The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-06-16
THE RECORD OF CONGRESS-.

THE RECORD OF CONGRESS.
! The Democrats. thru their cam
paign literature and stump speakers.
may confidently be expected to attack
the record of the Republican congress.
recently adjourned. While congress
omitted doing many things that it
should have done. there still remains
10 it's credit much that is constructive
and of inestimable value to the coun-
try.
Notable among its achievements is
the railroad bill, unquestionably the
one constructive measure put thru.
which will stand above all others and
which. in fact. marks a new era for
the great interest which 1t benefits. 1t
effects a complete turnabout in the
treatment of thesagents of transporta-
ton and starts the railroads of the
United States from one OF the most
depressed situations in their history.
towards rehabilitation, which. however
slow, will eventually carry them into
new prosperity.
1t was perhaps too much to expect
of a party in congress coming into
power, after years of profligate spend
ing of moneys extracted from the pub
lie by unscientific and clumsy tax
laws, says the Bache Review, that they
should be able at once to stem the
tide. reform the tax laws, and put the
| government on a business basis. Still,
with great leaders, this might have
been done, or at least some beginnings
made in this direction. Months and
months were wasted in endeavoring to
reconcile the League of Nations of the
president with a plan which might be
acceptable to its opponents.
Congress cut down and out two and
one-quarter billion dollars, which
would otherwise have been appropri-
ated and spent, and must also be given
credit for putting thru. as far as the
president, one of the most important
measures ever passed by a congress
namely, the budget reform bill. The
president vetoed the bill because of a
technical defect which deprived his
office of some of it's powers-a defect
which was remedied by the house. but
the amended bill was defeated by a
filibuster started by two Democrat
senator's.
The persistent opposition of con-
gress to the budget system for many
years has been notable. Agitation in
its favor was begun decades ago. The
reason for insertion or the clause,
which resulted In a veto, is something
of a mystery. 1t does not seem plaus-
ible that it was aimed at President
Wilson, as his term is nearly over. and
it would be effective against any fu-
ture president of either party.
The New York World surmises that
there are circles in congress where
the budget system has never been
Viewed with enthusiasm. 1t was GER
tain to diminish the Importance of
many committees of the house and
senate that exercise control over APP
preparations. 1t was bound to act as
a restraint upon congress when medi-
Eating sudden plunges into extrava-
gance, like the soldier bonus bill. II
was a thoroly- businesslike plan for
dealing with the national finances, and
this alone would render any budget
system obnoxious to the average poll
tician. To compass the defeat of bud
get legislation by roundabout methods
might be considered clever, the more
so If It were accomplished thru the
innocent device of single paragraph
buried in the body of the bill"
Nevertheless. even with this slight
defect in the bill II was the dutv al
the president to approve it; to seize
the opportunity to begin at once the
conservation of the country's resource:
and to stop the current OF blind and
wasteful expenditures. Also it was the
duty of Democrat senators to refrain
from interposing a filibuster II
seems. therefore, that defeat of the
measure can be laid at the door Of
the Democrats.