Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1914-03-20
Senator Lee In Debate.

An incident occurred in the debate on
the Postofice Appropriation Bill in the
Senate illustrating the systematic effort
which is being made to produce the public
impression that the President is unduly
influencing Congress.
Senator Bristow had reflected upon some
parcel post rates in Maryland and called
upon Senator Lee to say what he thought
about them. This gave the Senator from
Maryland a chance to expose little by
play that had taken place on a previous
day between three Senators. continuing
this somewhat hackneyed effort to impress
the public mind with the aggressiveness
OF the administration. The amendments
offered to the Postoffice Bill were designed
TO take away from the Postmaster General
executive power given him by a previous
Act of Congress over the parcel post. The
shoe was clearly on the other foot. but the
effort to suggest Executive encroachment
on Congress went on all the same. The
situation is shown in the following extract
from the debate:
wish to ask the Senator from Mary
land-l see he is here now-if he believes
that is a just system of rate making. to
permit citizen of Philadelphia to land
goods in the suburbs of Baltimore for one
fourth the amount of expense that is i'm
posed upon the Baltimore citizenf
Now we come to the State Of Mississippi.
have been pleased to see the Senators
, from Mississippi present this afternoon.
Mr.. Lee Of Maryland. Mr.. President
The Presiding Officer. Does the Senator
from Kansas yield to the Senator from
MarylandH
Mr.. Bristow. yield to the Senator.
Mr.. Lee Of Maryland. am not familiar
with the rates. and certainly would not
say offhand. upon a mere prima facie ap-
pearance of inequality. that the whole sys-
TEN was badly adjusted or that the whole
system was inequitable. There is GER
tainly nothing in the individual inequality
the Senator points out that should in any
sense justify Congress in taking away from
the Postmaster General the power to alter
the inequality.
II may make further remark. with the
permission of the Senator from Kansas
Mr.. Bristow. Yes.
Mr.. Lee Of Maryland was very much
interested yesterday in listening to the in.
vocation of the spirit of George Washing.
ton by the Senator from Florida (Mr. Bryan)
with which the Senator from Iowa and the
Senator from Utah seemed to sympathize
There was sort Of passage of sympathy and
understanding between the Senators. There
was a disapproval in the atmosphere Of
the aggressiveness Of the executive de-
partment in encroaching- think that was
the word quoted from the Farewell Address
of the Father of his country--upon the
preroeatives. so to speak. OF Congress.
Mr.. Bristow. Mr.. President, II the Sena-
tor will pardon me, II he will reply to the
Senator from Florida in his own time. and
Just devote himself to this particular Ques-
ton, l shall be Obliged, as wish to get
through.
Mr.. Lee OF Maryland. I was going to
bring the matter down to the remarks of
the Senator from Kansas in just one mo-
ment.
gathered from the remarks Of the Sena-
tor from Kansas. SO far as have had the
pleasure Of listening to him, that. far from
any encroachment by the executive upon
the legislative. there is a proposition on
foot to take away from the executive GER
tain powers with which he has been pre-
viously vested. The encroachment seems
10 come from the Capitol. and net from the
Post Office Department. The spirit of
George Washington seems to have been
invoked too soon. II ne Is coming here
70 reprove anybody. he must come here
60 reprOve the legislative branch Of cur
Government
think the Senator from Kansas has