin. App. Apr. 12. Public 75. H. R. 2877. Reservation of certain Indian lands Zia Pueblo, N. Mex. App. Apr. 12. Public 74. S. 2932. Pueblo Indian land grants, quiet title to. App. June 7. Public 253. H. R. 2884. Reserve land in Utah for Paiute Indians. App. May 31. Public 164. H. R. 2887. Extend period of restriction against alienation Kansas or Kaw Tribe of Indians, Oklahoma. App. May 27. Public 149. H. R. 3684. Enrollment and allotment of Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians. App. May 19. Public 121. H. R. 3852. Cherokee Indians, North Carolina, disposition of affairs of eastern band. App. June 4. Public 191. H. R. 4804. Indian land allotments, Fort Yuma Reservation. App. Apr. 12. Public 78. H. R. 3444. Relief of certain Indians in Washington, Idaho, and Montana. App. Mar. 13. Public 42. S. 1308. Temoak Band of homeless Indians, authorize purchase of land for. App. June 7. Public 232. S. 1203. Newlands reclamation project, Piute Indian lands, amend act providing drainage system for. App. June 7. Public 231. S. 1704. Relief of dispossessed Indians, Nisqually Reservation, Wash. App. Apr. 28. Public 105. LABOR H. R. 472. Authorize deposit of certain funds to H. R. 4462. Amend town site fund act of Choctaw S. J. Res. 103. Fort Peck Indians, Montana, au- H. R. 2812. Permit sale of lands owned by Rapid H. R. 2878. Authorize sale of lands allotted under H. R. 4803. Sale of lands and plants no longer H. R. 1414. Stevens and Ferry Counties, Wash., H. R. 4835. Indian children, pay public school tui- H. R. 6355. Indians, authorize issuance of citi- S. 2799. Indians, field service, provide quarters, Minor Acts-Ten other Indian acts of apparently Pending H. J. Res. 181. Creating a Special Joint Commit- INSULAR POSSESSIONS Passed H. R. 4121. Extending the provisions of Federal S. 2572. Provide customhouses for Porto Rico. S. 2573. Porto Rico, amend civil government act Pending H. R. 8856. To enable the Philippine Islands to INTERSTATE COMMERCE ACT AMENDMENT S. 2704. Interstate commerce act, amend para- (See also Railroads.) Pending H. R. 517. To restrict the expenditures of the War Department and the Military establishment. (On Calendar of Committee of Whole House.) H. R. 8687. Alteration and construction of vessels for Navy. (Passed House; pending in Senate.) MUSCLE SHOALS Pending H. R. 518. Ford offer. (Passed House March 10; reported in Senate, amended, by Committee on Agriculture June 2.) NATIONAL FORESTS AND NATIONAL PARKS (See Forest Reserves.) OIL LEASES Passed H. J. Res. 54. Directing President to prosecute suits for cancellation, Teapot Dome oil leases. App. Feb. 8. Public Resolution 4. H. J. Res. 160. Providing the President with funds for the cancellation and prosecution of Teapot Dome oil leases. App. Feb. 27. Public Resolution 8. S. J. Res. 71. Cancel leases of naval reserve No. 1, California. App. Feb. 21. Public Resolution 6. (See various articles in Searchlight.) PATRIOTIC Passed S. 1376. Cannon and war trophies, provide equitable distribution of. App. June 7. Public 234. Other Measures Passed-Twelve Public Laws and five Public Resolutions relating to patriotic and military matters and organizations. PENSIONS Vetoed S. 5. Bursum Bill. General increase of pensions for Civil War Veterans. (Passed both Houses; vetoed May 3; failed to pass Senate over veto, May 6.) Pending H. R. 5934 and 5936. Increasing pensions for Spanish, Philippine and China wars; pensioning Civil War Militia. (On Calendar of Committee of Whole House.) H. R. 6426. Omnibus pension bill (grouping a number of individual pension bills). (Passed both Houses. Awaiting official signature. Five other omnibus pension bills are pending in various stages.) PRISONS AND REFORMATORIES Passed S. 794. To equip Leavenworth Penitentiary for the manufacture of Government supplies and to compensate prisoners for labor. (Appropriates $450,000.) App. Feb. 11. Public 12. S. 790. Federal Industrial Institution for Women, to establish. App. June 7. Public 209. PROHIBITION AND NARCOTICS H. R. 7079. Opium, prohibit importation for manufacture of heroin. App. June 7. Public 274. H. J. Res. 195. Appropriation for participation of United States in two conferences on traffic in narcotics. App. May 15. Public Resolution 20. Pending H. R. 6645. To establish Bureau of Prohibition enforcement in Treasury Department. (Passed House June 5; reported in Senate June 6.) RADIO Pending S. 2930. An act reaffirming the use of the ether for radio communication or otherwise to be the inalienable possession of the people of the United States and their Government. (Passed by Senate; on Calendar of Committee of Whole House.) (See articles on Radio Monopoly in December Searchlight.) RECLAMATION, IRRIGATION AND FLOOD CONTROL Passed S. 1631. Authorize deferring of payments on reclamation charges. (Three