Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-05-14
a DEPRESSING FEATURE

A DEPRESSING FEATURE
Senator Smoot declares the rev.
enue bill In its present shape would
fail by one hundred and fifty mil
lions TO supply necessary revenue.
The New York Times, Independent
Democrat in its politics, editorially
states that: "The Democrats In
Congress have made no concealment
of their purpose to play politics
with tho tax bill. But the question
Il whether they have not been play
ing the wrong kind of politics"
With some Of us the question Is:
What are our hired men doing out
there in Washington? Did we send
them there to play politics?'
Making due allowances for human
nature and it's short comings we yet
have a profound grievance that the
pressing work we sent them to do Is
not being done; such relief as is
within their power to give they are
not giving but on the contrary are
preventing it being given.
Perhaps the most depressing
feature Of all this is that no one
expects anything different. What
has come over us that we assume
Congress will play politics" and let
the work slide? Is 1t possible we
. have believed all bad things the
Democrats have said about the Re-
publicans and all the bad things the
Republicans have said about the
Democrats, emitting mention OF all
the bad things the sore headed"
factionists say from force of habit?
1t would seem so, for no one expects
anything else.
Here is Nicholson, Washington
correspondent of the Democratic
New York World. telling us what
the Democrats are trying to do,
and he speaks not in criticism: ;
1.-The Democrats are counting on
President Coolidge's prospective
vetoes Of the a Haughan- McNary
farmers aid bill and of the Barclay
measure abolishing the Railroad
Labor Board, and of the tax bill ex-
pected to be put over by the Demo-
Gratis and the Republican insurgents
to swell the LaFollette vote to
proportions fatal to Mr.. Coolidge.
They are hoping he will also have
to veto the Japanese exclusion
measure and therefore blast him
= self on the Pacific Coast.
IF the President Is able to
smanoeuvre Congress around to
where most of these bills will be
: n %, I'm
. them without joopardizing the con-
servative vote OF the East, which
must be the backbone of his
strength, the Democrats still hope
that tho manifestation of unfriend-
Illness to these policies on which
! the Republican rebels have centred
| will be enough to cost the President
+, the Western and Middle Western
vote he must have to win.
Cautiously enough. the oil
, scandals and the Daugherty bust
, ness that were depended on to cook
+. the Republican goose no longer seem
Used. The Republicans in the Sem
ate have quite recovered from their
panic; the Coolidge progress. cul-
minating in the defeat of Hiram
johnson in his own State, has con-
WINGED them that they have moth
ing to fear because of Secretary
Faf. II the Teapot Dome explosions
had come now instead of three
months ago. there would have been
no need to conduct an election, for
IT would have been all over.
.AfcAdoo's recovery from the ef-
fects of the Doheny retainers is
evidence along the same line. as
showing the passing of the shock
of those disclosures. His enemies
may not like to admit 1t. but the
primary elections show that he is as
strong now as he was when the
blow fcll.s
1t Is depressing to think OF the
promise OF taxation relief with
Which this Congress began and now
to realize that 1t has instead tried
in every way to add to the burden
of,taxation: that It manifests no
enthusiasm except for spending the
taxpayers money for schemes
which the congressman think may
help them to few votes. 1t would
be cheaper IL Congress appropriated
a big sum to substitute those votes
than the methods now in force.
Surely Congress has a mighty poor
opinion OF the intelligence of the
folks back home--or does It con-
clude the people can't help them
selves?
This feature Of the situation Is all
the more depressing because there
is great need to inspire public con-
ffdei1ce In public servants. Con-
gressmen themselves need such con-
fidance In order to give OF their
best effort. Much hard work is done
by many in Congress. work which
merits appreciation. All this Is
being lost to sight in the spectacle
Of Congress frantically clutching at
this or that political makeshift in
. panic that is shameful. sordid and
contemnffhle 49,