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Show DISCIPLINE IN CONGRESS. In an interview with a New York Times correspondent, Speaker John Garner, of the national house of representatives, rep-resentatives, in explaining the present pres-ent theory used in governing the house, is quoted as stating that the days of the Speaker-czars are over, and as asking the question, "If the house is not permitted to work its will, what is there left of representa-1 representa-1 tive government?" In view of the pitiable plight which the house has found itself in on frequent occasions during he speakership of Mr. Garner it might be well to ask what is left of representative repre-sentative government, anyhow? Certainly with Mr. Garner having lost complete control of his majority on occasions, with the members of the house running wild, kicking holes through the legislative program and emasculating the constructive legislation legisla-tion brought before it, we have had anything but representative government. govern-ment. The theory of representative government gov-ernment is that the members of congress con-gress and the senate are delegates of the people, sent to W ashington to express ex-press in legislation the will of the ! people. Yet we doubt whether even Mr. Garner would assert that the things which have gone on in con- ' gress during the past few weeks be- j cause of a lack of majority leadership, leader-ship, have expressed the will of the ! people or had anything to do with ! representative government. I What seems to be overlooked is the fact that in the United States popular government is expressed through po- litical parties, and when a party has a working majority in congress it has a responsibility for carrying out the will of people as entrusted to it through the elections. In order that the will of the people be thus expressed ex-pressed there must be party discipline and party organization in congress. This can only be brought about through strong leadership, call it czardom or what you please. In running run-ning wild because of lack of firm direction di-rection congress is not expressing the will of the people nor is it exemplifying exemplify-ing the principles of. representative government. During the past several administrations adminis-trations when the republicans had a working majority in the house and during the Wilson administration, when the democrats had a house majority, ma-jority, there was no running amuck. There was strong, heady leaderships and things were accomplished. It is barely possible that a little czardom on the part of Mr. Garner at this time would add to rather than ds-tract ds-tract from the possibilities of representative repre-sentative government. It is not merely mere-ly a question of meaning- well, of intending in-tending to do the right thing. What is needed is getting the right thing clone, and that usually takes discipline disci-pline and efficient organization. |