Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1910-06-29
CANNONS SUMMARY
Distinguished Speaker Praises
The Labor of Congress.
CHARACTER OF WORK COUNTS.
Change of Rules Have Amounted 60
Nothing-6,0OO of $4,000 Bills Con-
sidered-3OO Public Laws Enacted
Postal Savings Bank Bill'a Law
Appropriations Not Near as
Large as Demanded by the People.

Noo
Large as Demanded by the People.
Washington, Special.-Joseph G.
Cannon summarized the work Of Con-
gress in a statement he gave to the
press. The Speaker paid most at
t%ention to the legislative work &C
complished, referring only incidental
ly to the fight which had been made
on the rules of the House. The re-
form Of the rules, he said, had re-
suited in little advantage.
The Speaker declared that the Con-
gress just ended had done more and
better work than any. Congress of
which he had been a member during
his thirty-fve years Of service in the
House. After recounting the legisla-
ton enacted, the Speaker said:
"This work Of legislation has gone
on quietly, but effectively, while
those who view Congress from a dis
lance have been assuming that the
House was doing nothing but chang
ing its rules. The changes of rules
have contributed to the pleasure and
perhaps tie power of some individ-
uals in. the House; but the current
of legislation itself has moved on as
usual with little disturbance on ac-
count Of a few new methods and
with little advantage therefrom.
"I do not think the work o a Con-
gress should be measured by the vol
ume of business but by the character
Of the legislation and the care taken
in its consideration. Measured by
that standard the sixty-frst Congress
will take a. high place in the record
of legislation. There have been, how
ever, more than 5000 of the $1,000
bills considered and reported from
committees and about 300 public laws
enacted in this session, as against 400
public laws for the entire Sixtieth
Congress. / can commend the entire
membership of the House for in
dustry and intelligence in their legisl
lative work of this session."
"This Congress has not only revis-
ed the. tariff, without disturbing bus
mess. but it has enacted important
legislation, amending the interstate
commerce law, making that law more
effective, giving the Interstate Com
merce Commission greater power and
creating a court of commerce and this
without seriously affecting the bust
ness of the railroads or checking
their increase Of wages to their en-
ployes. This seems to me to meet the
definition of craftsmanship in legis-
lation.
The Speaker then detailed other
legislation which had been enacted.
"The appropriations" he said,
"have been lerge but not nearly as
large as demanded by the people who
were agitating over the development
Of various departments of the gov.
eminent.
"The Democrats have talked about
economy but they have helped en-
large every appropriation and there
are bills introduced by Democrats
and not acted upon which would call
for $500, 10000 additional expendi-
ture. So, I take it, their talk of econ
omy is Picbwickian. AS I said in the
beginning, thelwork of this Congress
has been greater than any other with
which I have been identified as a
member and it has been constructive
legislation in the face of destructive
tactics and efforts to create fractional
strife. These efforts, I regret to say,
have received more attention in the
public press than the real work of
legislation and having given so much
space to these revolutionary efforts at
the expense of the record of work. it
is not surprising hat some Of the
editors should suddenly discover in
these last days that the Republican
Congress has enacted laws to carry
out the pledges of the Republican
platform and then jumps at the con-
clusion that this work has been done
in haste before adjournment instead
of being the painstaking effort of sew
en- months by the committees and the
members of Congress-"