Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-29
By the Bo0kloUer.

Although Congress Is one of the
outstanding phenomena of the Capital
CITY and the people of Washington
nVe next door to the national IeSls-
latiVe machine, how clear are their
ideas of its functions and workings?
From day to day we observe 1t from
gallery. from the columns of the
newspapers or the Congressional
Record, but do We really comprehend
what it is all about? If we are
doubtful of our knowledge or under
standing of Congress. or if we should
like clearer Interpretation of Con
Bress by one in whom we may have
confidence, then we have prepared
for our purpose a little book by Repre-
sentative Robert Luce of Massachu-
sets. entitled Congress: An Elk
PLANTATION" The volume consists OF
five lectures given at Harvard Uni
versity on the Godkin Foundation, Mr..
Luce Is known as one of the most
scholarly and thoughtful members of
Congress. He had previously pub
lished under the general title THE
Science of Legislation" two volumes
with the specific titles Legislative
Procedure" and Legislative Assem-
blies." Two other volumes, not yet
published, are to bear the titles, re-
spectively, Legislative Principles"
and Legislative Problems. This
great work forms a necessary part
Of the library of the advanced stu
dent and the practitioner of Govern
ment, and will be found of interest to
many general reader. Those who
lack the time for the larger work
will find in the more recent and
smaller book much of the fruit of
it's authors ripened studies and wide
experience.
Mr.. Luces lectures bear the sue
cessive titles: THE Genesis of a
Statute" Laws and Exceptions"
Spending the Public Money" Lead
ership" and Criticism and Remedy"
Nowhere has the Booklover seen so
good a justification of the American
system of Government. providing for
separation Of powers between
President and Congress, as opposed
to the European system of cabinet
government, advocated by Woodrow
Wilson for the United States. In
view of Mr.. Luce's admission that
possibly Congress is in greater dis
favor today than at any previous
period in its history" his last chapter
will be of special interest. He points
out that this is a worldwide phenom-
enon, since all legislative assemblies
share in such unfavorable opinion
In this chapter he also analyses the
causes and tries to discover the
remedies. Among his points are that
nowhere has democracy brought about
the millennium, as men seemed to eX-
pect; that so.called popular education
has been superficial and too much
directed TO the abnormal, that the
newspapers have not been fair toward
the real work of Congress, that the
problems of Government constantly
multiply and become more complex
and that criticism showered upon
Congress has not led promising
'.oung men to choose public life Jas
a career. Among the remedies Of
fered are the prohibition of campaign
expenditures except as supplied by the
taxpayers, the keeping of good men
in office indefinitely, so that young
men may think of Government as a
career as honorable as that of
religion or medicine or any other al
truistic calling We shall presently
admit that it is as proper
to aspire to make laws as it long
has been to interpret laws. When
legislative schools stand on an equal
footing with law schools, the country
will have better law makers"
X +
One of Mr.. Luce's suggested rene
dies has special application to our
local situation. He points out that
one of the difficulties faced by Con-
gress is the minute detail into which
many laws go. He suggests that this
situation might in many cases be met
by the adoption of the plan used by
the British Parliament, known as the
provisional order system, by which
statutes are confined to general prin-
Ciples, and executive departments
are authorized to apply these prin-
ci~leS and work out the necessary
rules and regulations, subject to later
legislative annulment within speci-
fed time. Mr.. Luce thinks that such
a provisional order system would be
especially applicable to such matters
as the affairs of the District of Co
lumbia, bridge bills, pensions, correc-
ton of military records, much other
private legislation and the admins
trative details of revenue and bank
ing laws. He asks: What possible
objection could there be to applying
this system to the affairs of
the District of Columbia =? Alone
of all the cities in the land, it does
not govern itself. There are valid
and sufficient reasons for not giving
1t self-government. Congress should
and will control it's affairs. But it is
absurd that the initiative in many of
it's trivial matters should be confined
to a congressional committee. What
harm could result If ordinances and
budgets and the other details else
where intrusted to city councils
should here be prepared by the Dis
trict Commissioners or some group
eSnecially chosen for the purpose. to
take effect If not vetoed or modified
by Congress within a fixed time?'
Mr. Luce also suggests that the
iniatiating body might in Washing
ton consist of several hundred men
and women named from every kind
of serious organization in the city
that is, our citizens associations.
Working through an executive com
mittee, he says, with it's recommen-
dations passed upon by the full body.
the results ought to be a well-digested
program embodying the wishes of the
citizens as whole" This would
afford Congress worthwhile relief, he
says, since the House undertakes to
give to District matters two days a
month-"not enough for the District
and too much for the House .
The simple remedy is for Congress to
exercise only the veto power"
X X
Has the power of the white race In
the world begun to pass? Will it
become steadily less in the future?
These questions are answered af-
tirmatively by Maurice Muret in his
book. THE Twilight of the White
Races" He sees abundant evidence
that the Occident is going down before
the Orient, as Rome went down before
the northern barbarians, but he is
L., IL oh IL