Great Falls daily tribune., 1919-03-06
THE PRESIDENT AND THE POLITICIANS.


ate politicians and to other little men who see
nothing in the issues of the day and the great
problems Of world wide import but means
of putting the president in the hole politically
by appealing to the prejudice Of some faction.
In the closing hours of the senate few repub-
icans under the leadership Of LaFollette and
Sherman deliberately filibustered and wasted
the time of the session lest vote be taken on
a bill which would allow the government to spend
three-quarters of billion dollars for new equip
ment and improved facilities in handling trans
portation of the nation. By that action thou
sands of men in various lines of industry are
deprived of work they might otherwise have
had, and the railroad service of the country is
also crippled in the future. The men responsible
for this sabotage of the railroads justify it on
the ground that they are trying to force the
president to call an extra session, just as the
l. w. w. plead in excuse Of arson and general
sabotage Of industry that they are trying to
force society to turn over to their class the in
dustries of the nations to be run on their the
cries. The president has let it be known that he
will not call an extra session until the peace
treaty at Paris is finished and ready to submit
to congress. In the face of that declaration the
senate deliberately and of set purpose allowed
regular and needed supply bills to fail for lack
of consideration, and much other important leg
islation to fail for like reasons Any disas-
trous consequences that follow are clearly their
fault. Even if no more important duty called
the president from the country to Europe at
this time we have doubt about the wisdom of
his calling the senators together again in spe-
cial session unless they gave him some assur-
ance that could be relied on that these men who
refused to permit public business to be consid-
cred and transacted would be squelched and
made to behave better in the next session. AS
it stands the country has every reason to be-
lieve that they would act in the next session
just as they did in the past session. And if they
continued their policy of Grating about all sorts
of things not before the senate for consideration
and refusing to vote on legislation before the
chamber an extra session would be just as
fruitless as the past session which has expired
by constitutional limitation. The senate can
not es~ape the responsibility by saying the pres
ident should hava called an extra session 1t
would do no good - far as passing needed leg
islation is concerned until the senate demon
strates its willingness 70 gag or expel some Of
it's notorious takers and wasters of the time of
the senate 1t would only increase the expense
ing talkfest of petty men who have, for the
sins of the states who sent them, gained seat
in the United States senate
The president also sharply rebuked the Irish
delegation headed by chief justice of New
York who figured as conspirator in the Bern
storff correspondence with Germany, urging
cooperation by the Irish people with Germany
and also urging the German government to in
crease and continue their air raids over England
which resulted in the death Of so many inno-
cent women, children and civilians The pres
ident refused to enter a room with this man in
it, and he retired To the committee who sought
to get from him categorical reply by yes or
no as to what his action would be on the subject
of an Independent Ireland if the subject came
dent replied that he had not understood that
the interview requested for was for the purpose
Of cross questioning him on his attitude toward
a question not yet before the peace conference,
but for the purpose of submitting to him the
views of the committee and any information
they had on the subject. He declined to make
any pledges in advance concerning his action at
Ireland and general attitude on the subject was
we'll known The committee we gather was not
very well pleased with their reception and are
threatening political vengeance on the president,
which does not move him much, we judge In
deed this Irish question is much mixed up with |
American politics and always has been. The |
president took dignified attitude toward it |
IL, hall h. l..