Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-11-06
Puts Congress
in POUer Again
Continued from Page One

| Continued from Page One
| time of reconstruction, especially with
Congress Republican and determined to
reassert its authorit? as n coordinate
branch of the Government.
struggles To Come
| For the election of Republican Con-
gress will purely mean struggle with
the President for return TO Consti-
tutional methods.
This Government is likely no longer
to consist of an executive and a legis-
lature which merely records its will.
The process OF subordinating Congress
to the President has been going on
for a long time and has reached its
! climax.
Naturally enough during the war
| Congress has been merely an appropri-
ating body and a legislative perfecting
| body. Laws have originated in the
executive departments and been sent to
| Congress to be passed substantially as
drawn. Congress occupied itself with i'm
| proving phraseology, that was all.
Restores Constitution
It is difficult to say exactly what was
In the peoples mind in rejecting Mr.. Will
sons plea for Democratic Congress,
but one thing that must have been there
was a determination to restore the Cow
ernment to its constitutional form. what
the country was threatened with was
the complete subordination of the legis-
lative to the executive even in peace
| To-,
ben accomplished under color of the
necessities Of reconstruction especially
the necessity Of cooperating with for
elgn powers in the league of nations for
the reconstruction Of Europe. and once
the subordnation of Congress had been
completely effected in peace times, II
would have been difficult. to restore the
legislative branch to it's constitutional
ity. The tendency in this country APP
peared to he exactly the opposite of the
tendency abroad.
! While the Re'chstag and other assem-
blles were gaining power. Congress was
threatened with the complete loss of its
power: while the executive was weaken
ing abroad the executive was growing
stronger here. The vote Of yesterday
checks this development.
I This one significance of the election OF
TIE DOSlllNt Slut, anu there NOulu hlDcNl
to he rejection by the country of radi.
'calism
Voices Note Of Caution
There is note Of extreme caution in
yesterdays vote. 1t is the nations first
reaction TO Mr. Wilson's policy toward
organized labor and toward industry
When the food of ideas let loose abroad
bv peace has spread over the world. the
situation may change one way or the
other, but just now this nation is con.
serNative. II has not followed Mr. Will
son IL has reacted from him
The election came at AN unfortunate
time for the President, the country was
thrown into mental confusion by thu
sudden appearance of peace as proba.
bility. IL could not quickly reverse its
war psychology
The effect of yesterday's verdict will
probably he to lessen the likelihood o
the Presidents being candidate L
succeed himself.
Washington has for some time ac
cepted the view that the President woult
inevitably seek third term. but work
ing for two years with hostile Congress
will mitigate the Presidents ambition
Public life will lose some OF its attrac
tions The future will not look as biI
or as interesting to him as the past
during which. for nearly two years, h
largely shaped the destiny Of the world
on the other hand, the lesson OF III
vote is that the President is probabl,
much stronger thap his party and tina
, his strength Is one which cannot be de
livered to some one else, not even to hi
son-in-law. This may cause his part
: TO draft him for, another candidacy.
A Republican Senate will hardly rais
any difficulty over the peace treaties
The issue of settling the war is TOO vas
and complicated for any one to be VIII
ing to undo the work by the peace con
ference. once that work has been com
1. nlata