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Show TIME SLIPPING AWAY. If congress is to adjourn before the national conventions only four weeks remain at the disposal of the legislators in which to pass a number of important measures in addition to the regular supply sup-ply bills. Circumlocution as described by Charles Dickens was a remarkably fast process when compared with the congressional method of transacting public business. The senators and representatives rep-resentatives assemble in Washington.' such of them as do not live there, on the first Monday in December and listen to the reading of the president's message. mes-sage. If it is a new congress organization organiza-tion is perfected by the election of presiding officers and committees are appointed in course of time. Thousands of bills are introduced and after a little preliminary skirmishing, during which we hear much about what congress is going to do, the senators and representatives represen-tatives go home for tho holidays. No hits and no runs, if we use the baseball score-card. The members get together again some time after the dawn of the new year and we are always told that at last congress is going to ' ' get down to business. ' ' Getting down to business we soon learn consists of each senator and representative representa-tive tryiug to work some bill through for the benefit of his own constituents and in making flamboyant speeches on patriotism and the willingness of the member to go forth with Samson 's weapon and slay countless thousands of imaginary enemies of his country. Legislation Leg-islation for the benefit of tho people of the United States as a whole is neglected neg-lected in the meantime and the days and weeks and months slip by. The sultry days of summer soou arrive and then it is too hot to legislate and in off years the statesmen hie them to the mountain and seaside resorts or go upon junketing ocean voyages at tho expense of the government-. Most of the impor tant measures they enact into law aix put through in the last two weeks o" the session in feverish haste and it quiU frequently happens that tho most impor tant bills "go over until next winter,' when the process is repeated. The present congress is no exeeption to t ho rule. The long session is drawing to a close and tho politicians are anxioiu-to anxioiu-to go homo and try to impress the voteo with an exaggerated notion of the importance im-portance of their representatives at the national capital. So we may look forward for-ward to the end of the present session of congress at the end of May, the four intervening weeks being principally devoted de-voted to political harraugues and the a: a '.v in g of plans for the presidential a mpaign, which promises to be long, windy and tiresome. If the appropriation bills are passed little else is to be 'expected. 'ex-pected. Then the legislative mills close down for the summer and the record of what has been accomplished is made up, By that time everyone will lie excited tviT the eon vent ions and the inefficiency ineffici-ency of the legi-d;t'or will quickly pass from the public mind when the hurrah begins and the people ox the country are tagged by one great party or the other and herded up to tho polls as partisans instead of being allowed to exercise the right of suffrage as sober-minded, conscientious con-scientious citizens. In the hubbub a large number of representatives will get by and return to Washington to repeat their past performances. There has been a whole lot of talk of "preparedness'' "prepared-ness'' during the past few mouths. What does congress propose to do about it before adjourningt Is it a question of national defense or politics? |
