The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-01-03
CONGRESSIONAL sIDEsTEPPINc

l Of the four topics recited by press dispatches as arousing political inter est among members of congress and likely to form the subject of initial and perhaps protracted debate, not one has any vital reference to the pub lie welfare. These four topics are: Sale of arms to the Mexican govern ment; our rejection of the recent soviet overture; charges that liquor is coming to foreign embassies at Wash ington in extraordinary quantities, and circumstances surrounding the recent Wall Street operations of the sons of General Wood. The sale of arms to Mexico does not transcend the powers of the president, nor is there any basis for general alarm on this score. Soviet overtures disregarded the un- varying policy of our state department under three presidents, and was vio- lative of the principles on which our diplomacy is founded. The alleged liquor importations of foreign embas- sies and the Wood operations are prop erly matters for our department of justice and of state to inquire into. In the matter of liquor violations, let those congressman that are without reproach in this connection cast the first stone at others.
 It would be especially embarrass. ing at this juncture to inject politics into our relations outside of the three mile limit. The pronunciamento of the De la Huerta faction, command ing that export duties on oil be paid to the revolutionary forces, while di- rected towards the American oil com panies, may involve our state depart ment, insofar as such imposts duplicate international relationships. De la Huerta. and his followers have no au- thority but that of force. Our gov ernment has entered upon a course with respect to Mexico. To involve that course in political controversy would be to embarrass our established relations, without contributing any thing to the solution of the problem. The American people would be very much chagrined to behold the spec tacle of our state department forced to give way to political pressure rather than left free to follow the dictates of international fairness and comity. /
 Congress has. before it program of imposing nature. It should not be allowed to turn its back upon this constructive task nor to fritter away it's time, as heretofore, on self-seek- ing concerns. Our chief law-making body has reached level of impotence that arouses thinking people to appre- hensive reflection. A glance at con- gressional accomplishments for the past two or three years discovers a sterility of action that has no defense. Those who hotly debate subjects in- jected for the deliberate purpose of confusing issues and turning congress aside to matters of no public moment are not deceiving, but are disgusting, the people of the United States. Os- tensibly, members of congress are elected to serve some definite public purpose; but, in the face of the most magnificent opportunity lawmaking body ever had, our congress has per sistently, and it seems almost deliber- ately, failed to achieve statutes of na- tional benefit.
 Inasmuch as the organized rebuke of the people is the thing the average man in public life would most dread, perhaps the people of this country can best serve themselves and their coun- try by presenting to congress unmis- takable evidence of popular disap- proval of do-nothing tactics. How or through what medium this may best be effected is difficult to say, but it is time congress were brought up with short turn, and made to serve the pub lie interest.