Greenwood daily commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1919-1926, 1920-03-29
WASHINGTON
NEWS LETTER
By The Washington Star
Copyright 1920.
: i: 4: 4 x X !. X x * = X X y

80 WV "dEIu Zo-I1OW
much longer is this country to contin-
ne to operate under war time laws,
enacted to meet an emergency, is a
question that is agitating many mem
bers of congress. Many of these laws
were framed so that they would go
out of existence when peace was pro-
claimed by the President, or within a
given number of months thereafter.
With the peace treaty unratified and
back in the safekeeping of the Pres
ident, the pathway toward peace
which its negotiation opened appears
to be effectually closed. While the
republicans in the Senate and House
and some of the democrats believe
that Congress should go ahead and
put through a joint resolution repeal
ing the war resolution, it is under
stood that the President will not ap-
prove such resolution, and the chan
ces of passing it over his veto are re-
mote.
With these avenues closed, howev-
er, there remains a third, the enact
ment of law or laws repeating these
war time acts. Restive because moth
ing has been done to put an end to
many of these laws, members of Con-
gress are about TO act, it is believed
Undoubtedly, any resolution provid-
ing for the establishment of peace be-
tween the United States and Germany
will carry a provision for the repeal
of war time legislation, temporary in
character. But if the resolution can
not become law, Senators and Rep
resentatives will put through repeal
acts relating only to the laws in ques-
ton.
Bills providing for the repeal of the
the food and fuel control act have al
ready been introduced in the Senate
and House, one of the latest of these
being a bill offered by Senator Gore
of Oklahoma, a democrat. Other bills,
have been introduced to repeal the es-
pionage act, the trading with the en-
emy act, and other war time laws.
The United States practically has been
at peace with Germany for sixteen
months, yet many of these laws,
which Congress intended should cease
to be operative when peace came, are
still alive and are being invoked.
At the time of the signing of the
armistice in November, 1918, and be-
fore that, there was agitation for re-
construction commissions of Congress,
! to make recommendations for read
| iustment legislation to meet the end
| of the war conditions. The democrat
ic administration frowned on this sug-
gestion, and nothing was done. In
consequence the only two long steps
toward readjustment by congression-
al and executive action have been the
! law for the return of the railroads tc
their private owners and their restor
alton, and the return of the telegraph
wires to their owners.
Senator France of Maryland anc
Borah of Idaho have been among the
most outspoken opponents of contin
uing longer on the statute books law:
which give vast power to the execu.
tive. The Maryland Senator in an ad
dress in the senate last week made 6
plea to return to the Americanism O.
Washington, jefferson, Lincoln ant
Roosevelt He contended that the ma
jority of members of Congress thro
ugh patriotic motives yielded thei1
Judgment, and accepted the "stupit
policies of blind and reactionary bour
bonism."
"Bourbonism is not Americanism,
he said, "and all the foolish efforts O.
the reactionaries to create the nev
American crime of radicalism ar
doomed to failure"
Those members of Congress VIII
are pressing most earnestly for re
peal of the war time laws contend
that the enormous growth of execu
tive power under these laws tend to
ward tyranny. AS Senator France
put it; "We demand an end to tn
taxing of the people for the paymen
of swarms of federal spies, agents ant
social officers who may become par
asites, blackmailers, sappers of poll
tics, morality and menace to lib
erty.'
| Senator Frelinghuysen of New Jer
! sey is planning the repeal of power
given the President over the fuel sup
plies of the country under the fue
control act, and has introduced bill
for that purpose. The Senate an
House have both passed bills repeal
ing the act creating the United State
Housing Corporation. It is now il
, conference.
j Among the wartime laws which ar
awaiting the declaration of peace be
fore they pass into history are tn
! following:
The selective draft act, whose pro
,l visions become imperative four mon
!, this after the proclamation of peace b
the President
!, Emergency shipping provisions an
powers conferred upon the presiden
and the shipping board, which ceas
II Re Au A&kov.