The Glenwood post., 1919-03-15
Congress Poorly Organized and
Lacking Leadership Help
less Without Direction
A SERIOUS INDICTMENT

New York, March THAT the Sixty
fifth congress which has just passed.
into history was failure, and that it
never measured up to the work it was
called on to perform is the judgment
Of the World, in remarkable editorial
dealing with its activities.
In government, it says, "there il
no substitute for brains, no substitute
for vision, no substitute for leader
ship" and this is the lesson of the
congress which disappears "unwept and
unsung.'
"At no other period of American his
tory has the country been so near a
complete breakdown of the legislative
branch of the government. Nothing
else like it has been known under the
constitution. To find parallel we
must go back to the political utilities
of the Confederation.
"There are times in government
when mediocrity is in itself crime,
and the great offense of the xty-fifth
congress was its hopeless mediocrity
both in it's majority and its minority
factions. 1t is fair to say in extenua-
tion that no other congress was ever
charged W tn such vast duties and such
tremendous responsibilities, but the
magnitude of the task serves only tn
make the character of the performances
tia more pitiful.
"The Sixty first congress, composed
for the most part of irreproachably
honest men, as that term is commonly
used. 1t was totally free from all the
gross and shameful corruption Of the
civil war congress when senator's and
representatives enriched themselve at
the expense of the country. It was
likewise patriotic congress. The Cop.
perhead element was so small as to be
negligible. On the whole, we think it
was congress that wanted to do right
Where it failed was in lacking the ca.
pacity to do anything except as it was
guided and driven by the executive.
''In all the long record of war legis.
lation not single measure of import.
ance, military, financial or industrial
originated with congress. All of them
were suggested by the executive, and
many of them could never have been
passed except under executive pressure
Congress not only contributed nothing
of value, but in most instances in which
independent action was undertaken its
policies would have crippled the war
making power of the nation. From the
beginning to the end of its career, i.
had no grasp whatever Of the legisla
ton that was required few of its mem
bers understood the measures on which
they were otng, and where there wer,
sharp differences with the president il
was usually the president who was
right as a matter of principle and con
gress that was wrong both as to prin
ciplc and practice.
''hnd as its life goes out, congress
has not even completed its program OF
routine legislation. 1t has enacted
none Of the necessary reconstruction
legislation. Having complained fol
twenty-one months of dictation from
the White House, during the three
months when free from such dictatior
it could only wrangle. 1t was impo
tent.
"What is still worse, there are n,
grounds for hope that the Sixty sixt'
congress will be any more competent o
any more representative than its prede
cessor. Composed practically Of tn
same me, the committees will be com
trolled by the same representatives an
senators who controlled the commit
tees Of the sixty-fifth congress. Re
publicans who failed miserably as oppo
sition leaders, and Democrats who faile,
miserably rs majority leaders, will
take the places of Republicans VIII
failed as opposition leaders. The NOR
that kind of congress changes the NOR
il is certain to remain the same.
"Nobody ever succeeded in making
silk purse out of q sow's ear, and nc
body ever will. 1t cannot be done witt
congress, either. A third-rate countr,