THE CONGRESS: No Special Session

On his vacation, the President several times repeated that he would call no special session of the Senate or House of Representatives. But, back in Washington, it behooved him last week to let the politicians come and tell him he was right.

Senator Gerald P. Nye, aggressive progressive from North Dakota, told the President that he was wrong. He warned him that the contests over seating the Senators-elect, William S. Vare of Pennsylvania and Frank L. Smith of Illinois, were going to consume many valuable weeks of the Senate’s time; that a jam of legislation would result.

Senator William E. Borah, however, said that it was his experience that the Senate, no matter when assembled, never gets down to lawmaking until about March.

Speaker Nicholas Longworth could see no possible reason for a special sitting of the House over whose doings he is ring master.

On such pressing matters as farm relief, the Boulder Dam project, the naval building program and Muscle Shoals, views are so divergent that action can hardly be taken until later in the session, whenever Congress meets.

Senator Charles Curtis of Kansas and Representative John Q. Tilson of Connecticut, leaders of the Republican majorities in the two Houses, were both opposed to calling Congress early.

Having listened to the legislators, President Coolidge once more repeated: no special session.