The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1918-10-18
A CLEARLY DEFINED ISSUE

washington, OcC. lO.-(opecldl COZ
respondence)-A clearly defined issue
has been presented in the Senate be
tween the advocates of democracy OF
the one hand, and the worshippers o.
autocracy on the other. The Republi
cans have aligned themselves solidly
behind the Weeks Resolution which
proposes joint Congressional Com
mittee on Reconstruction, to be com
posed of an equal number of Republi
cans and Democrats, to study after
war problems. Senator Overman, or
behalf of the Democrats, has introduc.
ed bill to be offered as counter t.
the Weeks Resolution, proposing @
Commission on Reconstruction, to be
composed of men appointed by the
President. In view of the manner in
which the President has made up his
commissions in the past, this would
mean a commission under the domina-
ton of Wilson, cog in the wheel of
autocracy.
The Weeks Resolution would pre-
vent partisanship, for the two parties
would have equal representation. 1t
would place the responsibility for the
work upon Congress, which, under the
constitution, must be responsible for
the reconstruction legislation. 1t
would give Congress first-hand infor-
nation, gathered under it's own direc-
ton, supplied promptly and without
prejudice. There could be no bias,
with both parties equally represent
ed, and with the entire Congress in
control of the work of the Committee.
The Overman bill is entirely differ
ent in it's purpose and would be differ
ent in its results. 1t proposes that
the President shall direct the COLA
ton Of data upon which Congress shall
enact reconstruction measures. 1t
would give the President power to de-
termine what lines of investigation
and study shall be pursued, what in
formation, after it has been gathered,
shall be submitted to Congress, what
men shall be employed to gather the
information, what prejudices shall
exert an influence, and what bias shall
be manifest in the final results. We
have seen something Of that hereto
fore, in the socialistic tendencies OF
may of his appointees.
The issue is clearly drawn in Con-
gress between those who believe in
the ability of Congress to gather its
own information and those who be-
lieve that Congress must get down
on its knees and crawl to the White
House every time it contemplates i'm
portant legislation. The Weeks Res
olution represents the outstanding,
self-asserting, independent minded
The Overman bill rep
resents groveling, weakened, self;
abasing, humiliating attitude OF the
autocracy worshipper. j.
The Senate will take it's choice, and
it will be judged by the country ac7
cording to its own estimate of its ca
paeity, as legislative lbodyids3 noni
J The death, Of, Bishop Charles cWa ftrr5t
ref' Currier, Of the Cuban diocese, is
a particularly distinct loss to the
country at this time because OF the
plans which we entertain for closer
intimacy with the Latin American re-
publics. Bishop Currier was one OF
our best interpreters Of the Latin
American mind. His familiarity with
the Spanish literature of the Western
Hemisphere was remarkable and his
portrayal of life and conditions from
the Rio Grande to southernmost Ar
gentina was an education to any audi
ence. In the course of lifetime all
too brief his earnest cooperation with
such men as John Hay, President Taft,
Elihu Root, and John Barrett, helped
much to smooth out difficulties with
some of our neighboring republics, and
to promote better understanding, an
entente cordiale, between Uncle Sam
and those hot-headed, though warm
hearted, peoples. When, at the in
stance of that very able journalist,
the late William Eleroy Curtis, Secre-
tary of State, James G. Blaine founded
the Bureau of American Republics
(now the Pan-American Union con-
Quoted by Hon. John Barrett) Bishop
Currier offered many suggestions OF
value in determining the friendly Of
fees which that bureau sought to
effect, and he was prominently identi-
fed with the bureau up to the day |
IF his death. Bishop Currier was
great credit to the Church and to the
State.