Perth Amboy evening news., 1919-02-26
MUST GET BUSY

President Wilson has brought up with a round turn those Repub-
icans in congress who have been frittering away the time of the pres
emit session when important legislation has been pending with the in
tention of forcing the President to crl an extra session of congress i'm
mediately after the present congress ends March T.. There are several
large appropriation bills yet to be passed before the session adjourns
but instead of getting down to work the time is being taken up in
talking and attacking the administration.
Now the President has made it known that under no circumstances
does he intend to call a special session of congress until after he again
returns from France, which will probably be some time in June.
The Republicans are filled with CONSERVATION. They did not think
tie President would dare accept their challenge. They now begin to
realize that they will be held responsible for any failure to carry out
necessary work due to the lack of appropriation. Those who would
block legislation in an effort to force the President to do as they want
him to do must either get down to business and act on the necessary
legislation at once and cease their idle talk, or else bear the RESPONSE
bilty for holding up the appropriations 20 necessary at this time to
keep the government work going.
There is no call for all the speeches that have been delivered in
congress since December. This is what is known as the short session
and it is almost invariably devoted to real work minus the talk. But
work, lit would seem, has been tabooed this time and the Republicans
have been conducting what amounts to a fibuster for the sole pur-
pose of forcing the President to call an extra session of the new eos.
gress at once. This new congress will have a Republican majority and
it is the intention of the Republicans to begin all kinds of investiga-
lions into the conduct of the war in an effort to show up extravaganza
and graft for tht purpose of discrediting the administration, if pos
sbe.
But the President is on TO the game. An extra session of congress
cannot convene unless the President calls sit and, knowing that the pres
emit congress has had ample time to do all the necessary work during
the present session if it had attended to business, he is not disposed
TO let the opposition get away with their scheme. He has told them
plainly that they need expect no extra session until after his next trip
to the peace conference where he is engaged in the greatest construct
i've work of the age, and if the Republicans in congress prefer to hold
up necessary legislation and make the country suffer thereby it is en-
tirely up to them. They will have TO bear the responsibility.
President Wilson is playing the big hand of the people, but if a
little game of politics is injected into the public affairs by his oppOn-
cnts he shows that he can play a little hand at that also.
Well might the Republicans who have been laying down on the
COB in order TO spout speeches against the President, show surprise and
CONSERVATION. They have the choice of getting busy at once and doing
the work that is expected of congress during this term or shoulder
the responsibility of delay and take the consequences