The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1923-01-03

called the progressive or radical lac
tion In house and senate.
Word has it in Washington that the
administration will contend valiant
ly against some of the proposals of
the opposing factions among the law
makers, while being willing to COM
promise, if that is the right word, on
certain other proposals. In fact. as
has been said before this, the friends
of the administration declare. ii had
formulated some Legislation. of the
kind which the 'biocs' desire. and
had done it before the blocs had made
their wishes known in he case.
OF course the legislation which the
President has in mind does not meet
in full the demands of those who
would carry the same legislation to a
greater extreme, but the whole thing
goes to show hat the administration
will fight hard against certain PROPOSE
tions, while being willing to meet
others something more than half way.
1t was the agricultural committee
Va the Sclldlt Which, iLPOlitu a lGSDAu-
ton providing for the election of the
President by direct vote of the peo-
pie and for the abolition of the cleo
toral college. The resolution also pro
yldes for the inauguration of the Pres
ident on the first Monday in January.
of a newly elected congress in the
same month. These things the admin
lstration will fight.
Changes Would Require Time.
OF. course these changes will re-
quire amendments to the Constitution
of the United States, and it will be a
long time before they can be put into
effect, even If the requisite majority
of the states of the Union today are
willing to give their approval.
The Presidents view, as it Is set
forth by one who knows it, seems to
be that one Of the greatest of in
spirations that came to the founding
fathers-the makers of the Consiitu-
tion-led to the provision that congress
be elected one year and assembled u
year later, when passions that ha e
been aroused might have time to cool
and the people given opportunity to
deliberate"
The proponents of the plan to
have a new congress meet Immediately
after. it is elected hold that, the peo-
pie having expressed their will. there
should be no delay in giving the rep
resentatives&o that Will the oppor-
tunity to direct legislation.
There will be a hard fight over the
adoption of a resolution to prepare the
way for three constitutional amend
ments. The resolution was drafted
by Representative Norris of Nebraska.
1t went TO the calendar of the SEN
ate and it will be called up and debated
at the first opportunity. There will
be an alignment of forces and some
thing of the nature of a battle royal
as the bromide has it.
immigration Up Again.
immigration again has thrust itself
into the ring of debate Whenever i'm
migration is discussed the ring of de-
bate becomes in nature something ap-
preaching the so-called squared circle
of the prize ring. Members of con-
gress do not come to fsticuffs over
anything except on the rarest 2ca-
al
ways arbuses racial and religious
prejudiees and other kinds of preju-
diees, too, for that matter, and the
scenes attending congressional debate
are apt TO be. to put it mildly. lively
in the extreme.
1t is held by a good many members
of congress that there are some defects
in the Immigration laws, laws which
are surprised to stand as they are for
another wear and a half. There are
those who desire tn let down the bars
so that certain kinds of industry can
be supplied with day laborers, and
there are others who would let down
the bars because they want more PEG.
pie of their racial stock to enter the
United States.
Labor Is against increased immigra-
ton, while to some extent the farmers
are said to be in favor of it because
most of the immigrants go to the cities
to TAXI up work, thereby helping a
little to keep farm laborers at their
work in the country districts. A ses-
sion of congress in which immigration
is not mentioned is a rare session in