New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-09-09
The Record Of Congress.

was long. tedious and laborious.' Con-
Dress made task of its work because ITS
work was laid out for it in large measure
bv a taslmaster. The impulse to legislate
did not come from within. Congress has
lacked leadership to melancholy degree
Its nominal leaders have protested, baked
and sulked, though always yielding event
nallv 70 outside pressure. The two houses
have taken small satisfaction IN the IegiS-
lation they have turned out-unpre-
cedented in its mass-because they have
in the main merely registered decisions
made by others. ~
Where there has been no responsibility
there can be little pride, and the dominant
mood in Congress as the session ended was
one of undisguised relief at the prospect
of temporary escape from an lnglorous
legislative treadmil.
There is a curious mixture of good and
bad in the record made under such unin-
spiring conditions. In the non-partlsan
feld-the field Of social and economic
progress-much admirable legislation has
at last found its way into the statute
books. The passage Of the child labor
law and the Farm Loan Board law mark
the end of long campaigns to stop the
abuses of child peonage, tolerated IN GER
tain states, and to give the farmer
larger economic freedom. The good roads
law is also a step toward the betterment OF
rural conditions and a consequent increase
in national efficiency. If all the work OF
the session had been on this high level,
Congress would not now be dispensing de-
iectedly and in WEAKNESS Of spirit.
The one great duty confronting the two
houses at the session just closed was to
put the country into a condition Of mill
tarv preparedness. But neither house
had the moral courage to seek a solution
Of the problem on its own initiative. Mr..
Wilson'S indeeisions and reyersals on this
subject made Congress mere weather
cock. When the President, after his
abruptly ended preparedness tour Of the
Middle West, broke with Secretary Gar
rison and began to coquet again with the
anti-preparedness group in the House OF
REPRESENTATIVES, that body yielded to tie
sinister guidance Of Mr.. Hay and THE
vitality important army reorganization bill
was grossly bungled.
The Senate was willing to give the coun-
try an acceptable reorganization measure
But pressure from the White House shat
tered its patriotic purpose. The threat
of war with Mexico and the mobilization
for first line purposes Of the state militia
subsequently demonstrated the impractical
bilitv and humbug Of the Hay-Wilson reor-
ganization scheme But the damage had
been done, and cheap political eXpediency
has counselled covering up the blum Ter In
stead of acknowledging and repairing 1t.
The Hay bill was the sort of blundeT
which is more objectionable than crime
The whole work Of army reorganization
will now have 10 be done over again if
the United States is to have military
system even halfway modern and half
way efficient.
Congress did better for the navy, be-
cause it waited longer before legislating
and acted under pressure from the Presi-
dent when he was in the throes Of a pro
preparedness seizure. But it acted with.
out conviction or enthusiasm. 1t knew
that in authorizing adequate new construc-
ton il was merely making virtue of what
at the moment seemed to be political ne
cessity.
The appropriations of the session will
reach more than 81 100000 900 with au-
thorizations, about $4,000 00O,0OO). In
the last year Of the Taft Administration
the appropriations were Sl,019,000,OOO
The country does not begrudge increased
expenditure for national defence. 1t
would rather see too much spent for that
purpose than too little. But the present
Congress has wasted money on projects
inexcusable at time when the demand;
Of national defence are urgent. 1t passed
a scandalous $45,0OO,0OO river and har
Dor act and a worse than useless $780,
900 ship purchase act-the latter much
against It's will and only TO escape the un-
wearying opportunities Of Secretary Nc
Adoo. This was the Administrations
share in the pork barrel" distribution,
Of l9i5-I6-an Offset 20 the $45,000,O0C
largess 70 Congressman in the river anc
harbor grab.
But the darkest stain on the record Of
the session was the shameful capitula
ton at the pistols point 10 the four rail
road brotherhoods. There are few Repre-
sentatives or Senators who do not pri
vately deplore that humliating episode
Congress submitted 70 a hold-up, pure and
simple. Although the President for FORM
sake submitted six or seven suggestions
for legislation, toe two houses enacted only
those Of them in which the brotherhood'
,ysre direnfly Interested and discarded