Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-03-21
0EM0CRATS
DON'T KNOW
RIGHT PLACE
TO ''CRAB IN
Men at Helm, Lacking
Experience, Are Over
vhelmed by Magni-
tude of Events
Fortunate for Country That Re-
uublicans Are Granting Cor
dial Assistance - Democratic
Methods in Seeking reelection

Washington, d. c.. March 20
.SnaciaD. After al unprecedented
,rourt Of threshing around this tenn
rsstu1u. cid Democratic Congress is
having s.-n.i of getting down to bust
,.s: De.aIs have become most an
~.,irg. Republicans. of course, cannot
,,su lcln themselves The Democrats
Java focu 4Tlcudidly united on one
.aIne. That is 10 take plenty Of time
r. goine whatever is to be done and
fghtin. over II To- Il fare you well.
nut point by point. the majority
.,r.r * coming around to a realiZa-
...c If tie threatening status. Febru-
,r, has gone, March is dying and the
.rr.ng with All lis enervatinS tenden-
in such a climate as Washington
u. * coming ny leaps and bounds.
~ WashinGton winter. which is the
4s.. season Of the year for prolonged
.rt fruitful effort has gone and. out
r4r,l}y. nothing hardly worth the men,
.,a, has been done by Congress. Per-
sars the country does not care, for
no folks back home may be too busy
arh their own troubles to pay much
...ention anyway to aught except re-
.,l,s h,jt one of these days the coun-
,ry will he inquiring about Democratic
stewardship.
Industry in Committees
M coursc. something has been done
F., the four months since congress as
s.,,hled There has been q certain
.nooi,nt of industry in 40 or 80 working
committees OF Senate ana House.
There is a lot of this industry that gets
=, mention in the daily newspaper
d,spatches. which, nevertheless. is
soaring progress. Not only has the
,agj,ima,e business of a Congress tre-
manlously increased but the ferment
! tbe world and the changing of con-
5tions have precipitated upon the fed
ora, Congress an unusual volume Of
.h.nrs to do.
Now legislation by Congress is out
u the question under our form OF gov
4rpmeut and especially in these excep-
.onsl times. unless the way has been
asu prepared. There must be some
fartainty-speaking of the great meas
rrss If leglslation-about what the
5eople want For public sentiment is
very alert and nobody knows that pei
Ter than the professional politician ana
The men If all political parties WHO
co,ppose Congress. 1t is not safe LOT
the man who wants to sustain hlmsell
in public life to march very FAR IN ao-
vance of his constituents.
Tho President. be he Democrat or
psnuhlicap. usually blaZes the road
He saws what he thinks ought 10 ne
enacted into laws. In these matter-oi-
fast DAYS Congress does not take tie
President altogether on faith. IL may
be. for instance, that the Democratic
House and the Democratic SENATE III
The last event. will do about Wnat
their President asks them to do. But
he that as ii may. the Senate wants
to inquire for itself and the House
for itself. Or TO proceed more correct
IL. each legislative branch wants 10
hear from it's chosen committee, "hlc"
is established to investigate the mat
ters Of important legislation ana nel-
tier branch is likely to act till many
Witnesses have been heard, till the sit
uaton is searched and ScrutiniZed.
That is what has been going on for
The last four months. Oh there are
lots of things that the Senate might
have done and that the House might
have done Both could we'll have cut
ou, lot of cheap talk and lot OF
;heap antics and lot of cheap rae
tonalism but that is not the human
way certainly not the Democratic way
The floors Of Senate and House are
the show rooms of legislation and the
factories in which these products are
fashioned before being put on display:
are away in the committee rooms.
Republicans are nearly always more
business like and would have taken
Aoid Of the tasks in hand more ex-
peaitously than Democrats have done.
here have been numerous disgusting
spectacles that would hardly have been
win Republican President in the
"h!'e House and a Republican major
4! at the north end and at the south
saa OF the national capital building.
03' there weren't such level headed
"ea on guard; there were Democrats,
""o nave not had long experience and