The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1908-05-01
WASHINGTON LETTER.

weeks have closed its first session with
very little done. Indeed it is becoming
evident that it is almost impossible to get
anything of importance done through
Congress. So intense is the jealousy of
parties, SO foreign to their desire is it TO
do anything for the people, and SO
DESTROYS is each party to make political
capital with view merely to political
success that the country is almost out of
consideration. 1t may De that after all
the United States will succeed through its
National Congress in demonstrating the
efficiency of representative government
Members of Congress of the lower House
are elected for only two years, but few of
them are statesmen and they are necessari.
ly controlled and influenced by their
party relations or by the LEADERS" as they
are called. The leaders in either the
House or the Senate can be counted on
the fingers of one hand. They are all
partisans struggling to keep themselves
and their party in Office. What matters
it to them if the forests are devastated, if
the postal system of the United States is
inferior to that of a dozen European
countries, and TO some Asiatic and African
countries, in that it has no parcels post /?
What is it to them if millions of Ameri
cans are paying more for many hone
manufactures than they can be bought
for in England. France and Germany !?
They are solicitous chiefly about their
reelection. 1t is not to be expected that
they can have horizon beyond their
Congressional Districts, or measure up to
questions of national importance. The
country has been for years in desperate
need of an improved financial system and
has suffered several ruinous panics from
the lack of it,-a system was presented to
this Congress by Senator Aldrich, of
Rhode Island, but it was Immediately
bounced upon and torn to tatters by
amendments suggested by different in
terests and it is now doubtful if any bill
will be passed. The bill may not have
been perfect, what bill ever was perfect !?
1t may have been only makeshift, bnt
history is full of instances of makeshifts
saving the day and nation. An old man
half buffoou and half demagogne and
intensely partisan rules like Gear in the
lower House of Congress, and has stood
l;kt post in the way of remedial and
constructive legislation. Wash ington
city, the Capital of this greatest of repre-
sentative governments is political para
dox. 1t is the only city in the United
States that cannot vote and is glad Of it
The United States Congress governs
Washington and the District of Columbia
with its nearly four hundred thousand
inhabitants. The people of The city es-
cape some things, some ills that other
municipalities are. heir to but it has
troubles of Its own. 1t is bestridden and
ridden by monopolies, -gas monopolies,
electric light and electric railroad monop.
olies, Members of Congress have stock in
in different parts of the city and it's human
nature perhaps that they shall vote the
money of citizens of the District and the
money of the United States government
for improvements in utilities that will go
near to. and enhance the value of their
private properties. OF course there is a
theoretical remedy for this condition of
things. If the people of the country
would send sterling men to Congress,
like scores that might mention, there
would be an improvement in the legis.
lative output. But most of the candi-
dates for these places are popular ambi-
tious mediocre lawyers who when they
come here are as green as yankee-doodle
who said he couldn't see the town there
was so many houses and often before they
have seen or understood the town they
are supplanted by greener man.