The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1921-09-09
WASHINGTON LETTER

n was a splendid aasembIagc that
gathered Lass March 10 witness the
inauguration 81 President Harding
after eight years 81 Republican wan
dcrIng ln the wilderness. largely due
o. President TaftB strong leaning
toward corporate interests and 20 Re
publican legislative fayors % the big
rich Tao crowd on the Presidential
pavilion and the reserved sections
WAS made Un larErl" ct s|lk hated
gentlemen whose unmtF are found IN
the lists n' thr dirog urafo OF the big
industrial corporations. railroads and
banks There we're many greetings
much oi handshakinF end CanErHtElr-
ting bat perhaps nothing was more
snliEhteninE than the Er,c' opuiah Dc.
tween one - The guests and one ~
the vice old Republican Senators who
had seen Mckinley and TAFT come and
60 Tho director was In fine tcttlc--
the conditions wrrp suspicious Tie
remarked ~ m looked about on Re
puhlirau Senators Representatives
and hunEcrs-on sleek. prosperous
and without number that 10 looks a.
n the millennium has come Yes
replied the old and wise senator "and
Uat Same Millennium viii, within
few months. blow ur with a load
hang
u has NOT yet blown ~ hul those
who saw the beginnings ~ cleavage
10 the Republican RANKS in l20S, and
sav that split result Zoo The election %
a Democratic Congress ia 1910. are
strongly reminded uf those days Dis
ssnsl0H ia strong in lns Republican
ranks today They are again finding
ample causes for dlaaErermcnts sluug
The old lines ~ standpltler and Pro.
grcsaiyc While the Tariff Hil was
being POT together IN tho House, the
Drmncrfis. with % assistance Of 70.
20 hhrups hu refused to dance 20 th"
crack ~ the party Ahlp succeeded
Ia ~ Hdlfylug thC hW IN Ualf q dozen
important uafJrH 5lr In fact hey
b ui the feBuyai IN un every NJ
uH WhisH tdcy were allowed 10 nave e
.rurlt vote. %rv D. ts learned that
"a. bin d to laid 3rIdc. at lea b ipr
ID time. 10 order fu gave Hu right o,
Way "a the Taxation rill which was
mo- started unil after the Tariff BIN
had passed the House There are
those who think q Is being laid aside
permanently Tho President seems wa
pressed with the regularity with
which Republican defeat has followed
their tarln tnkcrlug IN shc past.
The session which recently took 4
months recess while the country ~
suffering from q score Of serious Ills,
passed but one biil OF wide appliea-
ton aud large importance the Agri.
cultural Credits bill The President
called the session 10 psss n new tar
III bin. 10 reduce the burden Of taxa
ton and TO take care OF the railroads
by lepislatng 30 that they could az
once receive the money owed them by
the Government and defer for ten
years payment Of those sums which
the roads owe 20 the Treasury. None
OF these three things, which the Re
publlcans claim are wise salutnry
and needtul. has been accomplished
The Congress got each job about bali
completed and then took a recess The
Democratic leaders took the view that
Il was just as well on the ground that
they would II they remained in ses-
sion. enact poor and harmful legis w.
ton They the Democrats, have not
enough votes TO initiate good iegiB-
latlon. nor, in most cases enough 10
defeat the bad
Just why the Republican Congress-
men should be in such need OF a rest
Is hard to understand, for the votes
recorded IN the Congressional Record
prove that the average roll call show
cd only about two-thirds OF the Re
publican Membership present. except
ing during ahe FIRST few days and the
last few days Of the session In other
words, something like one-third OF the
Republicans We're absent on each roll
call