The Washington herald., 1908-04-23
Congress and the Roosevelt programme


During the past two years President
Roosevelts annual and special messages
have teemed with legislative suggestions
OF a momentous character. Federal regu-
lation Of corporations. a more exaeting
control Of interstate commerce, the levy
of taxation on incomes and inheritances.
the legalization of combinations IN re-
straint of trade, postal savings banks and
parcels post, ocean mail subsidies, the
conservation of mineral resources. restrfc-
tion Of injunctive processes, and the pro
gressive enlargement of the navy-these
are some of the items in the RooseyeltIan
reform programme. Not many of them
have found favor at the Capi1ol. The
majority leaders in both Senate and
House. with ample time at their disposal.
with a full command of the parliamen-
tary situation, have determined upon a
minimum of legislation that includes but
few of the Presidents pet projects. and
these of relatively minor nature. AS
the next session will be the short one. it
appears tolerabIy certain that the Roose-
welt administration will close on the
legislative record made by the first ses-
sion OF the Sixtieth Congress.
In spite Of the "do-nothing" agree
ment, it viii be found on the day of ad-
journment that a good deal has been ac-
oomplshed in the way Of important Iegis-
latiOn outside the Rooseveltian pro
gTamme. There are some pending meas
ure5, such as the bill tO regulate inter
state traffic in liquors, the bill to regulate
the injunction of State officers. and the
Mccall publicity bill, the enactment Of
which would mark new departure in
their several directions, and all these bills
may get through On its own initiative
Congress has added over Sl2OOO.OOO to the
annual pension roll by the passage of the
widows pension bill, at time when the
condition OF the Treasury would seem 10
have been a warning against further in
crease Of permanent expenditure. This
bill has attracted much less attention
than President Roosevelts famous order
opening the way to new classes of pension
claimants, although it will prove much
more costly. II Senator AIdrich soueezes
through his currency bill, Congress NAV
take credit for that, for Mr.. Roosevelt has
done little TO forward financial reform,
that being a consideration secondary. in
his philosophy, to the building of battle
ships. The bin abolishing race-track
gambling. though of local application is
IL itself noteworthy piece of legisIa-
ton. On the whole. therefore, when we
take into consideration the new .legisla-
ton contained in appropriation bills. we
have no doubt that the present session
will end with creditable legislative rec
ord so far as il goes. though falling con-
siderably short of popular expectation.
Mr.. Roosevelts programme, though set
aside by Congress. will not down. Moth
ing appears more certain than the neces-
sity for imposition Of additional Federal
taxation if the present rate Of increasing
expenditures is kept up. Mr.. Roosevelt's
recommendations have simply antIeipate5
this necessity by few years. And il IS
just as certain that the corporation prob-
lem will be with Congress for some years
TO come. and it will have to be met and
settled, in all probability, substantially
along the lines indicated by the President
Nor would it be at all surprising If most
of the other disregarded items of the
ROoseveltian programme should be en-
bodied in national policy in the coming
years. Whatever Congressional steering
may do, we have not seen the
last of that ambitious programme any
more than we shall say good-by politi-
cally to Theodore Roosevelt on March
Z next. Both are comparatively young
and lusty.