OUR DALLYING CONGRESS.

Something over a year ago the people of this country were looking toward peace as to the Millenium. The end of hostilities was to be the panacea for all wrong; the nation was to settle down, and with a clean slate start anew. The war had taught us lessons in patriotism, co-operation and economy. One of its dearly-bought advantages was to be a national house-cleaning. The old order was dead, and we were going through fire that a newer and cleaner order might arise from its ashes.

Thirteen months have passed since the last gun was fired; thirteen months of such chaos and social disorder as the world has never seen. "Peace! peace! they cry; but there is no peace." Wars and rumors of wars shake us as they never did before. We are now in the grip of a great coal famine, which, before it is past, will bring suffering to the highest as well as to the lowest. Its ramifications extend to every branch of our life; its crushing effect on industry makes vain every attempt to minimize its evil. Its paralyzing consequences are felt by the ships at sea and in the nations beyond the sea.

Is this the peace they promised us? Is it for this that men died? Hardly. The people responsible for this state of affairs will find that what was endured without complaint in war-time will not be so readily accepted now that the war is supposed to be history. There are legal ways to prevent such misfortunes as have come upon us during the past year; if there are not, something is sadly wrong with the institutions we fought for. It is the business of our elected representatives to find a way out of our difficulties--not merely to start long-winded investigations which accomplish nothing. As never before the nation looks to Congress to lead us out of the darkness of disorder into the clear sunshine of peace and progress.

But as our eyes turn toward Washington, what do we see? Our august Senators and Representatives are preparing to take a two weeks vacation. While individually they urge increased work on the part of everyone else, collectively they vote themselves a fortnight's holiday. The words of Governor Coolidge in speaking of the Massachusetts Legislature apply equally well to Congress; service as a representative, voluntarily undertaken, cannot be looked upon as a job; it is a trust, and one not lightly to be cast aside.

At the present juncture the most important concern of Congress should be settling the social unrest that is undermining our national existence. What the people want from Washington is peace, prosperity and production. What they are getting is pork, politics and piffile.