The sun., 1903-03-05
The Deeds OF the Fifty-sevcnth.


Taking the two sessions together, as
they ought to be taken in any appraisal
of results, the Congress which has just
Joined the receding procession did this
much of far-reaching Importance for
good or evil:
II started the interoceanic waterway
as an exclusively American concern, and
Il started the same along the best route,
a route previously occupied by foreign
enterprise;
II established civil government in the
Philippines, and made the question Of
abandoning our possessions in the Far
East dream for dreamers
II greatly increased the efficiency of
the army by an almost revolutionary
change in the methods Of high military
administration;
1t provided with unexampled liberality
for the expansion Of our naval power to
meet the possible demands of expanding
national interests;
It repealed the war taxes surviving
the war with Spain;
II fastened upon the annual budgets
OF the future a new item of unmeasured
potentialities; namely, the Federal appro-
priation for the irrigation of arid lands
in certain sections Of the republic;
Itstrengthehed permanently the power
Of the Executive branch and widened the
field Of Executive activities by creating
a new and unnecessary Department, the
so-called Department Of Commerce and
Labor;
II approved after the act the Presi-
dents unconstitutional appointment Of
personally selected court to hear a
cause outside of his jurisdiction; and
thus, by the appropriation Of money to
pay the Coal Strike Commission. it veted
encouragement TO the principle OF one
man government in the United States Of
America;
II went far beyond any previous Con-
gress in perfecting the machinery by
which pork is silently, swiftly and self
ishly hoisted out of the barrel;
Finally, the Fifty-seventh Congress
blocked or at least arrested the efforts
Of the President to set a-going a move
ment in the direction OF State socialism
through Federal mastery over business
within the States. This movement ap-
pealed to the same passions in and out
Of Congress as had been cultivated BY
the long line Of populistic and socialistic
agitators down to WILLIAM j. BRYAN.
IL had been checked successfully for
Tho tivy,a hv tho roooryo oap;ty ~ H.
nation, represented In the person OF
WILLIAM MCKINLEY; checked, the whole
world knows. to the enormous advantage
of the country's industrial and CONNER
cial interests. In the face of experience
md In the midst of unparalleled pros
perity, the movement in a slightly diff
'erent form was revived on the stump
by the successor Of Mr.. MCKINLEY and
the legatee of his policies. That the
Congress, wherein Mr.
found so much sympathy
md expected such energetic co0pera-
tion. should have been almost uncon-
and in spite Of large part Of
tsef the agent OF his repression and the
reviser Of his programme, is not the
east interesting circumstance in the
history Of this somewhat remarkable
legislature.
These are the things most conspicuous
In the positive record OF the Fifty-seventh
Congress. Some Of them were not in
tended. In the complex play Of con-
ficting interests some Of them came
about In manner that could not be
foreseen and can hardly yet be described
A. for the negative side
of the record. the leaving of things un-
done that might have been done the
public services of the Fifty-seyenth
Congress, ~ Ia the case of every Con
gress controlled IN both houses by a sin
gle party. are too vast and various "a
catalogue
The political history of the two $50
-lons may b. recordei With brevity
The relative importance Il the S.nat. |
has baen again enhsnoed Ia Ih. House. /
without any splii ~ Open Icb.lllon IN
he hepublloan maJpnty. the syst.m ~ |
management by tls speaker aud three I
" four other m"n has bo-n ssak.n.d .
TIE Dain"orallo policy ~ IA. Hpuss
aas La.n distinguished by bad lead.f- d
ship. fuiils sll'.rinsnis aud soins I-ritl- /
.s~ ~ opposition but un ils shnls
hs a,iiiuds ~ the immunity Parry La.
ss..srs.d il.nonfsil, traditions ~ ilr
aofs resent and Tadiral eat