Work Undone

This week the first political convention of 1940 opened in Washington. It was the 76th Congress, beginning its third session 306 days before the U. S. people elect a President. Its members did not forget that, on behalf of persons yet unknown, they one & all were campaigners whose votes were bound to win and lose many more votes in the great hustings to come. Conditioned by this democratic fact, they had the following work to do:

> Receive, accept, cut or up the budget forthcoming from Campaigner Franklin Roosevelt

> For National Defense, decide: 1) how much to up the $1,650,000,000 which they voted for men & arms last year; 2) how much to cut civil budgets to make up for military appropriations.

> Tackle the same old Farm Problem, with election and drought-year variations (including proposals to economize on benefit payments, revive processing taxes in order to lessen the drain on regular revenues).

> Vote once more on Anti-Lynching, which has an early, preferred place on the House calendar and is bound to raise a rumpus in the Senate (where the bill died last year).

> Consider renewal of Cordell Hull's power to make reciprocal trade agreements.

> Hear from and (barring miracles) vote more money to the Dies Committee, whose Red-finding Chairman Martin Dies last week was in a knockdown fight with minority committeemen. Issue: whether to include Franklin Roosevelt in the committee's wondrous list of Communist tools.

> Overhaul the Wagner Act and/or NLRB on the showings of House Investigator Howard Smith (TIME, Dec. 25).

> Receive and debate (in the Senate) politically vital appointments by the President. As of last weekend, they would include: Attorney General Frank Murphy for the U. S. Supreme Court; Solicitor General Robert Houghwout Jackson to succeed Frank Murphy; Circuit Judge Francis Biddle of Philadelphia to succeed Bob Jackson.

> Decide (with no help from cagey Mr. Roosevelt) whether to up the Federal debt limit from its present $45,000,000,000, which is a mere $3,000,000,000 above the current Federal deficit.

> Make up their minds whether to adjourn early (as Franklin Roosevelt and his Democrats wish) or run right up to the G. O. P. and Democratic conventions, when the Congressional politicians will begin to find out how well they have done their work.

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