The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-12-08
DEMOCRATIC INCAPAC1TY.

II the Democrats oan pass one i'm
portant bill in eight months, how long
will it take them to pass the important
measures to which they are pledged IN
their platforms The special session of
congress began on April l, and Presi'
dent Wilson assigned to it only two
tasks; the adoption Of tariff law and
of currency law.
Although the tariff changes had been
agitated for about four years and the
chief schedules, such "a cotton and
wool, sugar, lead, steel and iron, and
agricultural i'm mploments were constantly
under discussion, tho Democrats found
themselves unprepared to act promptly.
Indeed, during tho last four years pre-
ceding the election of President Will
son. congress had given vast
part of its time to the tariff question
The Democrats pretended that they
knew just what they wanted 30 do with
reference 10 the leading schedules, and
yet they were unable to get the tariff
law ont OF the way in time to pass the
money bill at the extra session. They
arc still wrangling about the currency
bills provisions now that the regular
session is in progress, and are com
PEELED to work fourteen hours day Ill
order to make any headway Mt all.
This is an admission Of wocful inca
pacity. There seems TO be q lack Of
constructive power among the Demo
cratic senators and representatives. To
sone extent this is due TO inexpericnce.
Every landslide necessarily sends to
congress large number Of men un-
skilled in the congressional system.
But evon with the aid OF the party
leaders who have been kept in practice
for many years, the Democratic CON
gross is proving itself clumsy, lum-
bering machine, The most conspicuous
blunder in the Democratic tariff bill
was committed by none other than Rep"
resentative Underwood, who is vet
eran in the house of representatives,
and who now seeks to be made a soma
tor. The blunder was so inourable that
the department of justice was compelled
to eliminate the entire provision in re-
gard to admitting foreign goods i'm
ported in American vessels at lower
tariff rates.
Much uncertainty still exists with
reference to the currency bill. The re-
suit is a disturbed condition of bust
ness that is retarding the country s
prosperity. And now comes Joseph
w. Davies, commissioner of corpora
tions, announcing that he must have
two years in which to get scientific in
formation about the trusts. During
that period the business men Of the
country must continue to grope in the
dark. They expected that the Demo
cratic administration would pass some
laws to regulate the trusts. They still
believe that such laws are to be
adopted. They had hoped, however,
that the legislation would be made eff
fective as quickly as possible, so that
the cloud of uncertainty would be re-
moved and so that they could adjust
themselves, for better or for worse, to
the new conditions. IF the commits
sioner of corporations is to have his
way, however, the commercial interests
OF the country must wait for at least
tI
can educate itself in matters about
which ii feigned to know practically
everything,
Judging by the uproar Of the Demo
Gratis for eighteen years and more, by
their rcsoundjng declarations of princi"
pies, by their harangues on the
stump and in congress, by their books
and other writings, the public was thor
oughly convinced that however mis-
taken the Democrats might be in their
devices to regulate or to smash the
trusts, they at least knew what they
wanted and would speedily crystalline
their theories into law when once they
were placed in power. Now we find
them laundering about in a hopeless
fashion on the trust question, and here
again is proof of the historic charge
made against the Democratic party that
il is a party of protest and Is wanting
in constructive capacity capacity
which enabled the Republican party to
govern with success and with very few
crucial mistakes nation whose power
and prosperity under Republican admin
istration has eclipsed all records set by
nations in this or any other age.