The Washington herald., 1914-06-29
VANDERBILT CALLS
FOR PROSPERITY
ooNrINUED FRoN PAeE THREE.

business relations cover, with a good des,
OF intimacy, the entire country, and while
i have a rather extraordinary opportu-
nifty for obtaining the views Of men from
every section, the opinions which come
10 me may be highly colored by prejudice;
they may come from a single class, and
they may fail entirely to represent the
true situation. am not unmindful of all
that BUT. believe / have made full allow
ance for such probability in testing the
Information that reaches me, and after
doing that still unhesitatingly say that
q majority Of the people Of this country
are not behind Congress demanding the
enactment Of the further business legisla-
tion now proposed.
As to the statement that a majority of
Congress itself is not favorable to the
passage OF these measures at the present
time, I can say that I have personally
talked with many Of the leaders, includ-
ing the leaders on the administration
side, and they have told me uneduivocally
that a majority OF both Houses would
prefer to give the country a period of
legislative peace and end the present
session without further enactments.
believe there is not a newspaper cor
respondent in Washington. familiar with
the views OF many individual members
OF Congress. who will not verify that
statement
1t has been charged that here is an
EFFORT to manufacture sentiment and IN
turn TO have that sentiment impressed
upon Congress by a chain OF letter
writers. and the endeavor has been
termed a conspiracy. I can tell you that
know Of cases where Democratic Con-
gressmen have written to their constitl-
ents begging them in turn to write to the
President and endeavor to Influence him
TO permit Congress to adjourn this ses-
sion without further legislation affecting
business. do not regard this action On
the part of Congressmen as a conspiracy,
but rather an effort to bring out a trde
reflection Of public opinion.
Let US consider for a moment how these
measures, Of vast import as they are to
the business Of this nation, and, there
fore, to the life of every citizen. whether
business man or not, are being handled
by Congress. There is no well crystaIized
sentiment there as to their form. The
House has passed one measure of the
first order Of importance under a caucus
whip and with closure of debate. openly
expecting the Senate to revise it into rca-
sonable form. Is 1t not probable that
under the pressure OF great desire to end
the session, with hazy ideas OF just what
legislation they wish, and working in a
field of practically untried experiment,
with debate discouraged and legislative
hearing cut short, the finished product
will fail of its purpose?
l will agree with the most progressive
Of politicians that changed times and con-
ditions warrant changed statutes, but
still believe that when these statutes are
Intended to create a fundamentally new
relationship between business and gov
when they are designed to fur
nish novel curbs upon the freedom of
commerce. they should have back OF them
a clear and certain opinion of a majority
Of Congress and OF the citizens OF the
country.
You may say that ask for delay mere-
ly in the hope of gaining avoidance; they
finding proposed measures distasteful and
being powerless to defeat them, naturally