Daily Arizona silver belt., 1909-01-22
THE PRESIDENT AND CONGRESS

THE PRESIDENT AND CONGRESS
 The great vindicatory debate of Fri day. January 8, in the house of represen- tatives will not be published broadcast to an expectant and eager country at the expense of the public treasury. Two million copies of "rebuke" to Pres ident Roosevelt, at the very least, were thought to be demanded by constitu- ents hot for further particulars of a notable historic event.
 Cheap at $68,6SS would be any nara tive of that unlucky Fridays doing, or undoings. It would tell how the popu- lar branch withstood-for six hours--a most redoubtable adversary, and at the end of that time dubbed him an infrac- tor of the truth. A wild and thrilling tale, emitting, however. the lightning dash of Speaker Cannon, on the same eventful evening to the White House, there to be regaled with executive refec- ton.
 
 embalmed for all time in the dreary and tiresome pages of the congressional record. It will not be accessible to every voter. It will not be distributed with the compliments of Congressman So- and-So to his intelligent constituents. There will be no circulation of rebuke to Roosevelt as a campaign document in any district, at least not at public expense. Is it possible discovery has been made that, as MT. Foster, of Yer mont, said, ''the American people are not sitting up nights for an opportun- ity to read the details of that debate?" Or that, as Mir. Langley believed, the people are sufficiently informed in the matter without perusing all the harrow ing particulars? Or that, as Mr. Town send averred, the thing has already gone too far? However all this may be, the house was quite right in rejecting the resolution for broadcasting the debate on the sole ground that to do so would require an unprecedented and unwar- ranted use of public funds. It would not have looked well from any stand point, and the members took sensi. ble view of it when they concluded that their vindication had better rest on the action of last week.
 Behind the ostensible reasons for this rejection We think may be discerned a desire on the part of considerable ma jority of the house to let bygones be bygones in the secret service controver- sy with the president. The episode was a purely accidental one, and reached dimensions wholly out of proportion to the importance of the original sub ject matter. Two congressional commit tees have been named to thrash out the merits of the question, but their inqui- ries do not necessitate continuance of the quarrel between the two ends of the avenue. There are indications of purpose among the conservative mem bers of the senate to avoid any direct conflict with the president if possible. In the matter of obtaining information from executive departments, MT. Hale pointed out a practicable line of agree inent between the senate and the pres ident. After all, the main issue is the proper and eficient conduct of the pub lie business, not the exploitation of per. sonal ambitions or enmities, and on this issue 1t ought to be easy to get together Mr. Rooseevlt has displayed purpose to supply congress with all the facts and records which the legislative branch has a right to demand, and with some thing more. No really substantial ground exists for lasting arrangement between the president and the legisla