New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1922-09-22
]Me,rltiell Gives
Vaiedictory Of
9th Congress
Praises lis Passing of '197
Laws as Retaliation of
Critics; ''Do Nothing
Label Is Called Unfair
Points 10 EconomyRecord
Recalls Size of Task After
War; Criticizes WILSON for
Delaying Reconstruction

From. The Tribuue's Washington bureau
WASHINGTON, Sept. 21.-- Surveying
the work of the Sixty seventh Congress
in the customary Swan song" that
/ marks the death Of session. Republi-
can Leader MondeIl declared to-day
that almost continuous sittitgs during
the last eighteen months have brought
enactment Of al unprecedented volume
of public business.
4 total Of 497 laws have been placed
upon the statute books, of which 1913
are public and ia private measures.
This, he pointed out, is at the rate OF
/ II laws legislative day.
1.-THE DO Nothing Congress- as some
Of its critics stupidity persist in char
acterizing it, has proven to be the Con
gress that has done more in the same
I length OF time than any other" said
Mr. MonGel in opening his review.
The House of Representatives., said
the majority leader, far outstripped the
Senate and has passed 249 bills, in
addition to those acted upon IN the
up er h. a@&h. or these, i4J are pabllc
and i09 private.
ITO secure the perspective from
which inteligently to view the outlook
Of to-day the country should begin
with the Sixty-sixth Congress, Republi-
tinued pointing out that only in this
way can the true proportions of the
savings in public expenditures be ap-
precated.
"When that Republican Congress
met, six months had passed since the
signing of the armistice, but we were
just reaching the peak of our war
expenditures. In the fiscal year then
drawing toward it's close, the total eX
pendtures of the government were
SIS, $50 900, 000-a sum greater than our
total government expenditures in the
thirty years preceding the outbreak Of
the European war. The total gross
public debt of the United States had
risen from the sum of a little over
81 000 000,0 900 at the outbreak of the
war to the stupendous sum Of almost
500 000'G00,0 900.
eve were still technically ard Of
ficially at war. The railroads were
still being operated by the government
at cost to the taxpayer Of nearly
$2,000,000 day, with high rates and
poor service. The telegraph and tele-
phone lines were still under the public
control. The war laws were still upon
the statute books. More than 100000
100000 Of the peoples money had been
expended since the war began, more
money than Che government had spent
in all the years since the Civil War.
Congress returned the railroads,
the telegraph, telephone and cable
lines to their owners; passed comprc-
hensivc legislation for the compensa-
ton, disqualification and vocational
training of the veterans ofsthe World
War; adopted the woman suffrage
amendment; placed on the statute
Books Il comnletc and comprehensive ma
tional prohibition law; enacted the gem
cral leasing and water power Gets; the
civil service retirement act; the act for
the relief Of those disabled IN in
dustry; the army reorganization act,
and other constructive measures too
numerous to mention.
Congress passed the ouGget act
only to meet with a Presidential veto.
1t attempted to restore a condition or
official peace with a like result and
even a resolution repeating the war
laws, attempting to restore constitu
tional conditions of government, failed
because President drunk with power
refused, year after the war was over,
to surrender one iota of his eXtraordi-
nary and despotic power.
This SiXty-seventh Congress, which