Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-11-28
THE slxTY.gloHTH CONGRESS

{ THE SlxTY.EiGHTA CONGRESS
The sixty-eighth Congress will get
together under the dome Of the ma
,tional Capitol next Monday. It will
meet under the hypnotic spell of the
1924 political campaigns; eyes that
should see straight will be blinking
In the dust of the political arena. A
Republican administration may rec
commend, but that probably is as
far As it may be held accountable
for whatever the ty-eighth Con-
gress may do. The Democratic party
il in a position to resort to the tao
tics which have come to be expected
Of the minority party striving to be-
come the majority party, namely pre-
vent the other party from accom-
plishing anything useful.
- Nominally the Senate is divided
'thusly: 81 Republicans, AZ Demo-
Gratis, 2 Farmer Labor. This how
ever is confusing; the Republicans
have no such actual majority, as
Borah, Brookhart, Frazier, Ladd and
Norris are written down as Re-
publicans but are no more so than
II Bryan, himself. And there is La
Toilette who knows no party obliga-
ton. being true-or trying to be-
only to Lafollette. He controls the
Wisconsin delega ton Of eleventh the
House and Is in position by means of
trading to control that body. Under
such an arrangement he undoubtedly
will endeavor to get the Esch- Cum
minis railroad law repealed, obtain
recognition Of the Russian Soviet,
j., take from the Supreme Court and
place in the keeping of Congress the
power to decide whether q law is. or
10 not constitutional, and possibly
seek to hx minimum price for
wheat, not to mention many other
things.
Into this hodge -podge of LaFollette,
rm-labor, Ku Klux, Of vets and
'drys, are to be thrown such problems
as tax reform, q soldiers bonus, the
framing Of an adequate immigration
law, Ford's bid for Muscle Shoals,
the proposed waterway Of the Great
lakes and the st. Lawrence, a kind
Of mixture of oil and water, sulphuric
acid, gasoline and short-circuits.
Surely If this sort of thing is to con-
tinue and we wish to fix party RES
possibility 1t will have to be placed,
not on the party nominally in power
but actually at the mercy Of rege-
nades manipulated by the leadership
in the minority party, but ON the lat
ter. This would be true were con-
ditions reversed and the Republican
instead Ct the Democratic party in
the minority and bent on mischief.
Treasurer Mellon has shown a way
by which taxes may be reduced;
does anyone expect his suggestion
to be adopted? II SO they have not
made themselves audible. One
), Clique, or bloc, wants to reduce still
!, further and If successful would be
instrumental in Gripping the Gov
eminent; another wants to reduce
part Of the taxes and increase others,
gsuch as excess profits tax and the
surtax. And 90 the merry fight will
go on and the onlooker will become
+, 50 confused that he will be unable to
, to distinguish right from wrong I'M
til the returns from the results come
in, and by that time the sixty eighth
!. Congress will have gone home. This
does not mean there IL no excellence
and patriotism among the members
Ct this distinguished body, but rather
,that the regulator, party responsible
1ty 10 out Of fix, and there is appar-
ent no disposition to amend 1t or
substitute its equivalent. 1t il to be
hoped that much good will come out
.,of 1t all. but the uncertainty, the
wasted energy and wind which will
'bs required and the amount Of make
!, shift stun that is likely to be put
forth are not encouraging.
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