The Canon City record with which is consolidated the Canon City cannon., 1920-07-01
The Work of The Goth Congress
BY Congressman Guy u Hardy

the work of the Sixty-sixth Congress,
with special mention of legislation IN
which the West is most interested.
=. portion of his statement follows:
Saturday, June s, 1920.
Mr.. HARDY OF Colorado. Mr..
Speaker, cussing Congress has been
an American pastime privilege for
about 131 years. II has been prac-
ticed in and out of season by those in
and out of power and by all classes OF
people most of the time.
People pray to God for all manner of
blessings they never expect to get and
go on praising God for His infinite
wisdom.
People appeal to Congress for any
and all kinds of physical and moral
relief and against all kinds of physi-
cal and moral regulation and Congress
is cussed because every wish that is
wished cannot be granted.
1t is fortunate for many of US that
Cod does not grant every prayer. And
it is fortunate for the country that
Congress does not grant every peti-
ton. 1t could not do it: there are so
many conflicting petitions.
If Congress were run by one man,
and you or ! We're that man, perhaps
we could get done just what you or
would like to have done. But our
Congress is not run by one man. In
some countries the Congress does re-
feet the wishes or orders of the one
man. But those countries have been
having distressing times recently.
Our Congress represents the COM
posite thought of 100000 people.
The House with 435 members and the
Senate with 96 members reflect and
represent the people to whom they are
directly responsible. They are elect
ed to represent not only their dis
tricts but to serve, as best they can,
the whole United States. These SEN
ators and representatives come from
every section of the country-some
from thousands of miles apart Most
Westerners have seen the East, but
many Fasteners have never seen the
West and know little of it.
Bach member comes down to Wash
ington full OF the thoughts and ambi-
tions of his constituency. He soon
finds that there are 1876 districts in the
United States OF America. and, each
member has more or less of a pro-
gram. The thoughts, aspirations and
programs of the members may differ
about as much as the attitudes or
weather of their respective districts.
These programs take the form of
bills, are introduced and are re-
ferred to committees. The commit
tee asks for information and reports
from the appropriate departments
and holds hearings on the bills. A bill
stands the searcblight of rigid investi-
CATION from many sources before II
gets out in the House OF Senate. Then
II must run the gauntlet in the House
and the Senate, and no matter how
innocent bill may appear on its face,
the chances are that some knowing
member from another section will
point out blemishes or birthmarks
that damn il in the minds of many, or
some psrlaimentarian may choke it to
death in the early stages of delivery
If the bill comes through safely, 1t
may be so defaced and reformed by
committee amendments or House or
Senate amendments that its proud ia
ther would not recognize it in its own
cradle.
Members realize the impossibility of
always having their own way, and
they know that practically all legisla-
tion is in the interests of the whole
110,000,000 people. Members know
that legislation must be brought about
by conference and compromise--by
giving in a little here and there and
taking what they can get, and that on
the whole the wisdom OF the many is
better than the dictation of the few
Back home the individual is apt to
think that his views ought 10 be
adopted by the nation without amend
ment. Hence his disposition 10 cuss
Congress for its failure. But il is
good-natured and not vicious and only
an American prerogative not coun-
tenanced under some forms OF govern
mGnt.
Withal, the American Congress has
gone on all these years doing bust
ness at the old stand-doing the best
1t could under all circumstances-and
has really given us pretty good gov
eminent In all the world there is
no better example of a free parliamen-
tary body, nor one that is more rep
resentative of the people and more
RESPONSIVE to the will Of the people
The Sixty-sixth Congress may not
have accomplished all that any one
citizen would like to have had done.
but IT has a great program OF CON
structive work 10 its credit
II is an easy matter to plunge either
the family or the nation into debt. II
IS difficult matter to call a halt on
faUily or national eXtravagances and
rearrange family or national expendi.
tUre to a reduction of income.
To this end the Congress directed
its first attention. Wartime appro
priations were necessarily great and
expenditures were made with a lavish
hand.
The total appropriations by all the
Congresses. from Revolutionary days
down TO 1917. were s25. 500 .000. 900
The total appropriations Of our war
time Congresses. from 1917 to 1920
were s47 66s. .000, 900.