Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1914-03-10
SENATOR LEE CORRECTS
A WRONG IMPRESSION
Says President Wilson is Not In
duly influencing Congress.
DEBATE ON POSTOFFICE BILL.
Claims Details Of Csrrisgs is More
Safely Iusrufled To Executive
That Legislative Action.


the President is unduly influencing
/ Congress.
Senator Bristow had reflected upon
some parcels post rates in Maryland
and called upon Senator Lee to say
what he thought about them. This
gave the Senator from Maryland q
chance 90 expose little by-play that
had taken place on a previous day
/ between three Seniors, continuing
this somewhat hackneyed effort 20
impress the public mind with the ag-
gressiveness Of the administration.
The amendments offered to the
postoffice bill were designed TO take
away from the Postmaster-Genersl
executive power given him by pre-
vious Act of Congress over the Parcels
Post. The shoe was clearly ON the
other foot, but the effort 10 suggest
Executive entertainment on Congress
went on oil the same. The situation
il shown in the following extract
from the debate
/ wish 70 ask the Senator from
| Maryland 1 see he is here now if he
believes that is a just system of rate
making, 10 permit citizen of Phil
adelphiR TO land goods in the suburbs
OF Baltimore for one.fourth the
amount Of expense that is imposed
upon the Baltimore citizenl Now we
come to the State OF Mississippi. l
have been pleased TO see the Senators
from Mississippi present this after
noon.
Mr.. Lee, Of daryland. Mr.. Presi-
dent
The Presiding 0ficer-Does the
Senator from Kansas yield TO the Sem
ator from Maryland1
MIR. Bristow / yield to the Senator.
Mr.. Lee, of Maryland am not
familiar with the rates, and certain.
~ would not say off-hand, upon mere
prima facie appt arhnce Of inequlity,
that the whole system was badly adj
iusted or that the whole system was
inequitable. There is certainly moth
ing in the in iividual 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 a further remark, with the
permission Of the Senator from Kan
sas--
Mr.. Bristow- Yes.
Mr.. Lee, of Maryland was very
much interested yesterday in listen
ing to the invocation Of the spirit of
George Washington by the Senator
from FloriC (Mr. Bryan with which
the Senator from Iowa and the Sem
ator from Utah seemed to sympa-
thize. There was a sort of passage
of sympathy and understanding be-
tween the Senators. There was
disapproval in the atmosphere Of the
aggressiveness OF the executive de-
partment in encrosehing think
that was the word quoted from the
Farewell Address of the Father of
his country upon the prerogatives,
SC TO speak, OF Congress.
Mr.. Bristnw Mr.. President, if
the Senator will pardon me, If he will
reply to the Senator from Florida in
his own time, and just devote himself
to this particular question, ! shall
be obliged, as | wish 10 get through.
Mr.. Lee, Of Maryland was go
Jog to bring the matter down TO the
remarks Of the Senator from Kansas
in just q moment gathered from
the remarks Of the Senator from
Kansas, so far as have had the
pleasure OF listening to him, that. far
from any encroacbment by the exec
utive upon the Legislative. there is a
proposition on foot 20 take away
from the executive certain powers
with which he has been previously
vested. The encroachments seems
70 come from the Capitol, and not
from the Postoifice Department. The
spirit Of George Washington seems
TO have been invoked too soon If
he is coming here to reprove anybody,
he must come here TO reprove the leg
islative branch Of our Government.
| think the Senator from Kansas
has dealt with this matter with won
deriul vigor and with great inter-
est, but have not gathered from
what he said any conception of this
matter except that It is clearly an ex-
cutive business matter; and yet
think he describes it as being some
what IA the hands Of q legislative
committee, and understand he pro-
poses very clearly to change the law,
to take this plain executive function
away from the Postmaster-General
and restore it to legislative COM
mittee.
Mr.. Bristow-- If the Senator will
pardon me q moment, does the Sens-
tor think the fixing OF postage rates
is an executive functioni
Mr.. Lee, Of Maryland should
think that so complicated a system,
involving so many details and in
volving possible competition with
other systems of carriage, is clearly
matter that can be more safely in
trusted to executive action than TO
legislative deliberation. Further
more, ! do not think the action Of the
executive in this matter should be
subjected to the regulation of Con-
gress, and possibly that of the Inter
state Commerce Commission as well,
when the compe ting carriers appar-
emily are only subjected to the regu-
lation Of the Interstate Commerce
Commission.
10 FORM CURRANT EVENTS CLUB