Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1912-08-28
MORE DRAGGING THAN WORK
Congress Lasts Longer and Does
Less Than Ever Before.
NEW RULES CALLED A FARCE
More Than Two Hundred Senate
Bills Not Acted Upon.
BOAST OF ECONOMY FAILS
Only Important Laws Passed Were
Initiated and Passed Through
by the Minority Against
y
Protests.

WASHINGTON, Aug. a.-unorgantsed,
unprogressive ana inactive, were words
used today to describe the work OF the
democratic house by the republican leader.
James r. Mann. In a statement review
ing the accomplishments OF the lower
Chamber of the sixty-second congress. Mr..
Mann character!zes some OF the demo-
cratic majority work as stingy and Silly
and other of Its acts as pure extrava-
gance.
1.-THE boast about economy went by the
board" said the minority leader The
main work In the house on the democratic
side has been constant boasting OF what
they were going to do at the next ses-
sion.
II said last December that this session
would last longer and do less than any
other regular session of recent years.
My forecast proved correct. This session
of congress has enacted laws fewer In
number. and of less Importance than any
session In recent years. The laws passed
are In the main. local In character. The
Panama canal bill Is the one Of great
est Importance and In the main. that
was about prepared by me In prior
| congress.
New Rules Farce.
"The claimed reformation Of the rules
has proven a farce. That the house has
been inefficient Is shown by the fact
that over 200 senate bills which passed
the senate remain unacted on In the
house.
1T is a constant boast that the demo-
Gratis at this session passed law provfd-
ing for publicity Of campaign contrtbu-
tons. Such IL not the fact They only
passed an amendment to the law which
had previously been passed by repub-
lican house. and the princapal part iB ono
relating to primary campaign expenses
that was inserted In the law by the repub-
| iicans against the protest Of the demo-
cratic side. Somewhat similar ID the bill
relating to the eight-hour labor law which
is only an amendment of a prevscus law
and only made slight change in the
provisions of the original act.
Practically all the laws Of any i'm
portance passed at this session were
eiLIeT ulils PrephE6u III u previous CON-
gress and left over for lack OF time TO
consider or else they were bills prepared
by officials In President Taft's admins
tration."
Mr., Mann referred to the public health
laws. the homestead laws, the bill Great
Ing children's bureau and others as
being within that classification.
Parcels Post HilI.
THE democrats were forced 10 agree
to parcels post which only short time
ago they insisted they would not agreed
to- continues the statement. 'sThey are
entitled to no credit for 1t.
Outside Of money expended for the
Panama canal, which cannot be consid-
cred as ordinary expenses, the appropria-
tions tor this session OF congress exceed
those for the last republican session. Not
only is this so. but the democrats have ap-
propriated money In many places where
1t was pure extravagance and where the
money was not needed and have refused
to make appropriations where they are
absolutely essential for the conduct OF
good government"