The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-06-26
CANNON TELLS WHAT
CONGRESS HAS DONE
Work Is Not Measured By
Quantity But BY Quality
MEMBERS COMMENDED
The Speaker Details the Important
LegisIatiOn Among Which Is Rail-
rond Bill, Postal Savings
Bank Bill and Others

Washington, June 25.-Speaker Can
! non tonight Summarized the work OF
Congress in a statement he gave to
| the press. The speaker paid most at
tention to the legislative works ac-
complish ed referring only incidentally
to the fight which had been made on
the rules of the House. The reform OF
the rules, he said, had resulted in lit
tie advantage. The speaker declared
that the Congress just ended had done
more and better work than any Con-
gress of which he mad been mem-
Der during his 35 years of service In
the House.
After recounting the Legislation en-
acted the speaker said:
"This work of legislation has gone
on quietly but effectively while those
who view Congress from a distance
have been assuming that the House
was doing nothing but changing its
rules. The changes of rules have con-
tributed to the pleasure and perhaps
the power of some individuals in the
House, but the current of legislation
itself has moved on as usual with 1T
tie disturbance on account of a few
new methods and with little advan
tage therefrom.
II do not think the work of con-
gress should be measured by the vol
ume of business, but by the charac-
ter Of the legislation and The care
taken in its consideration. Measured
by that standard the Sixty-frst Con-
gress will take a high place in the
record of legislation. There have been,
however, more than 5000 of the $4,000
bills considered and reported from
committees and about 800 public laws
enacted in this session against 400
public laws for the entire Sixticth
Congress. l can commend the entire
try and Intelligence in their legisla-
tive work of this session"
Continuing the speaker said:
"This Congress has not only revised the
tariff without disturbing business, but 1t
has enacted important legislation amend
ing the interstate commerce law making
that law more effective, giving the inter-
state commerce commission greater power
and creating a court of commerce, and
this without seriously affecting the busi-
ness of the railroads or checking theif
increase of wages to their employees.
This seems to meet the definition of
craftsmanship In legislation.
This Congress has enacted postal
savings bank law which is entirely new
legislation, blazing new trail in law
making in this country"
The speaker then detailed other legsla-
tion which had been enacted.
1.-THE appropriations" said he, ''have
been large. but not nearly as large as
demanded by the people who were agitat-
ing the question of the development of
the various departments of the govern
ment. The democrats have talked about
economy, but they have helped enlarge
every appropriation and there are bills in
troduced by democrats and not acted
upon which would call for $500, 1000 addi-
tional expenditure. So / take 1t their talk
of economy is pickwckian. AS l said
in the beginning, the work of this Con-
gress has been greater than any other
with which I have been identified as
member and 1t has been constructive leg
islation In the face of destructive tactics
and efforts to create factional strife
These efforts, I regret to say, have re-
ceivel more attention In the public press
than the real work OF legislation. and hav-
Ing gwen SO much space to these revol-
tonary efforts at the expense OF tho rec.
ord o1 work, II is not surprising that
some ot the editors should suddenly dis
cover In these last days tn 1t the repub-
team Congress has enacted laws ia carry
,ut the pledges of the republican platform
nd to- Jump at the conclusion that this
york had been done In haste before ad-
ournment instead of being the painstak-
ng effort of seven months by the COM
mittAAa and the members of Cnnarass,"