The National tribune., 1910-01-27
What tbc President Wants.

TO acuNlIy- Inc ulSpoSilIoli - ~ "
and see.
What the President Wants.
The President has given strong 1ntl-
nations that he wants the Admlnlstra-
ton bills enacted in their present
form He wants the Interstate Com
merce amendments disposed of exact
" as he has had the bills introduced
by Representative Townsend in the
House and by Senator Elkns in the
Senate. The leaders are not quite Ger
tain about that. 1t is rather an un-
usual request to make, even when the
Republican platform declared in favor
of this legislation. It is not even GER
tain that a majority can be had in poth
Senate and House for the Administra-
ton bills as the Pres dent has h&d
them drawn. The Senate Insurgents
are declaring that they viii fight the
Interstate Commerce amendments III
the last ditch before they will allow
them to pass in the present form. There
is tremendous opposition among the
Regulars to the postal savings bank
bill, and. altho Senator Aldrich has
promised the President to enact some
kind of a measure. it remains to be
seen whether it will be the postal saw
ings bank bill that the President wants
Other reasons exist for the lacka-
daisical way in which Congress is pro-
crossing One is the divisions in the
ranks of the majority party. Business
can always he dispatched more eXpedi-
ously when the majority party is unan-
imous and harmonious. Thus Tar TINS
session the all-ahsarhing topics have
been those of organization and poll
tics. not those of legislation. Speaker
Cannon's attention has been directed to
the antics of his recalcitrant Republi-
cans He has had to devote many hours
of studying out ways of circumVenting
the Insurgent schemes. His organiZa-
ton has been kept humming to de-
feat the plans of Democratic and In
Surgent alliances for assuming contro,
of the floor. And while all this party
strife has been going on, to the en-
barrassment of efforts at general leg
islation, candidates for Speaker have
been getting out into the open. This
commands the attention of members
and detracts from interest in the legiti-
mate work of the session.
Hence it is that the work of the Ma
tional House of Representatives has
been far less businesslike and thoro
than in the years gone by. The Repub-
licans have not been living up to their
reputation for facing legislative prob
lens sguarely and fighting out differ
ences. But this is due to very un-
usual condition of affairs inside the
party. Never before in the last Is
years have the factional differences
reached such an acute stage. 1t seems
n more herculean task than ever be-
iore to compose the divergent views.
Republicans. usually ready to compro-
mise differences, are clinging tenacious
ly to their ground.
No Real Tardiness.
Someone observed the other day that
the tardfness of the legislators this
year was not very marked in comparl-
son with what used to be accomplished
n few years ago. That is largely true.
But the records for action were MADE
when Roosevelt was President war
between the White House and Congress
was generally waging during the Two
last Administrations The President was
prodding the legislators they were re-
sisting, and yet, driven by pubhc sem
timent, they did about what the Pres
ident wanted of them. All TINS mas
changed. There is no warfare between
the White House and Congress. The
President is not marshaling public sem
timent in his behalf. He is working
along amicably with Speaker Cannon
and Senator Aldrich, getting what he
can from them and making no appeals
to the country. Consequently the leg
islators are slipping back into their old
habit of moving along very slowly, in
deed. Lately the President has been
gress, if he does not get the legislation
he wants from the present session.
THAT is the usual Presidential threat.
The Congressman are not especially pe-
stirring themselves on account OF IL,
altho the extra session is the one thing
a Congressman breads. 1t means eH-
ira expense for living in Washington
and greater demands upon his time.
Congress does not seem to mind when
the President speaks out sharply. The
Senators and Representatives whom
he tells to get busy" simply go along
about their affairs as tho nothing had
happened. They promise to bear TINS
measure in mind and that measure IN
mind, but that is all there comes OF
their promises.
The President Gets Emphatic.
The President gets mighty emphatic
occasionally. He has special EngIlsh
expressions, which Uncle joe can
non particularly appreciates; for Uncle
Joe'' speaks the same language on oc-
casion and talks to his boys" of the
House as vividly as the President is
disposed to talk to his boys" of both
legislative branches. Men are wonder
ing, however, whether one of these
DAYS the President may not do some
thing else than talk. If he could gel
behind him q militant sentiment thru
ont the country the memories of Sena'
tors and Representatives would be iong
er. They would keep on their mind!
the things he talks to them about. 9th
er matters would not be so absorbing
There would be an abundance OF op
portunity to execute the commission!
the President entrusts to them.
But the militant sentiment appear
to be absent. The country may b.
with the President on many of his un
dertakings, but the country is no
sufficiently wrought up over the situa
ton to sit down and write telcgram
and letters to Washington. That make
a big difference. A dozen letters II
the morning mail from a Congressiona
district, all bearing down upon on
public question, which Congress is sup
posed to he wrestling with, makes
Representative of the people pause.
NAV alter his point of view absolutely
Such letters used to come rolling in. an
they kept Congressional individuals i
a constant state of mind
Just why so many people are unwiil
ing TO spend the price of a postag
stamp to write down to Washingto
and let the men who run things kno'
about IT, is not explained. The posta
receipts seem to be picking up, bu
this is not due to increased letter writ
ing in the particular line referred Il
Of course. the question comes up, "Ho'
IS the President going to make Cor
gress take notice." which is the ques
tion that has loomed large before man
"a President Out of a feeling OF 10y
atty. the old regulars will probably d
something for him before the gaYel
fall on final adjournment, but il is no
likely to be nearly as much as tn