The sun., 1908-05-13
THE RIGHT or PETITION.

says that 'tho poor laWmaker Il up against
II good and hard The statement is ex'
pressive and even forceful. although II sug'
gests the poOlroom rather than the halls Of
national legislation. Judging from the
number Of protests and Demands the
Speaker says. that have been received by
/ Congress this session, nearly every man,
woman and child who has thought Of II has
at one time or another exercised his or her
constitutional right TO petition
While the facts could be determined only
! by weeks Of tedious investigation, there IL
little doubt that the custom Of memorialia-
, ing and petitioninE the Congress and the
custom Of individual request 10 individual
Congressman are far more general than
they used 10 be. The mail service is bur
dened with these messages. There are
! nearly 500 Congressman, and few or none
escape the food. The majority count their
letters Of this class by scores or by hun
dreds. The Congregational Record reports
their presentation. They call for new laws,
for amendments, for repeal. and they pro-
test against new laws, amendments and
repeal. For instance the Record Of May 4
reports.
Mr. Depew presented petitions OF sundry citizens
OF PlattsburE. Kingston, Glens Pals, YonKers,
Albany. New York city, Troy, Buffalo, Flushing,
Olean, Syracuse, Ithaca, Uuca, OneOnta, Batavia,
Elmira, Cohoes, Brooklyn, WAtertown. Tonawanda,
NewburEh. Corlnth and Schenectady all In the state
Of New York. praying for the adoption Of certain
amendments 20 the so called Sherman anti trust
law" relating tp labor Organizations, which were
referred 70 the Committee on the judiciary.
On that day and on other days other
Senators and Representatives presented
petitions from hundreds Of other places.
From all such petitions received and pre-
sented II might be inferred that the one
thought and desire Of the people Of the
country was the amendment Of that par
tioular law. There are petitions for and
petitions against a rural parcels post bill;
petitions relating 10 liquor legislation. grain
inspection, the conservation Of national
resources, currency. pensions, eight hour
laws injunotions, employers liability the
arbitration treaty with Great Britain and
scores Of other matters. including the mem
orisl Of M. B. Steezynski and others
favoring the Bates resolution Of sympathy
for the Poles and the petition Of the Gulf
Refining Company for an embargo on
Venezuelan asphalt
Here and there in this torrent OF petitions.
appeals and memorials there is 4 note Of
genuine patriotism. Of sincere desire for
legislation that will lift the land 10 higher
social. moral or intellectual levels. Most Of
1t rests on individual greed or on effort TO
secure special benefit for some special group
or class. II is all intensely human. Some
thing Is wanted for self. for group or for
GLASS, and effort Is made TO secure IT, Labor
Ia just now particularly active and energetic.
Headquarters has sent word tOits thousands
Of branches 10 get busy, Thousands who
would not know the Sherman law from a
quotation from the Koran have bean praying
the Congress for it's amendment.
One cannot say what good Ia done by it
all. Presumably It is an expression Of
public opinion. II Is an expression Of the
opinion Of part Of the public. but Congress
knows that an equal number Of signers 10
an equal number Of petitions directly OPP
posed to those presented could be obtained
by the use OF the same methods as those
employed by the petitioners. Here and
there a timid Representative is frightened
by the clamor Of labor people. temperance
people. supporters Of my policies Of 10y
some other group Of his constituents. He
presents a bill and he may make a speech.
His bill is buried in a pigeonhole and he
distributes copies Of the Record containing
his speech. He writes personal letters to
the petitioners and tells them Of his strug-
giles on their behalf and assures them that |
the passage Of the measure In which they
are interested depends entirely upon his
reelection.
Probably some Of these petitions are not
entirely a waste Of time and energy. but it |
is also probable that the greatest public !
benefit from most Of them il in keeping !
down the annual deficit in the Post Office |
Department,