Montgomery County sentinel., 1935-08-08
WA5HIN GT0N. D.


suited to those people. Each year con-
gress has been appropriating thou
sands of dollars for the island govern
ment and each year there has been
miserably little in the way of improve
ment to show for these funds.
Almost as frequently as congress has
appropriated money it has made
changes in the administration meth
DDS in use there. There has never
been long term program laid out and
| there has been nothing whatsoever
done showing the sympathy Of So
called intellectual people as we claim
to be for those downtrodden masses
that populate the Virgin islands.
All Of this, it seems to me, shows
the woeful need for careful considera-
ton Of that situation. 1t seems to me
equally apparent that as long as con-
gress keeps meddling in and as long as
politicians from the mainland are sent
there purely on political basis we
will continue to have pack Of trouble
bundled up in those Virgin islands.
Several attempts have been made to
work out governmental system worth
while but the politicians are not among
those who will let plums escape. 1t Is
certain, therefore, that the Pearson
MISUNDERSTANDING battle royal is an
outcropping of what amounts to a
fostering sore in American govern
mental policy.
If congress continues in session past
August Is, and it is now apparent that
1t may run to Sep
Long Session tember 1, 1t will have
Severe Strain been in session 225
days, some two
weeks longer than the average of the
so-called long sessions of congress.
Prior to adoption of the "lame duck'
amendment which did away with ses-
sions of unequal length, the shorter
sessions Of congress averaged about
40 days. The longer terms were
around 215 days before final adjourn
ment was taken. Thus, the current
session stands in a fair way to be
among the list of hardy sessions.
All of which is by way Of saying
that the current session of congress
has worn down its members both
physically and mentally to an extent
quite unusual. I was talking a few
days ago with a veteran senator, a
man who has served almost 25 years
in the upper house of congress. He Is
known as a physically strong indi-
vidual and usually lasts very well
through the work that piles up before
senators and representives. / inquired
Of him concerning the general health
of congress and his reply was:
II regret to say we are just a bunch
Of debilitated old men, incapable Of
doing the job that is expected of us
and everyone is hoping against hope
that we can live through this work and
this heat"
AS a result of that conversation the
thought came to me that here was an
answer to the oft repeated declaration
that members Of congress fail to earn
their salaries of $4,000 per year.
have observed congressional proceed
ings almost score of years and 1t is
my mature conviction that few times
in that period has congress failed to
earn its salt.
There Is another reason why con-
gressional sessions should not run so
long and should not
When Sotons be carried on in the
Are Tired intense heat of a
Washington summer.
One condition nearly always has OBJ
tained near the close of a long ses-
sion. AS the days drag by, persons
with axes to grind and individual in
terests to serve have q way of digging
up questionable bills that heretofore
had been 'side-tracked and assumed to
be dead. With resistance low, the
average senator or representative is
unable to fight off legislation which he
knows to be bad with the same spirit
that accompanied his activities earlier
in the session. Likewise, he Is unable
to battle as successfully as before for
legislation which he knows to be good.
This condition opens the way for
a revival Of lobbies. They are back
in Washington in numbers now despite
the disclosures being made by the two
congressional committees that are in
vestigating the lobbies that operated to
defeat, temporarily at least, the legis-
latiOn killing utility holding COM
panies. One would have assumed
justly with the Investigations under
way after the utility legislation was
passed that lobbyists and self-serving
representatives would have been
frightened away from Washington.
Such was not the case. They are here
in such numbers that some observers
believe Mr.. Roosevelt has made a mis-
take In demanding that congress stay
until 1t has enacted the share-the-
wealth-tax bill and the legislation
which will prohibit lawsuits agalns.
the government for damages resulting
from abrogation of the promise in gov.
ernment hOnds IN nav fhpm I'm pold