years.) App. May 9. Public 115. S. J. Res. 90. Fort Assinniboine reclamation project, relief of delinquent homesteaders on. App. June 7. Public Resolution 29. S. 2998. Equitable use of the waters of the Rio Grande River, Tex., below Fort Quitman. App. May 13. Public 118. H. R. 7998. Golden, Colo., grant lands for reservoir. App. June 7. Public 223. S. 966. San Carlos Federal irrigation project, Ariz., continue construction work. App. June 7. Public 210. S. 2902. Authorize use of land for Minidoka irrigation project on Fort Hall Indian Reservation. App. May 9. Public 116. S. J. Res. 114. Caspar-Alcova irrigation project, Wyoming, authorize investigation of. App. June 7. Public Resolution 32. H. R. 3770. Providing for the examination and survey of Dog River, Ala. App. Feb. 2. Public 11. H. R. 4577. Survey of Mill Cut and Clubfoot Creek, N. C. App. Mar. 14. Public 45. H. R. 8070. Preliminary examinations and surveys of sundry streams to provide for flood control. App. May 31. Public 170. Pending H. R. 9611. To provide safeguards for future Federal irrigation development, and an equitable adjustment of existing accounts on Federal irrigation projects. (On Calendar of Committee of Whole House.) (See also Waterpower.) RENT REGULATION (See District of Columbia.) RAILROADS Pending H. J. Res. 141. Directing the Interstate Commerce Commission to take action relative to adjust ments in the rate structure of common carriers. (On Calendar of Committee of Whole House.) S. 91 and S. 1899. Capper Bill and La Follette Bill to amend Esch-Cummins Act. (These and other bills on this important subject were not reported out of Committee during the session.) (For Barkley-Howell Railroad Labor Bill, see Labor.) RECLASSIFICATION AND SALARIES OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES Passed H. R. 4820. Amend act for readjustment of pay of Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Coast and Geodetic Survey, and Public Health Service. App. May 31. Public 171. H. R. 7996. Government Printing Office, authorize Public Printer to fix wages of. App. June 7. Public 276. H. R. 8262. Adjusting salaries of officers and employees of House of Representatives and Senate. App. May 24. Public 136. S. J. Res. 137. Salaries of original appointees of board of tax appeals. App. June 7. Public Resolution 35. S. J. Res. 146. Correct certain salary schedules in civil service reclassification act. App. June 7. Public Resolution 36. (See also District of Columbia.) United States Public Health Service hospital. App. June 7. Public 278. S. 3181. Veterans, additional hospital facilities for. App. June 5. Public 197. VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION AMENDMENT H. R. 5478. Vocational rehabilitation, amend act H. J. Res. 128. McSwain Resolution. To promote peace and to equalize the burdens and to minify the profits of war. (On Calendar of Committee of Whole House.) WATERPOWER, WATERWAYS, ETC. Passed H. R. 8209. Inland waterways corporation, to create. App. June 3. Public 185. S. 1942. Prevent oil pollution of navigable waters. App. June 7, Public 238. S. 2686. Amend Federal Power Commission permit No. 1, project No. 1 of Dixie Power Co., Arkansas. App. Apr. 15. Public 84. S. 3188. Chicago River, abandon south branch channel of. App. June 7. Public 259. S. 727 and H. R. 2903. Johnson-Swing Bill. To provide for the protection and development of the lower Colorado River Basin. (Appropriates $70,000,000 for Boulder Dam project, power rights to be operated under 50-year leases.) (Hearings held by House Committee; not reported out in either House.) S. 746. Norris Bill. Providing for development of hydroelectric energy at Great Falls in the Potomac River for use of District of Columbia and adjacent territory. (Passed Senate April 10; not reported by House Committee on District of Columbia.) UNCLASSIFIED MINOR ACTS AND RESOLUTIONS Passed Twelve Acts and four Resolutions, all apparently of minor importance. (Public Laws No. 47, 87, 102, 117, 126, 137, 216, 240, 263, 271, 273, 279; and Public Resolutions 1, 7, 23, 33.) Among matters included here, for example, are the cleaning of exterior of Post Office at Cincinnati; permitting school building bond issue at Cordova, Alaska; authorizing appointment of an officer of Corps of Engineers as Director of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing; free mail service for certain publications of the blind; abolishing steamboat inspection districts at Apalachicola, Fla., and Burlington, Vt. III. Private Laws Passed Congress has passed 66 Private Laws. These mostly carry appropriations for various claims of individuals and Government or ex-Government employees. The variety, character and scope of these private laws may be judged from the following brief summaries from the text of five laws chosen at