Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-12-03
ISSUES IN MESSAGE
SObERLY VIEWED
DESP|TEP0L|T|CS
Undercurrent in Congress Is
Toward Consideration
of Present Unrest.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

vi FFeSeIll UNREST.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
Congress took the Wilson message,
as usual. with an outward show Of
scorn, Indifference and even captious
doubt as to the true authorship of the
document, but with an inward recog-
milton of certain fundamental issues
which the President had raised that
could not very we'll be sidestepped.
No better illustration perhaps could
have been given of the conception
which the two rival parties have now
adays of the nature of their public
utterances than the comment that was
heard on the message. Instead of CIV
ing a careful analysis of the COM
munication and criticising it construc-
lively or destructively in the sense of
offering an opposite point of view, the
approach of the 1920 political cam
paign makes it theoretically neces-
sary for the republicans to toss off the
whole thing as Of doubtful authenti-
city, while the democrats issue stimuli
taneously encomiums for the phrases
of their White House leader.
Republicans Differ.
Many republicans prnferred to ex-
press wonder whether Mr.. Wilson
wrote hi/ own message. Others
thought the message altogether too
Wilsonian. They recognized too well
the familiar phrases, the "glittering
generalities' and the excessive fond
ness for the viewpoint of labor that
SO often has characterized the Wilson
state papers. Nor did certain of the
thoughtful republicans doubt for a
minute that the tendency toward free
trade exhibited by the President was
Individually product of the Wilson
mind. These evidences of wisconsin
have become altogether too well
seven yearssto become suddenly novel
and surprising when issued under the
signature of the democratic incum-
bent of the presidency.
So while on the surface the state,
ments given out followed the usual
campaign style of knocking what the
other fellow says, no matter II 1t nap
pens even to be quotation from the
Scriptures, the undercurrent OF sentl-
ment expressed in Congress after
reading the Wilson message was one
| of serious consideration of what could
be done by the legislative body to
correct the unrest of the country ana
bring about a reconstruction OF the
Republicans may have publicly pro.
fessed to ignore what the President
had said, but privately they know that
he had laid a big package on the door
stem of Congress and that democratic
"a mnaien orators were unquestionably
going to use the recommendations OF
the President as basis Tor their CRU.
cism of the republican management OF
Congress if the present It's Session issf sessen
towsrd remedying the domestic ills of
the country.
s+ua,.a O~fasiOn.
Nor can it be said that the Presi-
dent himself was too IL! to forget the
nolitical game in which washington
is enyeloped. Not a word did he say
about the peace treaty. This was a
studied omission. Only few days
ago. it will be remembered. Sen
ator Borah came back to the National
Capital with a public statement that
he was through with the peace treaty
and hoped Congress would get down
to domestic affairs. Similarly the re-
publicans have been criticising the
President for absorption in foreign
policy to the neglect of domestic
problems. Mr.. Wilson concentrated
, his entire attention on domestic poll
what it had failed to do for the re-
turned soldier, what it had not done
on the railroad problem, what it had
not done about curbing radicals and
what it had not done about the vari-
Gus measures proposed by him to help
reduce the cost of living.
When these views on domestic
Louestions have had a chance to sink
in, it is apparently part of the Will
son strategy to draw particular at
tention in another message not mere
ly to the failure of Congress to pass
the peace treaty, but the i'll effects
which the United States is suffering
1f
litical and economic isolation.
! Comparison With Taft Regime.
! Congress, on the other hand, while
credited with desire to tackle do
nestle problems, is hardly in shape
to do so because of the political at
mosphere that envelops nearly every
problem. 1t always happens when
/ one party is responsible for the man
/ agement of the legislative branch of
] the government and another party is
/ in control of the executive branch.
/ in the White House and the democrats
! controlled Congress. Only Mr.. Wilson
/ has taken the offensive.
! II will not be forgotten that the
democrats used to lombard the White
! House with tariff bills and other leg
only the embarrassment of the execu-
tiye-they were called Shotgun
bilIs"-intended only for a presiden-
tial veto Now, however Mr.. Wilson
is bombarding Congress. And I'M
fortunately the republican party is
not a cohesive institution as yet
! The troubles of Leader Lodge in
the Senate are not less vexing than
those of Leader Mondell in the House
Presidential candidates abound. In
dividualism is the slogan of the day
and party solidarity and party re-
sponsibility are woefully absent.
While the republicans may. there
fore. issue statements differing with
Mr.. Wilson's views, they will hardly
try to revise the tariff in the present
| session of Congress. Nor will they
try to reopen the tax bills. They will
! postpone and defer. arguing that they
| must have the presidency before they
can function smoothly and redeem
party pledges. Outside of the neces-
sary appropriation bills it is doubtful
| whether the new Congress will act on
many of the proposals made by the
President. Things like new legisla-
ton are rare when presidential