The New York herald., 1921-11-25
Harding and the Congress.

If any other Congress has com
pleted session of work so destitute
of credit to itself as this Congress
which on Wednesday adjourned its
special session, to meet in regular
session in December; if any other
Congress has more flagrantly de-
ceived and more bitterly disappointed
the American public; if any other
Congress has gone home with prom
ise as to it's future usefulness more
bleak, it has not been within the
memory of the present generation.
1t is possible to count few good
things which have come out of it's
session; but such as they are they
were not the conception and they
were not the ideal OF the legislators
who enacted them perfunctorily.
This is true of the budget system,
which in it's practical phases ema'
mated from the President and the
beneficial working of which has been
due to the purposes, energies and
abilities of his volunteer budget di-
rector and his heads of departments.
1t is true of the problem of handling
the soldier relief agencies and caring
for the wounded and disabled victims
of the war. 1t is true If the peace
treaties, of the cleaning up of the
railroad wreck and of the actualities
of Government efficiency and econ
omy.
But for the Presidents interfer
ence, moreover, this Congress would
have fastened on the country bur-
den measured in the billions by JAM
ming through the bonus bill. In spite
of the Presidents protestation, the
Congress did jam through the vicious
tax measure which now becomes law
to the disgrace of the legislative body
which contrived it and to the damage
OF the country which must suffer the
consequences Of it.
Bound by it's party platform and
by its election pledges to create and
put into force a rational, scientific
and honest tax system. this Congress
had no more economic sense than
to tinker up CLAUDE KITcHIN's war
makeshift, seldom for the better, fire.
quently for the worse.
This Congress had no more gen
eral sense and honesty than to betray
the public which had trusted in it's
pledges. 1t had no more political
sense than to drive back into their
old party the Democrats who had
come to the Republican standard by
the hundreds of thousands in the ex-
pectation of getting sound legislation
and competent public work.
This Congress had no more moral
sense and honesty than to betray
Republicans in prodigious numbers
who now, as well as Democrats, are
done with members of a legislative
body whose chief idea of statesman
ship and public duty has been to bid
openly and shamelessly for the votes
of the ignorant and the turbulent in
the selfish and faithless but stupid
and vain purpose of keeping them
selves in Office.
Stupid and vain because they have
outraged and repelled the American
conscience and integrity which are
the backbone OF the country. In
the time left to it-less than year
remains between now and the next
Congress election-it is scarcely pos
sible for this Congress to enact
enough clean, decent legislation,
healthful to the country and the coun-
rry's interests. to redeem it in the
eyes Of the American people, il it
should be minded so to do.
But with the record it has made so
far, what justification is there for
hope that in the next session it will
have eyes for anything beyond it's
own selfish interests? And failing to
right itself. the people will relegate it
to the ash heap where it belongs.