New-York tribune., 1919-05-18

President Wilson found the latter too
behave themselves"
Enter BurIesOn
1t was no trouble for Postmaster
General Burleson to become involved
in the difficulties, as the writer
points out:
POSTMASTER General Burleson and
Secretary of Labor Wilson fought
openly and secretly over government
by labor unions. Secretary Wilson and
Secretary of War Baker clashed over
the same point in deciding whether the
Labor Department or the War Depart
ment should demobilize the army. At
torney General Gregory ruled that Sec
retary Redfeld's price stabilization
scheme did not violate the Sherman and
Clayton antitrust laws.
"He went out of office, and when At
torney General Palmer came in he had
different views. President Wilson was
in Paris by that time, and there was
no one in authority to say which
ruling should bind. The clash between
Secretaries Glass and Redfeld over the
same scheme, however, made this feat
ure less important,
"Trouble with Japan threatened to
become acute over the difficulties in
Corea, Siberia, and the handling of the
Japanese immigration problem in Paris.
Yet when Baron Ishii, Japanese Am
bassador to Washington, was called to
Toxic by his government to report d-
rect on the attitude of the United
States neither President Wilson nor
Secretary Lansing was here to say
farewell or to give him a parting in
terview on questions that involved
peace and war.
Gwen inside Of the departments this
uncertainty of the absentee govern
ment piled up difficulties. Early in the
Paris conference the British govern
ment sent formal Communication con-
corning the treatment Of the Bolshevist
government in Russia. 1t got no reply.
When it was too late it was discovered
that Acting Secretary Of State Polk had
assumed that President Wilson and
Secretary of State Lansing, at Paris,
had received the communication direct
from London. They hadn't. How was
our State Department had moved with
out leaving a forwarding address?"
Divided Duties
In this special session the duties
Of the Senate and House will be
sharply differentiated. The Senate
must pass upon the peace treaty
and other details of our foreign re-
lations, while the House at first will
busy itself with domestic problems
and there are many of them.
Later the Senate, which will be Re-
publican, will have to concern itself
with domestic adjustments, but first
comes the treaty of peace, with the
league Of nations as an integral part
Of it. Summing up the work that
confronts the House a writer In
"The Washington Star" finds:
passage of resolution for woman
suffrage amendment to the Constitu-
tion.
"Framing of the machinery Of the
law to enforce wartime prohibition
after July 1 and to make the country
bone dry after January next
Return the public utilities, taken
over under the emergency of the war,
to their owners.
"Provide for stricter governmental
regulation Of privately owned common
carriers.
Restrict immigration and put down
anarchy and sedition.
"Take back the broad powers granted
the executive and administrative
branches of the government for the
purposes of the war and restore them
to the places where the Constitution
fixed them.
RECONSTRUCT the revenue laws in the
interest of more equitable distribution
Of taxes.
"Pass protective tariff law to shield
American industries from the cheap
labor Of Europe after peace starts for
eign mills to going
perfect the laws relating to the
merchant marine to assure that ever
hereafter this country will share the
commerce of the seas and carry it's
own products in its own ships.
"Create an army and a navy on
peace basis, and adopt some definite
plan Of military training and prepared
ness.
"Do something for the welfare Of the
returning soldiers by enlarging means
for occupation or for tilling the soil.
"Place the appropriations for the
support of the government on re-
duced scale, commensurate with the
needs of the government, but on peace
basis.
THAT programme ought to hold the