Evening star., 1934-01-06
The Record.

publication which that body sponsors
and maintains-the Congressional
Record. OF course, no one ever has
time to read its entire contents, but,
like certain of the great classic works
of literature, it may be opened at
random and dipped into with i'm
punity. If occasional critics judge it
dry and dull in spots, they need but
to turn the page to discover material
vivid and colorful enough to crafty
even the most fastidious taste. Every
thing-rehgion and philosophy, his
tory and economics, sociology and
science, poetry and drama-flnds its
way into the day-to-day periodical
which mirrors the psychological char
acter and intelligence of the Senate
and House. Its proper subtitle might
be: Something for Everybody.
Consider the second issue Of Volume
78; it opens with an inspiring prayer
by the Senate chaplain, the Rev. DR..
Ze Barney T. Phillips. There follows
the budget message of the President,
then a list of annual reports from
department and bureau chiefs legion In
number. Several score of petitions and
memorials on the proposed child labor
amendment are next in line, and half
a dozen pages of communications deal
ing with the ratification of the repeal
amendment are presented. Relief OF
unemployment and social insurance, a
survey of conditions among Indians Of
the United States, proposed Federal
anti-lynching legislation, amendment OF
antitrust laws, regulation Of food and
drugs, restoration of pay of Government
employees, restoration of veterans bene-
fits, foreign debts, limitation Of income
and wealth, taxation of income from
United States securities, proposed
abolition of the electoral college, evasion
of tax payments, Soviet propaganda In
the United States and the Presidents
silver proclamation were among the
subjects given momentary consideration
before the Senate adjourned after an
hour and sixteen minutes in session.
The House was no less active. The
Record reports the prayer Of its chap
lain, the Rev. DR.. James Shera Mont
gomery; then the Presidents budget
message again. The remainder of the
days energies were devoted to thirty
pages of debate on the liquor taxing bill
of 1894, the entire body sitting as the
Committee of the Whole House. Both
vets and drys would be advantaged by
careful reading of the argument, and
the average man would be moved to
wonder how on earth the legislators
obtained such marvellous knowledge OF
the inner workings of the wine and
whisky trades as they manifest in their
remarks.
But it is the appendix that is most
attractive. 1t begins with certain cor
respondence relative to the silver proc
lamation ratifying the London agree
ment,' printed at the request of Sena-
tor Key Pittman. Then comes an ad-
dress on "the efforts Of government to
solve our economic problems" by Sena-
tor James F. Byrnes before the New
England Society Of Charleston, S. c.;
an article on "the case for bimetallism"
by former Senator Charles S. Thomas,
published at the request of Senator Will
liam H. King; a speech on Solving the
Philippine question" by Resident Com
missioner Camilo OSiaS; radio lecture
on Soviet propaganda" by Edward A.
Hayes, national commander of the
American Legion, and discussion of
"a proposed plebiscite when war threat
ems" by Representative James A. Frear.
Through the Record it is possible to
see into the mind of Nation. The
men and women who contribute" to 1t
are the agents of the electorate. They
reflect the ideals and convictions of
those who send them to Washington.
Their wit and humor, pathos and
bathos are authentic American phenom-
ena. If now and again they utter and
practice kind of wisdom, variety OF
sanity, that circumstance, also, is a
native credit. But good or bad, wise or
foolish, the Record will tell. That is
why the paper is worth inspection.