Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-03-04
CONGRESS- RECORD
PRAISED BY T|LSON
Leader Points to Tax Cut
and Other Legislation.
Lauds Democrats.

The extraordinary record of the
| present Congress for better perform
| ance of things worth while being
done" was laid before the House in
| the closing hour of the Sixty-ninth
| Congress today by House Leader
| Tilson.
| He thanked his Republican col
| leagues for their help and compl'
mented the Democratic side for help
full cooperation in all matters Of
| non-partisan character"
! In summarizing some Of the more
important pieces Of legislation, Mr..
| Tilson admitted that the farm relief
problem remains unsolved, but said
| this is due largely to the inherent
difficulties Of the problem.
Not One-Man Job.
He said, in part:
| 1.-THE Sixty ninth Congress is about
| to pass into history. Before it
| passes, | wish first to thank per-
sonally all the members of the House
| for their uniform courtesy and kind
ness to me during the past two years.
! To my colleagues on my own side
| of the House are due my thanks, not
only for their personal courtesy and
kindness. but also for their wiling
ness to bear their share OF the re-
sponsibility that always attaches TO
the party in power. This Is not a
one man job and no man could DO
1t satisfactorily to all. BY teamwork
much has been and can be achieved.
"My thanks also are due to my
colleagues of the minority for their
considerate self-restraint in refrain
ing from placing obstacles in the
way and, in fact, for the cordial good
will they always have manifested to-
ward me. The distinguished minority
leader. the gentleman from Tonnes
see. Mr.. Garnet, has in my Judg-
ment, correctly interpreted the senti-
ment of his side of the House IN
giving me the most helpful cooper
alton for the orderly dispatch of the
business of this House in all things
OF a non partisan character. 1t was
clear that the f1libustering episode of
yesterday was entirely partisan.
Praises Legislative Record.
| "Few Congresses have come and
| gone leaving a record of better per-
formances for things worth while be-
| ing done. In the election of 1924. at
which the present Congress was
chosen, the outstanding questions be-
| fore the public were tax reduction,
continued economy in the administra-
| ton of public affairs and an emphatic
opposition to radical proposals of
changes In Government. There can
| be no doubt that the large vote for
| President Coolidge and the substantial
Republican majority In Congress then
elected were the direct outcome of the
| consideration of these questions by the
| people and the resulting actioh ny lhe
voters.
Weeks before this Congress first
convened, the members of the commit
| tee on ways and means met informally
and by the first Monday in December,
| 1925, were ready to report the tax re-
duction bill so satisfactorily that in
the light of the preceding election
even our Democratic friends round
themselves willing to join with us In
it's passage. The bill became law
the early part of 1926, and in its oper-
alton has fully justified all the good
things predicted of it, thereby scoring
n record of genuine approval rarely
| accorded to any legislation.
Must Guard Treasury.
"Only once in a while is 1t possible
and practicable to reduce taxes, but
| the urge and insistence for increases
| in the expenditure OF pubic moneys
are never slackened. 1t is therefore
necessary to guard necessarily against
assaults upon the Treasury, and this
is far more difficult work than reduc-
ing taxes. During the two sessions of
| this Congress, the great supply bills
have been most carefully CONSIDERED
| first by the great appropriations com
mittee and then by the House Itself
| The great chairman or the appropfla'
| ton committee, Mr. Madden, always
| calls his committee together weeks
-. inc CnnpraGS I'm
| order to prepare the great supply bills
cooperating loyalty with the bud
get. though sometimes reducing and
! sometimes exceeding its recommen
| dations. on the whole the approprla'
| lions committee and the House nave
| gone below, rather than above the
| budget estimates.
Avoided New Taxes.
| "Of even greater Importance than
| tax reduction, or its corollary. care In
| making expenditures, is the restraint
upon unnecessary authorizations that
has been exercised during the two SEES
sions of this Congress. Great mas
been the pressure for legislation In
volving the ultimate expenditure OF
untold millions. Many of the propos
ais have been of the most attractive
character, such as would have pleased
|
which would have made in the ag
gregate not only a deficit in the
Treasury, but would have necessi
tated the immediate imposition OF
| new taxes.
"All of these insistent demands
have been studied carefully and such
as have appeared wise or necessary
have been acceded to. but by far the
greater part of them die either In
| committees or on the calendar as
this Congress expires.
Too Much Legislation.
"No Congress should be judged by
the quantity Of legislation 1t produces
AS q rule there is too much rather
than too little Legislation. 1t would
be a much safer criterion TO judge
the work of Congress by the number
of bills dying at the end Of the Con
gress than by the number of laws
enacted. With the exception OF private