Evening star., 1925-03-06
The Public Welfare Bill.


1t is hardly probable that the Vice
President had the District public well
fare bill in mind when he administered
Wednesdays vigorous lecture to the
Senate upon the impractical qualities
Of certain of it's rules. Yet so per-
fectly does the fate of that measure
exemplify those weaknesses in Senate
procedure against which he inveighed
that it might we'll have been delib-
erately selected to lend additional EN-
phasis to his abstract indictment.
The bill in question was in nowise
haphazard legislation, hastily drafted
to meet dubious need. 1t represented
the earnest, painstaking and practical
effort of duly appointed commission,
composed of Is admirably equipped
Washingtonians to apply urgently
needed reform to local public welfare
administration. The commission dur
ing the four months of its labors had
at its disposal the advice and aid Of
the Russell Sage Foundation. which Is
at least as we'll advised upon the the
ory and practice of welfare admins
tration as any organization in the
world. Every opportunity was af-
forded any one interested to state his
or her viewpoint upon the various
matters to be dealt with in the bill
and the completed measure was a sin
cere effort to reconcile conflicting
opinions wherever they arose.
\ minimum of opposition to the
provisions involved was expressed,
either before the commission or be-
fore the House or Senate committees
which later handled the bill. 1t was
favorably reported by each Of these
committees to its respective branch of
the Congress. 1t was unanimously
passed by the House. 1t was heartily
favored by Senator Ball, chairman of
the Senate District committee. and by
a vast majority of his confreres. Not
an intimation had been given that it
would fail Of passage in the Senate.
And then, in the closing days of the
session, it was done to death by the
quietly voiced and unexplained objec-
ton of a Senator to its introduction
under the reimbursement rule.
OF course, it is perfectly true that
this would have been impossible had
the bill been brought forward earlier,
when unanimous consent would not
have been required for action upon it.
OF course, it is perfectly true that the
measure might have been unwise
from Senator Gerrys individual view.
point And, of course, Senator Gerry's
Rhode Island constituents are not
overconcerned in the matter Of the
bill in question. But where one man.
provided he is willing to assume the
heavy moral responsibility for his ac-
ton, is in position to render utterly
futile the carefully considered judg-
ment of the duly appointed representa-
tives of a community of upward Of
400, 900, of the entire lower house of
Congress, of those Of his colleagues
charged with the study Of the meas
ure in question and of great major
ity of those other Senators to whose
attention the bill had been more or
less intently Understanding as
Vice President Dawes so bluntly put
1t, is being overlooked in the rights
of the American people as contrasted
with the rights of the individual Sena-
tor. .. -.
If Senator Gerry was led to his ac-
ton in the matter Of the District
public welfare bill by any local ad-
wiser, he was i'll advised. The COM
munity has been demonstrated heart
lily to favor the dill which he killed
and that type Of opposition which does
its work furtively rather than in the
open is never to be depended upon.
If he acted solely upon his own judg-
ment, he will, it is to be optimistically
anticipated, be given the opportunity
to vindieate his Judgment early in the
next regular session Of Congress. when
the bill will be reintroduced and the
Iaborious preliminary work be gone
over again. And If, when he shall have
at last disclosed the basis for his OBJ
lection to the bill, the bill passes the
Senate, the demonstration of the in
defensible nature of a rule which en-
abled him to, Illustrate much-to,be-
desired piece Of legislation will be COM
plete.