Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-01-24
MELVILLE STONE
HITS At CONGRESS

CHICAGO, Jan. Baskerville E.
Stone, formerly general manager of
the Associated Press, in an address
Saturday criticized parts of the con-
stitution of the United States as
| leaving this country without lead
er, and condemned the congress as
lacking men Of high caliber.
Mr.. Stone was guest of honor at
a banquet given by the Commercial
club. He prefaced his talk on Some
| Of Our Problems with the state.
ment that this was the first time he
had ever felt free in an address to
say exactly what he thought.
During the years I was general
manager of the Associated Press I
could not express myself on partisan
matters for fear some one would
think [ was representing the atti-
! tude of the Associated Press, which,
necessarily, has to remain non-par-
tisan and impartial in all Matters"
said Mr.. Stone. "Now that I no
| longer head that organization I can
say what 1 please
Constitution Unworkable -
Declaring that Germany, through
the war, had left us in world in
which it was almost impossible to
live, because of the many problems
which were resulting in chaos, Mr..
Sto1se suggested changes in the con-
stitution as remedies, saying it was
unavoidable because it provided three
equally co-ordinated branches of gov
ernment-the judicial, the executive
and the legislative. The judicial
dominated, he said.
Mr.. Stone said the relation of the
president to congress never had been
| settled and that consequently we
faced many complications.
II think every student of our sys-
tenn must agree that our national
congress is mot properly composed
nor it's authority properly defined"
he said. 1.-The seventeenth amend
ment providing for popular election
of senators certainly has not improv-
ed the personnel Of that body. 1t is
almost as difficult to name the con-
spicuous members of the senate as
to REPEAT the words of the national
anthem.
"And there is something very
wrong with the house. Its mem
bers all seem to have district minds.
There is no leadership in either house
instead there'is somthing well-nigh
akin to chaos.
FavOrs Reduced Wages
"Out of the confusion imposed by
a chaotic congress, party rule has
nearly disappeared at Washington
and a system of bloc control is de-
| veloping."
Mr.. Stone said that already one
found a farmers bloc, labor bloc, the
merchant, marine clamoring for a
subsidy and the American Legion for
| a bonus.
"That policy is a bold violation of
economic rules that are elemental
and almost child-like." 49,.
Mr., Stone said that labor must re-
duce it's wages and he opposed bo-
nus for farmers.
The farmers may have been wrong
ed through some of our legislation,
but they must not use that plea as
| a justification for dipping their
hands into the national treasury, for
| two wrongs never make a right, ne
said.
Among those present at the ban
Duet were H. v. Jones, Minneapolis
Journal; D. D. Moore, New Orleans
Times Picayune; Stuart H. Perry.
Adrian, Mich, Telegram and Times;
Gilbert H. Baker, Cleveland Plain
Dealer; John G. Shedd, George M.
Reynolds, Harold F. Mccormick, Cy-
rus H. Mccormick, Samuel FELTON,,
Hale Holden, Julius Rosenwald and
| DIR. Harry Pratt Judson.