The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-10-13
Both Resolutions
May Go Over Until
After Election-Im-
portance of Work
Just Being Realized
by Lawmakers

tres. This congestion was serious prob
lem before the war, but the war has served
to heighten it. The demand for NUM-
tons as well as for other manufactured
articles has tended to draw the population
of the country more and more toward the
cities.
at is unnecessary for me to point out
the dangers that exist in this tendency.
Providing against them may strictly be
considered one of the problems of recon-
,struetion. 1 do not think it proper or even
possible for any commission except Con-
gress itself to decide what shall be done to
relieve the ever increasing congestion in
the large cities of America. Something
must be done and something will be done.
THE question of railroad rates Is init
mately bound up with this one of eonges-
ton. Congressional legislation Will be
required to equalize the freight rates as
well as the present rates to various centres
of population, to the end that there may
not be discrimination in favor of certain
cities which will inevitably lead to their
overdevelopment and consequent eonges-
ton.
Action BY Congress Eventually.
"a commission properly could not have
any authority in such matter 1t will be
necessary for Congress to act sooner or
later and it is much better for Congress
to take the initial action and thus save
time"
Other members of Congress with whom
/ talked pointed out that if the Overman
bill were passed it would surely postpone
indefinitely a decision of the reconstrue-
ton problem. The Presidential commits
sion, as suggested, could have power only
to recommend legislation to the Chief Ex-
eeutive, who in turn would be obliged to
recommend it to Congress. Congress
would then be obliged to conduct
its own examination Of the facts
before arriving at conclusion To many
this seemed an unnecessarily roundabout
way Of getting at the matter.
The desire Of those in favor of the
Weeks resolution is to cut cross lots, as
it were. They say that Congress might
or might not approve the findings of the
Presidential commission. In any event
there would be debate.
At the best there would be some loss
of time and at the worst the delay might
hopelessly involve the whole reconstruc-
ton problem. As time is an essential
element to be considered Just now this
reason for opposing the Overman bill
almost comes under the head of being
q war necessity.
Weeks Bill Provides Vital Time.
If the Weeks resolution goes through
Congress can engage its own experts and
so get at all the reconstruction problems
directly. Thus the Weeks resolution is
seen to include all the benefits that might
accrue to Congress from the passage of
the Overman bill, while the vital element
of time would be added and there also
would be eliminated any embarrassing
controversy over the functions of the
Chief Executive
1t is pointed out that the best hope
of defeating the Overman bill while the
Weeks resolution is being put through
lies in the fact that the former will be
regarded as a strictly partisan matter,
while the Weeks resolution can hope to
muster support from members of both
parties
The Overman bill aims to give all con-
troll of the reconstruction prob. IN into
the hands of committee that will owe
its existence, by appointment, to the Ad-
ministration. The Weeks resolution can
hardly be considered a partisan measure,
as it calls for a committee of twelve
equally divided between Republicans and
Democrats, three of which are from both
houses of Congress. The committee.
equally Republican and Democratic. could
be expected to consider all these prob
lens from a purely non-partisan point