Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1922-07-07
Doings of Congress
Especial Correspondence
By Richard Linthicum

Washington, July 7.-Repubtcan
House leader Mondell appears to be
one of those cheerful and indiscrlm-
mating persons who could ind gen
uine pleasure visiting a cemetery
and reading the epitaphs on tomb
stones. This observation IS peru.
nent to his review OF the work OF
the sitting Congress just prior t.
the summer holiday adjournment o.
the House, while the Republican
Senate remains in session and frcts;
and fumes over the Protlteers
Tariff bill known as "Foraneys
Folly"
Although the Military Affairs
Committee had made favorable
report on the Muscle Shoals project
and the bill was ready Tor discus
sion, the Republican agrlculturlsrs
of the House could not be held long
er in session. One musV be nar1-
hearted person to blame them, how
ever, after the results in Indians,
PENNSYLVANIA, Iowa and North Dd'
kota, not to mention what happen
ed to Ira c. Copley, multi-mlllon-
aire veteran member of the ways
and Means Committee of the House,
out of Illinois.
1t ought not to be necessary for
the Democrats to make any extend.
ed reply to Mr.. Mondell's eulogy OF
this Congress, which is really not
eulogy. but an elegy The Republl-
can press and Republican spokes-
men who still retain a sense of pro-
portion and are not afraid TO speak
the cruth, have anticipated him ana
have plready answered his prlnclp&-
assertions. For instance:
Mr.. Mondell says: "No Congress
ever sat under this dome that was
more faithful, diligent, painstaklng,
earnest or intelligent or sounder III
its Judgment and decisions than
the present Congress. Never in the
same length Of time mas so much
legislation been considered in COM
mittee, etc, ETC. ,
The Boston Transcript, typical
orthodox Republican newspaper,
which voices the opinion held gene
rally by the most intelligent OF the
Republican press, says:
"The record of the House of Rep
resentatives in the first year OF the
new administration stamps it un-
mistakably as the worst House IN
twenty years. Taken as whole
the House Of Representatives as
controlled by the Republican party
as Judged by Is record to G1,e, l.
unworthy of another lease of life"
Secretary of War Weeks in re-
cent speech at Cleveland, Ohio, de-
clared that the present Republican
Congress has reached the lowest
ebb of any Congress in the history
OF the country" and his remarks
were approvingly commented upon
by the leading Republican news
papers of the country.
Last November William f. Wood
(Rep. Ind declared upon the floor
of the House that Everybody is
giving Congress hell" and justified
it on the ground of its failure to do
what it promises and what it was
expected to do.
One of the important measures
passed by this Congress was the
Tax Revision bill Mr.. Mondell adj
mits that the tax burden was not
reduced to the extent that Congress
would have been glad TO reduce it,
but adds, there was MT only an
honest but a successful attempt to
relieve fairly and equitabiy 80 far
as was possible under the circum-
stances the tax burdens of all
classes of people"
OF this bill the late Senator Pen
rose said that the tax revision bill
was ''make-shift" and that the
work would all have to be done
over again. With this view Senator
Smoot rep. Utah) concurred, and
what Senator Smoot does not know
about taxation ne will never learn
from Mondell.
OF the Fordney tariff bill now
pending in the Senate Leader Mon
dell said: "The progress Of the
tariff bill thus far serves to streng-
chen the opinion we formed at the
time of the wise and beneficial char
s3ter IF this legislation as it passed
thu House"
This is the BIZ! to which the SEN