Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-01-07
!. UP IN The AIR.
Continued from Page one).

tions. In sending for senators and
representatives of his party at Wash
ington, he has been asking questions
as to how certain things, required in
fulfillment of pledges, should be done.
Gov. Wilson has not proceeded very
far with this inquiry but sufficiently
far to ascertain how little crystalized
sentiment there is among the Demo-
Gratis of Senate ana House about
practical ways of carrying out the re-
forms to which the party is COM
mitted. There are numerous good
students of public questions among
the Democrats in Congress- AS
matter of fact the party is fairly well
off in that regard. But few of these
students have come to any common
conclusions. let alone the matter of
enlightening and convincing their
colleagues. But when all that has
been done, it has been demonstrated
again and again in national legisla-
ton that there must be extensive dis
cussion in the general prints and con-
siderable understanding among the
millions of the electorate as to what is
being accomplished, before there is
sufficient support in Congress to get
bill through and up to the President.
All this, as any wayfarer can COM
prehend. is not a matter of few days
or even of II few weeks. And Gov Will
son is doing well to inaugurate the
process which has not yet permeated,
except with reference to tariff revis-
ion, to more than a handful of Demo-
Gratis in either branch of Congress-
Probably. after Mr.. Wilson enters the
White House, he will have to become
the legislative leader of his party, in
a sense. He must apparently take up
the Baltimore platform, pledge by
pledge. go into conference with the
Congressional leaders about it, en-
courage the drafting of bills, invite
general criticism and go through some
thing OF a campaign of popular educa7.
ton before the work can be matured.
- Accordingly the extra session Of Con
gress can be no play affair for the
Democratic party. There is full realiza-
ton among its members of how much
is at stake politically, how the codn
try may approve very generously and
lastingly, if the work is at least fairly
well done, and how the country will
condemn vigorously and definitely il
the job is botehed. The status, how
ever, suggests the opportunities that
are knocking at the doors of Demo-
cratic lawmakers to augment their
careers.
Just for the moment Representative
Carter Glass Of Virginia. appears TO
have the inside opportunity for lead
ing the way to a new banking law. As
a member of Congress for more than a
dozen years. he has not been promi-
nently known. If he can rise TO the
occasion he will write his name in the
| legislative annals of this particular
Democratic epoch as a man ranking
well up with Representative Under
wood of ALBANIA. Perhaps the out
come Of his delibera tons will be a
committee bill, that will command sup
port. Even so. there is splendid room
for Mir. Glass as committee chairman
to perform n remarkableaand notable
service and to loom prominently. If he
fails, maybe some Democrat on the
committee will seize the opportunity.
Maybe the whole Democratic member
ship will fail. Certainly none of these
partisans now have any very concrete
opinions to advance to aid President
elect Wilson.
IT is exactly the same way about the
proposed control of trusts. Democrats
are certainly all at sea as to what
should be the specific. Representative
Henry d. Clayton of Alabama, is the
Democrat who may write his name
large in that connection. He occh-
pies the strategical position. His
House Committee on judiciary &c grid
ing itself for a wrestle with the prop
ositon. The opportunity is attractive
for INN or some other student to bring
forth the right solution. At present
neither the man nor the solution is
apparent. Gov. Wilson, it might be
empha sized. needs the assistance of
such helpers and they do not seem to
be at hand. That fact constitutes a
Democratic predicament.