The Washington times., 1913-03-03
THE REPUTATION OF JoHNsONIsM.

Congress has now formally, fatty and completed
repudiated Ben Johnson chairman of the House D
trict Committee, and the Johnson policy of neglec
| ing Washington.
Going out of its way, taking the trouble to deyot
vast deal of time in the hurried closing days of tn
session to District matters and finally voting into tn
law the series of important measures for which tn
! Capital City has been begging for many month
Congress has proved that Washington is safe enoug
in its hands, But it has had to fight for the privi
ege of doing its own duty, and of undoing the rui
that Johnsonism has been determined to inflict
The votes that have made law of the publ
utilities bill, the excise act, the antimerger measure
and various other provisions that Johnson nsisentl
opposed constitute direct and unmistakable slap
the face of the chairman of the District Committee
He has been louted, rebuked, and brushed aside
His dogn-the-manger attitude has brought discred
and confusion upon him.
What will the Ways and Means Committee no,
do about it?
For many months this newspaper has been urgin
that the continuance of Johnson as chairman of tn
District Committee was an impossible proceeding
Certainly it is now a manifest impossibility He ha
been given an overwhelming vote of lack OF con
fdence In any form of responsible government h
would be forced out of his position He has beef
proved an obstacle to business, misrepresentation
of. the Houses judgment, parliamentary nuisance
Is it not up to the Ways and Means COMMITTEES, wher
i! makes the next assignment Of committee positions
to remove him from the headship of the particular
committe for which he has proved himself utterly un
fitted?
Continuance of Mr.. Johnson as chairman OF ths
District Committee means the absolute assurance 81
repetition, in every session so long as he remain:
there of the performance that has been seen thi:
winter. 1t is not to be expected that the events o.
the last few days will be lesson to be needed
Rather, they will be further inspiration to an attitude
of unthinkng hostility and relentless stubbornness
Washington needed public utilities law, and the
Senate passed an excellent bill for one. The John
son committee would not consider it. The House was
compelled in order to circmvent Johnson, to attach
the Senate measure to the District appropriation
measure. 1t did so, and the House accepted it, add
ing its own rebuke to the Senates condemnation oi
JohnsdaS do-nothing policy.
As 10 the excise measure, the same thing was
true. There was no uncertainty about the grave
necessity for reform in this department of admins
tration. The Senate long ago passed the necessary
bill, but the Johnson committee would have none oi
it, Whenever there was threat Of quorum, enough
people deserted to make consideration impossible
Again the LEGISLATION WAS HlCneQ 10 uc DlSulCt up
preparation BILL and again the House tortuously
worked itself out of the difficulties and complications
Of the situation and gave its approval to hs measure
: There is no possible conclusion except that the
House District Committee needs new chairman,
and that it needs some other changes in its personnel
Congress cannot afford to give its precious hours in
the last end of the session. to doing the work that
competent committee should have done for it.. Con-
gress cannot give the time to undoing the damage
that an incompetent committee inHcts
1t is beyond reason that the responsible managers
of the House will assume the responsibility for an
otf er term of Johnsonism in this committee. For the
is theirs. The thing has come too near
to being scandal it has been too entirely justi-
fcatioH of charges that Democrats are incompetent
to manage big affairs. ...,'e -.
In the last analysis, of course, this is up to the
Ways and Means Committee; and that seems to mean,
to Mr. Oscar Underwood. Mr.. Underwood can hardly
have been deaf to mutterngs of suspicion that he is
out of harmony with the incoming Administration
1t is quite impossible that he does not know that he
and his Ways and Means Committee constitute the
one reliance of toryism in the contest just ahead for
control of Democratic policies and legislation. If
that committee shall continue Ben Johnson as head
of the District Committee, and shall leave the per-
sonnel of the committee substantially as now it will
Justify every charge that it is prepared to fight the
sentiment of Congress and the new
Administration
PARLIAMENT WILL NOT TRY TO
COERCE AN EDITOR.