The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1924-01-03
WASHINGTON LETTER
By WILLIAM L. DALEY
National Editorial Association
Special to Sank Centre Herald


Washington, Jan. Politically,
the year of 1924 will be '1eap year"
with all its trimmings. There is no
scarcity of ambitious individuals
who will sue for popular favor at
the polls. Members of Congress,
returning from the holiday recess,
are. doubly conscious of their re-
sponsibilities for the failures of the
legislative body. The folks back
home have conveyed the impression
to their representatives that they
are quite competent of thinking for
themselves and will instruct, rather
than be told, what legislation is
good for them. AS Disraeli, the
English statesman said, "there is no
gambling like politics" and the aver
age congressman knows the uncer-
tainty of human preferences.
o.
President Coolidge has charted a
course which he believes to be prop
er for the publics welfare. Congress
has other ideas. 1t is seldom that the
views of the executive and legislative
branches of the federal government
concide. Non-partisan observers say
that the new year finds the President
strongly entrenched behind program
which met with nationwide approval,
especially the tax-reduction features.
At present he is the strongest candi-
date for the Republican nomination
for the Presidency for obvious rea-
sons. Congress, on the other hand,
is regarded by many as an incubus on
the taxpayers. The early sessions,
marked by respect of the public in
this so--called representative assem-
blage. The Congress is now faced
with a dilemma of tax reduction or
the bonus. 1t is generally believed
that the Senate and House will not
get down to hard-pan on legislative
measures until February. Meanwhile,
they will jockey for position to in
sure party ascendancy next Novem-
Der.
The feeling prevails throughot the
country that Congress should devote
more time to the enactment of con-
structive legislation. The usual cpl
-demic of congressional investigation
has broken out. These affairs are
usually expensive in time and money
and invariably prove non-productive.
Goethe has ably described the situa-
ton in declaring that "the most OBJ
jectionable people are the quibbling
investigators and the crotchety theo-
rists". Several resolutions are now
pending in the House and Senate for
Investigations into various problems.
If any of these proposed inquiries
are authorized, the chief beneficiary
will be the public stenorgaphers who
are paid at the rate of 1.25 per page
for taking volumes of testimony. His
tory shows that the financial report
of the congressional investigating
committee generally provokes one
day sensation and is as promptly
forgotten.
There is a joint resolution intro
duced by Representative Magee, of
New York, now before the House
committee on the Judiciary, which
will probably go the way Of good in
tentions. 1t provides for an amend
ment to the Constitution empowering
the President to veto anv item or
items Of bill making or authorizing
an appropriation while approving of
other portions Of the bill. That this
measure viii meet its end in commit
tee is obvious for two reasons. First,
sentiment is against tinkering with
the Constitution, but above all, the