Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1922-03-17
A YEAR OF CONGRESS.
.(New York Times

- NNeW fork I1meS.)
ne iSixty-seventh Congress is Just
finishing the first half of its term OF
Office. Comparing what it has done,
and the general impression it has
made, with what was expected of IL
and predicted for it year ago. H.,
record must be set down as dis.
couragingly poor. 1t began its WORK
with large Republican majority M
Doth House and Senate. Flushed with
almost unprecedented victory in rnu
previous November election. it was
confidently counted upon to do quick
~ and tremendously the constru,.
tive work which the needs of th.
country demanded and which the Re (.
publican Party had solemnly prom
= sed. But. as month after month sin.
ped past, it became more and NOR,
evident that the majority party in
Congress was rent by factions. wn,cp
grew more bitter as time went or
and the lack of united and forcib,e
leadership became more acutely felt
The result has been the dismal ant.
depressing succession of Legislative
failures and delays, divisions in par.
ty councils, with growing impress
sion of bewilderment and hopeful-
ness. Every fair test of public opin
ion which can be made shows tina,
this Congress has made itself wide
ly and intensely unpopular. A de.
gree of disli';e and distrust has been
generated which would have seem.
cd utterly incredible if any ono had
prophesied it on March a, 1921.
II is ungracious to specify the de.
tails, vet it is necessary to touch up.
on them. Passing by the taxation
fiasco, consider the middle which has
been made of that great Republican
specialty-the tariff. Last April til
work of producing the new schedules
was proudly undertaken. 1t was to
be one of the earliest chapters in the
program of achievement. But what
was the result? The final enactment
by the House of the Fordney bill, So
obnoxious in many of its provisions.
so unavoidable and unsettling in sew
eral of it's administrative, sections.
that the Senate took fright and has
kept the whole thing locked up in it,;
closet until the present day. Mean
while, the revision of the revised
tariff which the Senate set about
making has itself fallen upon evil
days. Senators disagree with. each
other about various details. and ev-
en- moro violently with the House.
Angry and defiant messages have
passed back and forth between the
Senate Finance Committee and tho
Ways and Means Committee of the
House. Thus, after nearly year,
nothing has been done and the bust
ness world is left in ovcr-incrcasing
uncertainty and evaporation. One
would hardly need to look further
for the causes of the unpopularity
of this Congress.
The seal of Condemnation, how.
ever, has been placed upon it in re-
cent weeks. Its action, or inability III
act, in the matter of the soldiers
bonus, has left it with few defend
crs throughout the country. Such
vacillation, such timidity, such pull.
ing and hauling in opposite direc-
tions, such display of incompe
leadership never sure of its own
mind for. two days in succession !,
have seldom been witnessed in our
public life. Whatever one thinks of
the merits of the main question.
there can hardly, be two opinions
about the way in which Congress mas
faced it. Whether the bonus is righr
or wrong, Congress has been IN.
questionably wrong in its way OF
dealing with it. 1t has neither given
the people lead nor been willing tn
take lead with them. It's attitude
has been throughout most dispinl-
ing because it has been that of COW