Putnam County herald. (Cookeville, Tenn.) 1903-1922, 1921-09-08
Will HISTORY
REPEAT ITSELF?

Washington, d. c., Sept. Sit was
a splendid assemblage that gathered
last March to witness the inaugura-
tion of President Harding, after eight
years of Republican wandering in
the wilderness, largely due to Presi-
dent Taft's strong leaning toward
corporate interests and to Republican
legislative favors to the big rich.
The crowd on the Presidential pavil-
ion and the reserved sections was
made up largely Of silk-hatted gem
tlemen whose names are found in
the lists OF. the di ectorate of the big
Industrial corporations. railroads and
banks. There were many greetings,
much Of handshaking and congratu-
lating, but perhaps nothing was more
enlightening than the brief confab
between one of the guests and one
OF the wise old Republican Senators
who had seen NJ Kinley and Taft
come and go. The director was In
fine fettle-the conditions were aus.
picious. He remarked, as he looked
about on Republican Senators, Rep
resentatives and haners-on, sleek,
prosperous and without number, that
ut looks as If the Millennium has
come" "Yes," replied the old and
wise Senator, "and that same milen-
mum will, within few months, blow
up with loud bang"
It has not yet blown up, but those
who saw the beginnings of cleavage
in the Republican ranks in 1908, and
saw that split result in the election
of Democratic congress in 1910. are
strongly reminded OF those days.
Dissention is strong in the Republl-
can ranks today. They are again
finding ample causes for disagree
ments along the old lines of stand
patter and progressive. While the
iTariff Bill was being put together
in the House, the Democrats, with the
assistance of Republicans who refus-
ed to dance at the crack OF the party
whip, succeeded in modifying the
bill in half q dozen important particu-
lars. In fact, they beat the organ1,
cation on everything on which they
we're allowed to have separate vote.
Now it is learned that the bill is 1oe
be laid aside, at least for a time, I'M
order to give the right Of way to the
Taxation Bill, which was not started
until after the Tariff Bill had passed
the House. There are those who
think it is being laid aside perma.
nently. The president seems impress
sed with the regularity with which
defeat has followed their
tarin tinkering in the past.
The session which recently took a
months recess while the country is
sufferin from score Of serious ills,
passed but one bill of wide application
and large importance-theA Agricul-
tural Credits Bill. The President
called the session to pass new tar.
il bill, to reduce the burden Of tax
alton and to take care Of the railroads
by legislating SO that they could at
once receive the money owed them by
the Government and defer for ten
vars payment Of those sums which |
the roads owe to the Treasury. None |
Of these three things, which the Re-
publicans claim are wise, salutary |
and needfal, has been accomplished. |
The Congress got each Job about half |
completed and then took a recess.
rhe Democratic leaders took the
siew that it was Just Is well, on the
ground that they would. II they re-
NAMED in session, enact poor and
legislation. They. the Demo
,rats, have not enough votes to in
tiate good legislation, nor, in most
eases, enough to defeat the bad.
Just why the Republican Congress.
men should be in such need Of rest
8 hard to understand, for the votes
'ecorded Id the Congressional Record
,rove that the average roll call show
ID only about two-thirds of the Re-
publican Membership present except
ng during the first few days and the
asst few days of the session. In 9TH
n words, something like one-third Of
he Republicans were absent on each
oil call.
A 1i0 DEAL
A number of business men Of
have bought through the