Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1921-06-12
CONGRESS AND THE
PEOPLE.

WYE are sorry to record the opln-
w ion that both houses of con-
y gress are steadily deteriorating in
the quality Of their membership
and losing the confidence and re-
spect Of the people. The congress
that ended its legal life on March
/; 4 last did nothing but make faces
at the president and pass the buck
on every important question before
It. It earned the nickname Of the
!. do-nothing congress. The senate
is worse, if anything. 1t talks and
talks and talks and cannot even
get 4 vote on the issues which
come before it without unanimous
consent, and there is always some
crank senator to object. Time was
when the United States senate in
spired as much respect as the
Judges of the supreme court OF the
Y United States do now. That time
has long gone by. There were
giants in the senate in those days.
+ They are now dead and have no
successors. Penrose, boss OF cor
frupt political machine in Pennsyi-
yania: Reed Snoot, elder OF the
Mormon church in Utah; Or.
Moses. representative of big cor
norations in New Hampshire; Hen
~ Cabot Lodge, egotist, and and
scion Of a great name IN the old
Bav State-these are the leaders
of the senate. None OF them are
intellectual giants or men OF
proved craftsmanship. We are LED
to wonder if, after all, we did not
make a mistake when we changed
the constitution of the United
States and provided for direct
election of senator's by the people.
Il was democratic policy. and no
doubt it increased the power OF the
Individual voter, but it seems to
us that the senate has been going
70 seed ever since, and that Its av-
eraee ability and character is grow
ing less and less since the change.
The present congress is meeting IN
special session. The regular SEES
S. sion does not begin until next De-
cenber. The people have been
watching it hopefully. but candor
conpels us to state that up to date
il seems afflicted with the help
lessness Of its predecessor and I'M
able to do much but talk. Inc
New York Times, in commenting
On this subject we'll says:
"A fair test Of public opinion
would show that it is not favorable
to the work of the new congress
thus far. Congress is felt to have
dawdled over its tasks. Intolerable
DELAYS and speeches which are in
effective in direct proportion to
their length have held up danger
ously even the necessary army and
navy bills. AS for the other urgent
measures having to do with taxa
ton and revenue and governmental
economy-with the exception OF
the budget bill, and its benefits
are still in the future-there is no
sign of their being anywhere near
ready. AS the precious time is
frittered away with 50 little done,
there is evidence of growing popu-
lar Impotence with congress.
Representatives and senator's
ought to feel that something more
than their individual regulations or
personal political fortunes is at
stake. They have to reckon with
a new distrust of legislative bodies.
It is not that people think of them
as necessarily corrupt, but the
fear is that they are incapable, or
at least inefficient and almost pa
thetically helpless in the face OF
what has or ought to be done. The
public looks for close attention to
business in congress, but sees
painful dilatoriness and vacillation.
The whole institution Of federal
legislation is threatened with fall
ing into further disrepute by such
a beating of the air as has been
going on at both ends of the capitol
though chiefly, as usual, in the
senate. Members Of congress
ought to pull themselves together,
so as to do their work better and
more promptly, if only because
they are at present making a bad
impression on the country and en-
gendering disrespect for lawrnak-
Frs as well as the laws.
The causes Of the trouble are
manifold and obvious. Take the
rules-or absence Of rules-in the
senate. They seem as if designed
n blockade the rublic business and