The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-03-06
THE SPECTACLE OF CONGRESS.
(From the New Republic.)

trymen speak Of the national legislature with i'm
patience and contempt would do well to consider
carefully the existing justification for such at
! titude. Never in the long and crowded annals Of
| congressional ineptitude have they more completely
betrayed their own inability to deal adequately with
| great crisis and great opportunity than during
the past two weeks. At moment when the
country needed and craved either confirmation Of
its increasing resolution to intervene the war for
| the purpose of keeping open its communications
with Europe, or at least enlightenment as to
an honorable and effective alternative policy, the
leaders in congress have confined themselves to
confusing counsel and to weakening resolution.
The two houses of the national legislature have
done nothing to make themselves useful to the
country In its hour OF need and when in the course
OF time 1t becomes possible to settle accounts with
existing institutions American public opinion will
remember the failure and ask congress to settle tho
| account
The debate which preceded the endorsement of the
administration lacking in intellectual candor
and substance, In moral elevation and in rud-
mentary knowledge Of the bearings of the subma-
rine issue and of the relation thereto of Americas
world policy. And the passage of the resolution
was followed in both houses by a course of almost
incredible futty in legislative behav ior Instead
OF clearing for action and concentrating attention
upon preparation to meet the emergency congress-
allowed itself to remain immersed in the pcttest of
legislative detail
legislature which behaves in this way has lost
all apihty to distinguish between what is important
ana what is nnimportant. 1t is worse than cup-
able 1t is innocently but utterly incapable 1t is
bankrupt without admitting its own defalcation II
Keeps on paying out deprecated paper without
realizing that its issues cannot be converted into
sound currency
satisfactory explanation Of this congressional
''''s ~ Tree ltseit on a great occasion from the
cheap frivolity of it's regular practices wond in
'o'e treatise on the structure the national gov
eminent and on the history Of party politics, The
explanation turns, however in general on tho co,
sequences OF the attempt made by the trainers of
the constitution to separate the executive FROM, tho
legislature ana to provide each of them with dif
.'ei' ana mutually exclusive spheres of action
luz separation was unnatural and resulted in MANY
eAtfa-cohstltutional attempts to do away with it's
,''o''>en'ehees Our party system has for in
stance been very much influenced by the necessit,
OF providing for harmonious CO. orcr,,io, ,..a
congress and the presidency. Under tho covar of
tie party system and for the ostensible purpose Of
'N.'e'shs needed control over the executive con-
gress has steadily appropriated executive functions
"''' a' 'he present time the most serious practical
obstacle to the Improvement in the admins,r+,o
''c'ehcE OF American government is the inflexible
determination of congress itself to decide oucs+;o,s
Vi administrative detail 1t has allowed itself tn bo
''"elseo III u1Viallties during the past two weeks
''"se 'rN'ahtes transacted in committees have
become the very breath of its nostrls It lives
upon petty appointments and appropriations which
afect individuals and interests dominant in tho ,cy
'S'a'ors district but which rrevclant to large
questions of legislative policy The legislator hin,
sen IS unable to give consecutive disintcrestcd
a''e'''oh 10 questions of legislative policy precisely
because SO much of his time is necessarily deyoted
" distributing among his personal and party asso-
no fr,it, %l,;..
nent on the business of administration
congress, however, is paying dearly for its us,lr-
patton VI late years the presidency has been as
Stunning a general direction of Legislative no,icv
"hch the trainers of the Constitution hardly con-
'''patea Inc legislative incptitude of congress
created IA need of leadership in legislation which
'ne executive was driven to satisfy and against
"hch congress revots whenever it can but rcvolts
IN vain. Initiative in legislation and in all oucs-
tons of general policy has passed to the presidency
ana inns initiative is more complete and more au-
'hor'au'c concerning questions Of foreign than
concerning questions of domestic policy. The
president represents the nation in its dealing with
other countries. Congress finds it extremely diff
cult to resist any policy in relation to foreign or
la'Fs which is proposed by the executive; and in
fixing the responsibility for the recent failure of
congress TO rise to its opportunities and RESPONSE
hilitics this partial disability must be taken into
account Nevertheless the ultimate disability of
congress cannot be traced to any necessary sub
scrvicncy to the presidency 1t IL disabled ne n
consequence of its aggression on the executive
power and OF it's inability to recognize it's own or
rors 1t has cheapencd its functions by it's man
her OF exercising them. 1t attracts to its service
second rate men because 1t affords no sufficient on
portunty for first rate display their abili
ties 1t will never recover its dignity and COM
fetcnce as deliberate representative body with
control over the legislative policy of the country
uh''l 1t abandons its attempt to participate in ad-
mihstration In actual practice the attempt brings
with it congress composed of purveyors of ma
trohase and pork who naturally are unable to un-
derstand any aspect Of the submarine issue exccpt
| its immediate Inconvenience and danger who cannot
support the president without subservience and who
| cannot oppose him without factious Ignorance
| A man in Butte fell from the third story Of
l mousse and suffered only sprained ankle.