The Green Forest tribune., 1910-04-15

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 Shoot 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 it 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.
 It is the house postoffice 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 it 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 multi tude. It is a vexed question, for curi- 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
 | T1~ 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 iniquitous. 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 it be said again, that nothing will be done in the matter at this session and very likely not in this congress.
 Dispute Over Power.
 Iuefe nave been recently, both 1n congress and out of it, sharp ad- verse criticisms of what has been called executive law making" In other words, some of the members of congress and some of the crit ics outside of it are inveighing against the practice of submitting the recommendations 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- ute a bill, has had a somewhat pe- culiar history. In his inaugural ad- dress one year ago last month the president made it 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 Mir. Taft returned to Wash fngton 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 its initial form. It was this bill more than any other which brought about criticism concerning executive law making
 Now, there are always two sides to question, and while congress is res tive because of what it thinks is the encroachment of the executive on the i field of congressional rights, it must be said on the word of the presidents friends, that MT. 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 CTS, and the legislative aeumea 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 answer to congressional criticism of executive law making, as his friends put it, is that he simply wants to give congress good legal groundwork for legislation, and that he will not com plain if changes are made in his recommended measures provided his advice on their constitutionality is ta- ken.
 From the beginning of the republic there always has been more or less complaint of what has been and still is called executive usurpation." When the Democrats were in control of con- prpSS under Mr- ClpNeland,c nG,,ni