The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1916-09-12
Editorial Comment
on Current Subjects
sIxTY.FouRTH CONGRESS: FIRST
SESSION..
Philadelphia Public Ledger.

Philadelphia Public Ledger.
Only those who are blinded by par
tisanship will deny that the session
Of Congress which terminated yester'
day made a noteworthy record Of leg.
islative achievement and succeeded in
entering upon the Federal statute
books body Of laws which for good
or for Iii are destined to mark an epoch
in American history. Possessing con.
troll Of the entire machinery OF legis.
lation and guided by leader with a
determination to fulfill his pledges and
force action from the not always will.
ing members Of his party, the Demo.
Gratis can point to the work Of the ses.
sion with a degree of pride which
from their own point Of view is fully
justified. How far they are entitled
to the credit they are claiming for
themselves and how far their work is
going to receive the sanction and jus.
LITIGATION OF actual test and expert.
ence are different stories.
Many Of the more important laws
which are to be credited to the late
session are the fruit of agitation GOV.
ering long period Of years, and in
more than one significant case the
initiative belongs not to the party
which finally carried them into &C.
ton but to its opponents. Moreover
there are other items of legislation
upon which party lines were not drawn
and which could not have been car.
ri TN,
Of members on both sides. This is a
view Of the situation which must al.
ways be kept in mind during the COM
ing weeks when the records Of the ses.
sion are SGT forth on the stump as re-
bounding solely to the glory of the
majority in Congress.
Another important point to empha.
size in this connection Is that the last
word in legislation is not spoken
when bill receives the signatures of
the presiding officers of Senate and
House and the sanction of the Execu-
tive. The verdict of the people has
yet to be taken. and that decision will
depend In large measure upon the de.
cree to which the laws fulfill expecta.
tons and meet the needs of the hour.
There are undoubtedly among the long
roll Of laws passed at the late session
many which will continue to be the
subject Of violent controversy; many
in the judgment of thoughtful and ex.
perienced statesmen will fail Of their
object and do more harm than good
the railway wage bill, for example.
There are, moreover, enactments
which represent not the settled judg.
ment Of the Democratic party, but
stand for mere political expediency.
And there are serious omissions. The
student of history will look in vain
for that economy in expenditures
which was pledged in 1912, and the
provisions for military and naval pre-.
paredness were made unwillingly and
only under the pressure Of a public
opinion which the dominant power in
Congress dared not disregard. More.
over, many vicious proposals failed
under public criticism; the shipping
bill was shorn Of some Of its worst
provisions and the country was saved
from premature commitment to a
policy Of scuttle In the Philippines.
the Tariff legislation Of the present
Congress was q direct reversal of
Democratic policy, surrender Of prin-
ciple under the logic Of necessity for
which Democrats cannot take credit.
Nevertheless the work Of the session
will rank with that of the most i'm
portant and significant Of recent years
Of constructive legislation, and 1t must
OF necessity be one of the issues that
will affect the result in November.