Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1906-07-05

/ M W HEN was Il boy rtdu SOlnc
/ MA5AE sort of a comparison between
/ w WI the ant and the grasshopper
very much to the credit Of
tie ant have forgotten the words,
but the sum and substance was TO the
| effect that the ant was prudent and
industrious insect and In the summer
prepared for the winter. while the
grasshopper sang the summer away
and was unprepared for the cold
weather. Congress works on the plan
of the grasshopper. except that it fools
the winter away and then works like
Turk in the sultry days of summer
| to make up for lost time. What could
be siliier than for 500 grownup men
to take two weeks holiday at Christ
mas time knowing full well that il
they do their duties will keep them In
Washington into June, sometimes into
July, when it is hot enough in this de-
lectable city to make the skin slip Off
almost? But they do it just the same.
The truth is that congressional cleo
tons ought to be held the last Monday
| in August and congress should con-
vene the first Monday in October-the
most delightful season of the year on
| the Potomac And the representatives
elected in August should be the ones
to meet in October. 1t is preDosterous
to have a session of congress in which
| from one-fourth to one-half of the
members have been defeated for re-
election, as we have now. The theory
Of the two year term for representa-
tives is that they should be fresh from
the people. Nevertheless we cling to
| the bad habit of retaining for the short
session the members rejected by the,
people The reason why the meeting
| of congress was set for the first Mon
day in December was that that date
gave the farmer members time to har
vest and sell their crops and to make
the long, slow journey to the seat of
government. The trip took months
then where it requires days now. The
reason having failed, the date for the
converting of congress should be set
back to the first Monday in October
Then congress could do its work and
get out of Washington before the sum
mer solstice-a contamination devout
| ly to be wished. By electing representa-
tives the last Monday in Augustine
idlest portion of the year-and having
congress convene on the first Monday
| in October would allow five weeks III
which to ascertain the results in even
the closest districts ample time in this
day of railroads, telegraphs and tele
phones But the Wis inertia in human
nature is nowhere more in evidence
than in the congress of the United
States, which we fondly and proudly
call 'sthe most august legislative body
on earth"
This congress has been no exception
in the matter of fooling away the
cold. invigorating days of winter and
spring and then working like galley
slaves while the perspiration flowed
| freely. The three weeks before Christ
mas were squandered in debating"
the presidents message, an utterly fu-
| tile performance Words, words, words
merely that and nothing more. Then
| followed the two weeks of Christmas
holidays running the total up to five
weeks before we even settled to work.
| The upshot was that during the last
two weeks Of the session everything
was done in a rush, slapbang style, and
| bills Of the most far reaching conse
! quences were rammed through with
| out adequate debate or without any
| debate at all under whip and spur Of
| the house machine-the committee on
rules If evil comes of it the Repub-
| lican house machine will be entirely to
blame for it, for while we have put up
game fight whenever fight was justi-
fable, they, with their beastly majority
| Of 112. could generally outvote us.
! AS the president made many recon-
mendations it would have been strange
| if several Of them had not been enact
ed into law, as his party has an almost
| two-thirds majority in each house of
| congress, but he has met with three
pronounced defeats first, on the state
hood bill; second, on the Payne Philip
pine tariff bill; third, on the Santo Do
mingo treaty. Of course the house had
nothing to do with the treaty. The
| house passed the Payne Philippine tar
! if bin, but only by the aid of the bulk
Of the Democratic votes. If all the
Democrats had lined up against it, It
would have been defeated by seven
votes. So even that was defeat for
| the house Republican machine. In the
statehood matter, however, both the
administration and the Republican
house machine were severely rolled by
| the Democratic minority, aided and
abetted by the Republican insurgents.
| To the Democrats, led IN the house by
Hon. John Sharp Williams and in the
senate by Hon. Joseph Weldon Bailey,
do the people Of Oklahoma and the In
dian Territory owe it that they are to-
be blessed with immediate statehood.
4 The people of Arizona and New Mex