Pueblo chieftain., 1921-10-09
jim ZONES IN WASHINGTON

barrier to accomplishment. Years
ago, when the membership was much
smaller than now and when the
volume of public business was much
less. the enforcement of gag" rules
was found necessary to orderly pro-
cesses in the house. and year after
year the senate discuss culture. but
never screws II nerve quite up to tho
point of enforcing IL. Since the Reed
. ruIe were abolished with the over
throw OF "Csnnionism' in the house
the enlarged membership Of that body
has had considerable freedom of ac-
ton and debate. and year by year
1t has grown more difficult to get leg
islation thru.
/ am not attempting to point out a
remedy for this condition. 1t may
be in a return to 'czarism' in tho
rules or it may be In reducing rcpres-
entation so that the house will be a
coupled with an amendment to tho
senate rules making it possible for a
ma jority to enforce genuine culture.
What interests me is that the existing
condition not only invites but almost
compels interference from the White
House II the necessary business OF tho
government is to be dispatched.
Probably no man who ever sat In
the White House is less inclined than
is President Harding to bc a dictator
or to encroach on Congress. But he
has had to do considerable cncroach-
ing already, and it looks as II he
would have to do a lot more. Con-
gress is in a legislative jam, appar-
emily for no reason In tho world ex-
cept that there Is not back of II the
force necessary to keep things going.
The President, it Is reported. is getting
pretty restive and there are said to be
Indications at the White House that
something large and substantial is liza
Bile to drop almost any day.
The Hon. Sam. our congressional
brother -in-law, with whom We arc
visiting, tells me there is a feeling in
the House that the President is likely
to come upon Congress. that the men,
bers would like to avert IT, but don't
know how. In fact. he says, a good
many of tho leaders feel that unless
the President does take a hand there is
little chance OF putting through the
Legislative program which has been
mapped out, and TO the execution OF
which the majority party stands plcdg
ed to tho country. The congressional
majority seems to be between the de-
vii and the deep blue. On the one
hand is the outcry. which grew per-
fervid during the Wilson administra-
ton, against executive encroachmcnt
on legislative prerogatives, and on the
other are next years congressional
elections. In the case of n good many
members 1t resolves itself into "a mat
ter of being bosscd from the White
House or of being out of II altogether,
and of the two evils, White House
bossing is looked upon as far. far the
lesser
They say the President was DOWN
right peevcd because Congress took a
recess when it did. and that tho con-
sent no gavc reluctantly was a con-
ditionsl one. The chief condition at
tachcd. 40 1t is said. was that when
the statesmen got back on the job
they would put through the revenue
bill. tho peace treaties. the European
debt rcfunding bill and other pressing
measures without further loss OF time.
So far tho majority leaders in tho
Senate and House have not bccH able
to deliver the goods. and now all
Washington Is just watching and
waiting to SEQ how long the President
will sit back and see the confidence