New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-06-14
The Country Has No Use tor Law
makers Who Don't Know
When 10 Quit.

A naive ignorance of Washington TRADITIONS "
manifested in the top pressure at when trcSu.n'
Wilson has kept Congress working since April i','
Those who know Washington know that II from '"'
nolitica point Of view little legislation IS u'i'
..erouS thin. a good deal Of legislation Is mum
more dangerous The Congress which strains 'S'"
ecisIsting on all the subjects mentioned IN PA
platform digs its own grave. The more " W.. 40
the moro voters il aieuateS, and It's
LIST Of things accomplished Is generally parAhe'ou
by record breaking casualty list at the next e'e0
ton
The Evening Posts WashinGton's correspondent
points with pride to the thirteen acts OF sene'"'
Importance which this Congress has already pasSeu
and mention. fifteen more acts OF nearly equal
Importance which il is expected TO pass lhu'r
the snap Of the Presidents whip Congress mas h"uc
q downward revision Of the tarh. reformed
the federal banking and curreLcy system repeheu
The tolls exemption clause OF the Panama '"hu'
law and passed militia reorganization ACT ana an
act providing for the construction OF government
owned railway in Alaska II intends to PasS-h
Mr. Wilson's vigilance does not relax-three anu
trust acts containing among other things the OlaS
ton-Gompers gold brick concessions to LABOR I'VE
conservation acts an immigration act an act reSu-
iatinc dealings in cotton futures. an act giving
American citizenship TO the Porto Ricans ana pos
sibly an act extending autonomy in the PmhppiheS
and vaguely promising the FilpinoS independence
II is record TO make Representative or Seha-
tor seeking reelection shudder. The only other
Congress in recent times which can challenge the
S3d's mania for legislation was the DIST, 'Whlch
came into power with the Harrison administra-
ton II broke all records then known. II re-
vised the tariff schedules. passed an admlnistra-
rive tariff act silver purchase and coinage act,
The Sherman antitrust act the dependent pen
sion act an international copyright act, mer-
chant marine postal Subvention act and came
within an ace Of passing the celebrated Lodge
Spooner force bill for the regulation Of elections
in the Southern states. In the House OF Repre-
sentatives the Reed rules were also applied IN
order 10 put an end to old-fashioned hibustering.
II was prodigious record Of activity considering
that the 5lst Congress did not meet until Deem
Der. while the SD Congress met in April
But what was the political result Of all that
expenditure of legislative energy: There were l66
Republicans in the House in the 51st Congress.
When the 52d Congress assembled there were only
oiShty-eight Every other Republican had been
defeated at the polls Ii looks as il the present
Congress is going to bring upon itself a similar
tate The country is tired Of it and Of all its works
The public resents the feverish hurry with when
haf-baked legislation is being rushed upon the
statute books The people want a rest. Even Con
Sress wants 10 go home but Quas before the pierc-
ing eye Of the fierce taskmaster in the White House
There will be a reckoning next November. Then.
unless all signs fail history will repeat itself in
the slaughter of busybody lawmakers who didn't
know enough TO quit when il time 10 quit