Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-01-21
Democracy Disg,runtled
With President and
Public Business at
A Standstill
The speech Wide Open to At
tack and Easy Disproval of
Many Claims Made-But the
Spectacle of the President in
4 Stump Speech Hurts Worst
Of All

WASHINGTON. Il. {. Jan. 90 tSpeciaD.
i. has been a bad week for Democ-
racy 81: " ashington. With President
WILSON Indianapolis speech as d text,
Republicans IN the Senate and House
have hean raising Cain. Congress has
done .8r7ually nothing IN recent days.
Business has been at q StandstiIl. There
has ben fhhusterine il both branches.
EepUtU"nus have insisted upon time
ta' DISCUSSING the Presidents re-
D.srkanl utterancas at the Jackson
lay celebration, Possibly the end is
hot yct Tho investigators are at work
upon various parts Of the President 5
add S. F,1e rv little while they are
discovering something.
Fo example there was the Pres
dents statement that the tariff board
idea was pat into the Federal Trade
Commission law 10y Democrats pur-
pjsei, tie cid Republicans up to rid
pll tof not knowing there was al
ready d taTit board authorized by
law AMI they ought 10 have been
aware of i instead Of starting an
agitation for tariff board. A little
study 81 the Congressional Record
disclosed tina; Representative Fred c.
stevens # Minnesota. member Of
ne Interstate Commerce Commission.
vas author Of the amendment. which
M PRESIDENT CONSTITUTES as sufficlng
ior tarlf board.
Minority Leader Mann made
SPEECH I the House the other day
porting out in caustic language all
'hess faers- He denied that the Pres
lGeRl had "sneaked something" over
M them He said everybody knew
ABOUT the amendment. The fact is.
however. that the Republicans. were
A's aware the language they We're
0'aWin2 ana voting for. enabling the
4FIa-tmert Of Commerce through this
lfat'e Commission, TO conduct in
t4lrifs about the cost Of products
heft ana abroad in connection with
m'hep"lies. could be turned sQuarely
" account IN tariff inquiries: would
'Haeed, be lust what q tariff board
would have 70 Go.
out that was only one thing. The
H0uSe mas had Republican speeches
Al o"nlnCIation Of the Presidents
ponlcal utterances az indianapolis
"ao 50 has the Senate. There il was
Tor bocah Of Idaho. who led off
49,. - tremendous eXcoriation of the
"A!le House occupant. He took ex-
pPuon L. the Presidents effort to
lagoon the Senate into enacting spe-
-'~' legislation at this short session.
"Den all the time ought to be devoted
" appropriation bills. Senator Borah,
enough now q Republican, voted for
~ van IN 1896 and accordingly his
s''"elsm Of Democracy at this time
70 ms especially significant. He said the
. 'eSiaent had taken the Senate to
s4sA Tor flhpustering on bills that had
oeen reported from committee.
democrats have made some attempts
~ uelend the President but they have
s4o~h little heart in it. There is not
.a' democratic enthusiasm in the Sem
~ Tor President Wilson that there
d 1se0 10 be. Els supporters there I'M
eis'and that his Indianapolis speech
~ - Vulnerable and are not quite sure
:. they can we'll say about it. One
:. 2e principal objections launched
= ose'hst II was the strong political flaw
Vi me effort. There is a tradition
Aeons'nued on Page -column 3