Martinsburg statesman. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1869-1906, 1906-07-13
.v,nlam. on VIVA, Congress. ra,led to do

williams on What Congress Failed 20 do
Washington, July 3.-John Sharpe
Williams, Democratic floor leader,
tn IFS reviews the work of the Fifty
ninth Congress:
1.-The only notable things Congress
dill was to adopt the Demoera ic poll
cy of railroad rate regulation and the
Democratic policy of admitting Okla
h ,ma into the Union and to refuse to
( tie in indissoIuble wedlock Arizona
AID New Mexico. The Democrats re-
greet that Congress dill not do some
MEASURE of justics to the E'lipinos by
passing the Philippine t riif bill.
s'This Congress viii be almost as
m lch celebrated for what it failed to
d, as what il did. What IL did was
distinctly Democratic in initiative, orr
gin I'd character. Cne of the things
! congress failed to enact which will
need much explanation was some
measure to check the collection of vast
and corrnpting campaign funds.
| Nothing radical or extreme was
demanded, yet Congress refused to
keep national banks from contributing
to campaign funds, 1t refused TO pro-
hihit corporations engaged i'm inter-
! state commerce from contributing the
money of stockholders TO campaigns;
it refused to provide for publicity of
contributions. Even that could not
get through Congress the Repuoli-
can members of which feel that with
out fund they could not go through
campaign and realize that the
secret.
"After the President Numbered in
the index about insurance frauds and
wlnted Congress to do extreme and
unconstitutional things this failure to
d. very reasonable and constitution
al thing will be hare to explain.
Congress failed to lop OF a single
abuse or excrescence or the tariff sys
tenn. 1t would not agree that single
duty should not be over 100 per cent.
of the entire value Of the thing taxed.
They would not even untax diphtheria
serum nor heed the cry concerning 1t
o the little children all over the lane.
they refused to reduce the duty on
iron and steel, although proof was
made and finally admission was had
I lat our steel manufacturers are habit
ually selling their products cheaper
abroad than at home, even steel for
building ships thereby building upa
foreign merchant marine.
with g-headedncss that IS re-
markable Oklahoma was uselessly
kept out of the Union for nearly six
months, while the children of the In
dian Territory were growing up in ig-
norance without schools.
"rhe Congress is to be congratulated
the lead of the President in the new
Roosevelt doctrine that he seems bent
upon substituting for the Monroe
Doctrine. This was shown in the re-
fisal of the Senate to ratify the DOM
inican treaty. This refusal threw cold
water upon most Of the Presiden Is
big stock policies, and the Senate was
able to make this refusal effective by
ID emocratic votes.
Congress passed very good natur-
alization bill after several good amend
ments offered by the Democrats had
been adopted. 1t refused to pass any
immigration bill, and it was rumored
that the refusal was due to the petu-
lancy of Senator Lodge, who found
the times out of joint because the
House had amended the bill offered by
his son-in-law. The bill as amended
contained many excellent features,
and ought to have passed"