The Yale expositor., 1910-04-08

members of the committee received
for and against the proposition to
raise the rates were greater In num-
Der than those received touching any
other legislation in years excepting
the proposition to keep Senator Smoot
OF Utah out of his seat, and the pro-
posal once advanced by the agricul-
tural committee to do away with the
biological survey, which has always
been known as the farmers friend.
The letter writing in the case of the
second-class mail matter had its effect,
as the country knows, and 1t Is likely
that for some little time at least, there
will be no further turbulent discussion
of the. matter either on the floor or
through the mails.
1t is the house postofiice and post
roads committee which has in it's
keeping the parcels post" measure.
Toward the end of April, hearings will
be held on this proposed legislation,
but 1t seems hardly possible that any.
thing will be done in the matter until
next year at least. The letters that
are coming in concerning bills look
ing to the establishment of this kind
of mail service are in number a multi
tude. 1t is vexed question, for curl
ously enough on this one matter, some
OF the great corporations appear on
the same side of the controversy with
thousands of the people whose in.
stincts are supposed to be inimical to
any great corporation endeavors.
The postoffice committee of the
house has read the parcels post letters
and has been in puzzled mood. The
country districts seem to be divided
against themselves on the question.
Thousands of people living in the
country want the parcels post, and
there are other thousands, mostly men
of mercantile pursuits, who think that
the legislation is Ubiquitous. Both
sides are well represented in the cor.
respondence which has been coming
into the capital and both sides will get
their full hearing, but the chances are,
let 1t be said again, that nothing will
be done in the matter at this session
and very likely not in this congress.
Dispute over Power.
There have been recently, both in
verse criticisms Of what has been
called executive law making" In
other words, some of the members
of congress and some of the crit
les outside of it are inveighing
against the practice of submitting the
recommendation Of the president to
congress in the form of specific bills"
The amendments to the interstate
commerce law which have been sent
to congress and which are now under
consideration in bill form constitute
one of the bases of complaint Of what
the most outspoken of the members
call executive usurpation." This rail-
road bill, for the amendments consti-
tute a bill, has had a somewhat Pc
dress one year ago last month the
president made 1t perfectly clear that
he intended to recommend legislation
the effect of which would be to further
control the operations of the great car
rier companies Of the United States.
Bill Is Committees Report.
When Mr.. Taft returned to Wash.
ington in November, the committee
made its report to him, and when one
of the members was asked what form
it was likely the legislation in con-
gress would take, he answered: IF
you have seen the report of the presi-
dents committee you have seen the
bill which will be introduced"
What the member Of the committee
said turned out to be true. The bill
which was introduced into house and
senate was practically a copy Of the
committees report to the chief execu-
tive. When the bill was considered in
the house committee on interstate
commerce to which it was referred, it
was changed in many of it's particu-
lars, but the senate committee accept
ed the administration measure in prac-
tically it's initial form. 1t was this bill
more than ATTY other which brought
about criticism concerning executive
law making.
Now, there are always two sides to
q question, and while congress is res
tive because of what it thinks Is the
encroachment of the executive on the
field of congressional rights. 1t must
be said on the word Of the presidents
friends, that Mr.. Taft, because OF his
judicial training. wanted to bring to
bear on the interstate commerce bill
the legal ability of the best lawyers in
his cabinet, the training Of several of
the interstate commerce commission
ers, and the legislative acumen of one
member of congress, who had had ex-
perience before with bills of the kind.
Wants His Legislation to Stand.
The president always has been
afraid apparently that some of the
legislation which he recommends, or
which congress passes without his di-
rect recommendation, might meet with
breakers in the supreme court. He
wants to make his legislation, SO his
friends say, absolutely proof against
adverse decisions on the ground Of
unconstitutionality. So it is that his
answer to congressional criticism of