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Show INCOMPETENCY. As generally predicted, the Democrats of the national senate have failed to agree upon a legislative programme for the remainder of the session, and little or nothing is to be expected in the way of laws that will bo of benefit to the nation. Democratic incompetency was never so evident as at the present. With a clear majority of a dozen or more votes, they are unable to do any more than pass appropriation bills carrying car-rying amounts far in excess of all requirements. re-quirements. There is uo possible excuse for tho majority party in congress, the members of which have "sinned away their day of grace'' and are now about to practically confess their shortcomings shortcom-ings by failure to pass much-needed laws. It will be remembered that Speaker Champ Clark, who has served a score of years in congress, urged at the opening open-ing of the session that the usual holiday holi-day recess be omitted in order that the senate and house might .buckle down to work and make some kind of a showing. show-ing. His advice fell upon deaf ears, and although congress had been in session only two or three weeks, the members insisted upon making merry while the business which they are elected to transact trans-act accumulated. Now only four or fivQ weeks remain and the time is too short to accomplish anything. The business interests of the country have confidently expected that the Webb bill, which provides for co-operative selling agencies abroad and gives American exporters an equal chance with the foreigners, would pass the senate and become a law f before the fourth of March, but it seems that the Democratic majority in the upper chamber cham-ber of congress has consented to the slaughter of fins highly important measure, and our foreign trade will continue con-tinue to be handicapped by antitrust j laws which evidently were not intended by their authors to apply. There are other highly important bills iu the list upon which the Democratic senators do not agree, and the party in power is open to the charge of committing sins of omission as well as commission. |