Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-12-02
SERIOUS SITUATION
FACING CONGRESS-.
ASSERTS LAWRENCE
GovernmentDivided by Party
Strife and Political Ambi-
ton While. Prices Soar
Says Writer
BY DAVID LAWRENCE

no exaggera ting the seriousness OF
the picture that presents itself as
congress comes back into session.
Helpless in some respects, hopeless
in others, the government is divided
by party strife and political ambi-
ton, while the economic factors that
are keeping the cost of living high
ard ma ysend it even higher are I'M
controlled.
President Wilson has written his
message, and although greatly i'm
proved in hea H.. he still is unable
to leave the White House. He still
believes that at the bottom of Amer
icas ills is. that unratified peace
treaty Reports from Europe are
disquieting. European governments
are telling the United States govern
ment that the future looks dark, that
industrial and mass unrest is spread
ing, and that America, upon whom
they had relied to help them to their
feet after the most terrible war in
history, now was apparently going
back OIL them.
Con~recs itself is deaf to the pleas
of 70 :Gn governments. Already a
sentiment is rising to ignore Europe
and attend to domestic affairs inside
the United States The coal situa-
ton is .menacing. Congress Is look
ing Oh while the executive branch
of the government though disclaim
ing any intention of crushing union
labor, is making such a big fight
against the miners as to hearten
those who think now is the time and
America is the place to stop rising
tide of socialism.
Eae-siosa Situation
There are those who go so far as
10 believe that America ought to use
the opportunity presented by the
Jenkins case to have war with Mex
leo in order to solidify the country
and revive the wartime restrictions
on prices and supplies. There is no
reason to believe the president him
self has changed his mind about in
tervening in Mexico. but congress is
represented as restless and anxious
to do something. SO is the war de-
partment.
But what about the leaders of the
Republican party, who feel that in
the present session of congress they
must make good the pledges they
made in the 1918 congressional race?
Can they reduce taxes? There is
grave doubt whether they can do SO
even though America doesn't have
new war. There is a certainty that
war wit! Mexico will not reduce
taxes. T-!ij. to be sure, is altogether
apart from the merits of the contro-
versy with Mexico. for while a good
many men in congress think the sit
':atiol below the Rio Grande should
lie cicaned up, they would prefer to
by which time, perhaps, there may
not be so many calls for federal
troops to put down industrial dis
turbances inside the United States
and to afford protection to the many
governors Of states who are calling
for troops for various purposes.
They reason that inasmuch as AmerS
lea has waited seven years, she can
wait still more to tackle the Mexican
problem.
1t would not be surprising, how
ever, to find the president passing
the buck" to the Republican con-
gress on the Mexican situation, espe-
cially in view of the jealousy ex-
hibited by the senate in the recent
League of Nations controversy con-
corning the right of congress to con-
duct Americas wars.
Nor is it certain that congress is
going to adopt a resolution declaring
the war with Germany at an end
Some of the opponents Of the peac
treaty are Haunting that threat, but
it is an empty threat at best. For
the truth is the house was kept in
session just before the senate voted
on the peace treaty recently and the
proposal to adopt a resolution de-
claring the war at an end was dis
cussed- in friendly conference be-
tween the Republican and Demo-
cratic leaders on the house side. 1t
is reliably reported that at the end
oe the conference Republican, lead
ers Gillett and Mondel saw so many
complications ahead that they begged
their senate colleagues not to put
up such a proposition to the house
And they didn't. And another in
teresting fact is that more than one
third. of the house members will vote
against such a resolution thus clear
~, demonstrating the impossibility
of overriding the presidents veto.
For it is a foregone conclusion
that Mr.. Wilson will not accept a reso-
luton by congress as ending the war
because of his conviction that while
legal peace inside the United States
it would not make America at peace
with Germany. Only an international
agreement can bring legal peace ex-
ternally, according to the advice
upon which the president is relying
CONGRESS CONVENES
IN NOMENTOUS SESSION
WASHINGTON, Dec. 1-Congress
is at work again.
House and senate met at noon to
day for the regular session. There
were many vacant chairs in botI
houses.
With the routine organizing resi-
buttons out of the way, both bodies
passed resolutions for appointment
of committees to notify President
Wilson that the congress is awaiting
any communication he may wish to
make on the state of the union.
Because the president is not able
10 receive the delegation, the usua;
language of the resolutions wa
changed by emitting instructions t.
the committees to wait upon the
president. They were simply told to
notify him. This probably will be
done in writing, or through the eX~
ecutive offices. The same form OF
resolution was passed last May whel
President Wilson was in Paris. A.
that time the notification was cabieG
10 him.
Following the chaplain's praye,,
Vice President Marshall gave the
usual notice that the constitutional
time for the assembling of congress
had arrived, and ordered the callinA
Of the roll. Senator New0erry, OF
Michigan, indicted on Saturday by a
federal grand jury at Grand Rapids
in connection with alleged Irregular
ties in his election, was in his SCI
and answered present. Fifty-four OF
the ninety-six senators answered the
roll call.
I