THE CONGRESS: Democracy

A time-honored tradition of Congress is: “never do today what you can put off till tomorrow.” Even the most earnest Congressional freshman learns in jig-time that almost nothing in a democracy is actually urgent business.* Many a Congressional oldster has become a solid statesman by eternally delaying legislation.

To the vast impatience of many U. S. citizens, the bumbling House last week thus took up the problem of Finnish aid, in exactly the same manner and tempo in which the bumbling Senate had passed it, 49-27. The bumbling House Banking & Currency Committee began hearings. As in the Senate, no one seemed to feel that civilization (in the shape of Finland) was approaching the zero-hour. Representatives, who are told almost daily by lobbyists, constituents and each other that civilization is imperiled unless such-&-such a bill passes, went on yawning, grooming their noses, reading the comics. Their equanimity drove editorial writers almost crazy. Even the New York Times, which often urges more careful and thorough study of legislation, inveighs against speeding up the legislative process, permitted itself a brief, sarcastic leading editorial pointing out that a month had elapsed since the President had asked for the legislation.

In Finland, the Russians cracked the Mannerheim Line, took Summa, went for Viipuri, headed into the vulnerable vitals of the little country (see p. 30}. The man who will pay out the money to Finland (if & when), Jesse H. Jones, Federal Loan Administrator, famous poker-player, veiled his ice-cold eyes sleepily, told the House committee: Finland is a good risk.

Still the House took its time, bumbling along in its inefficient, democratic way—comforting itself somehow with the theory that, if civilization collapsed, at least the U. S. would save $20,000,000.

— Among the few exceptions: Franklin Roosevelt’s Hundred Days of rubber-stamp legislation, 1933; pork-barrel appropriation bills.