Williston graphic., 1919-04-17

and not for the public good, that the
houses stick to the allotment Of com
mittee chairmanships by seniority.
That is m inducement 70 constituea.
cies to reslsct members, and Il makes
. pleasantsr social atmosphere In
either wing Of the Capitol. It also
puts wholly unsuitable men in posi-
tions of decisive power over lesisla-
tion. ,sla
Cloture, budget, seniority there
are three outstanding things by which
Congress earns the good opinion Of
itself and the bad opinion Of tho pub
lie; three conspicuous ways Of chos.
ing between self f-fattery and public
respect. They stand out as big sign
posts by which anyone may know
whether Congress proposes TO serve
itself or the nation first.
The Sixty fourth and Sixty-fifth
Congresses-the world.war Congress-
es-were Democratic. In the modern
worlds greatest crisis we got no
leadership, poor service and low value
out of them. But the two Senate fill
busters were Republican. Various
members af that party showed an ir-
responsible levity and sodden At
tachment to the same old game of
party politics quite matching any
thing on the other side. It is q sor-
did game because spolitical align
ment now stands both parties are
bankrupt; neither definitely repre-
sents anything more than an organ
lied appetite for Office. Great and
pressing questions confront the Uni
ted States-the peace Of the world,
higher organization of industry which
will satisfy the reasonable demands
of labor and insure continuous oper-
alton of the industrial machine at
maximum efficiency, disposition Of the
railroads, immigration, rats in the
cellar busily gnawing at the founda-
tions, internal improvements, better
public schools. Those are the things
people are thinking about.
The two big political parties are
talking largely about the tariff,
George Washington, Thomas Jeher-
son, and making faces at each other.
A powerful individual Roosevelt or
Wilson -emerges in one or the other
-merest geographical accident decid-
ing in which one he shall emerge
and assumes leadership. But as a
party neither has much that is dis
tinctive to say about to-day's great
questions or any really clean-cut
guiding body to live principles.
The next Congress will be Repub-
lican. It has great opportunity to
make that tag much more distinc-
tive badge Of public service. Mean
while, whether it lives up to that
opportunity or not, the vital saving
thing is here. There is in the United
States-unorganized and not distinc-
lively represeted as yet by any party
tag-a great body Of live, sound
American opinion, prudent, sensible,
yet progressive; determined at bottom,
that this nations, already Offering
to it's people the best conditions and
the fairest opportunities that any
great number Of people have ever
enjoyed on this earth, shall push
steadily on by rational experimenting
until it's conditions and opportunities
reach the attaiable ideal equally
determined to take by the neck what
ever crack-brained or malevolent
enemies to peace, democracy and pro-
gress come in its way. That saving
American opinion demands reason
ably honest, efficient service from its
elected servants. Irrespective of party
tags Congress must reckon with it.
Saturday Evening Post. s,