random:-a law compensating three Comanche Indians on Kiowa Reservation; a law to credit a collector of Internal Revenue with $100 to offset a charge against him for a special stamp book which had been lost; a law to restore property damaged by a Post Office Department airplane, $2,500; a law to allow a claim for damages to certain docks as a result of swells caused by the operation of a U. S. destroyer; a law for compensation of a military policeman accidentally shot while in pursuit of a deserter. There are a few private laws of a different character, such as those permitting the franking privilege to Mrs. Harding and Mrs. Wilson, and that permitting Hugh S. Cummings to accept a decoration of a foreign government. IV. Special Measures in the House ELECTION OF SPEAKER In the House the opening days of this Congress were taken up with a contest over the Speakership of the House. Nine roll calls were taken and on the ninth Frederick H. Gillett, of Massachusetts, was elected over Finis J. Garrett, of Tennessee, after a promise by the majority leader that an opportunity would be given to revise the House Rules. (See article in December Searchlight.) RULES REFORM In January twenty-two new amendments to the rules were presented, one of the most important being the one providing for the discharge of a committee failing to report back to the House within a prescribed time a measure referred to it. This amendment was finally adopted with the provision that with one hundred and fifty signatures of members of the House a motion to discharge a committee failing to report a bill out of Committee could be entered on the House Calendar. The motion would then be voted upon by the House and if agreed to the bill could then by further agreement be before the House for consideration. This new rule prevents a House Committee from shelving a bill to which it may be unfriendly. Another important amendment which permits the offering of amendments to revenue bills was also adopted. (See articles in January Searchlight.) CONTESTED ELECTIONS The resolution adopted on April 10 (H. Res. 254), declaring Sol Bloom a duly elected member of the House over W. M. Chandler, both of New York, had a special significance in that it gave the Democrats control of the New York State delegation in the House with twenty-two Democrats to twenty-one Republicans. ADJOURNMENT House Concurrent Resolution 27, to adjourn on June 7, passed both Houses over the protest of Members desiring to secure action on pending legislation. V. Special Measures in the Senate OF THE INTERSTATE COMMERCE The balloting for the chairmanship of this Senate Committee began on Dec. 10, 1923, and continued through 32 roll calls until on Jan. 9, 1924, when the final ballot was taken and Senator Smith, of South Carolina, was elected over Senator Cummins, of Iowa. This Committee is the one which formulates railroad legislation in the Senate. (See article in January Searchlight.) CONFIRMATION OF PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEES The Senate confirmed ex-Ambassador Frank B. Kellogg, of Minnesota, as Ambassador to Great Britain. It confirmed Lieut. Col. Duncan K. Majer, Jr., to be Colonel of Infantry in the Regular Army; and ex-Senator Atlee Pomerene, of Ohio, and Owen J. Roberts as special counsel in the case to recover the Naval Oil Reserves. (See article in February Searchlight.) DENBY RESIGNATION The Senate adopted a resolution (S. Res. 134) declaring that Secretary of the Navy Denby was a party to leasing the Naval Oil Reserves "under circumstances indicating fraud and corruption" and that it was the sense of the Senate that the President request his resignation. (See article in February Searchlight.) LIQUOR SEIZURE TREATY In March the Senate ratified a treaty with Great Britain to aid in the prevention of liquor smuggling into the United States which authorized search and seizure of suspected liquor craft beyond the threemile limit. CAMPAIGN PUBLICITY COMMITTEE The La Follette Resolution (S. Res. 248) to elect a Senate committee to investigate and report on campaign expenditures in presidential, vice presidential and senatorial elections and the names of contributors with the amount contributed was adopted by the Senate June 7. (See item in this number of Searchlight.) VI. Investigations The various Senate and House investigations that have featured the session have been covered in the various recent numbers of the Searchlight. Coolidge on Capital From "The Price of Freedom," a volume of Coolidge addresses, we quote the following: "We justify the greater and greater accumulations of capital because we believe that therefrom flows the support of all science, art, learning and the charities which minister to the humanities of life, all carrying their beneficent effects to the people as a whole." |