AGRICULTURAL RELIEF

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Mr. Kenoe. I hope you will do that gracefully and vote for the
McNary-Haugen bill, as you did before.

Mr. KincHeLok. Mr. Kehoe, if it gets down to the question of
what the President is going to do, I am going to say, as a member
of the committee, I do not take any stock in that at all. Of course,
as you say, the framers of the Constitution gave the power to initiate
legislation and to legislate to Congress. It further fortified that by
providing that a two-thirds vote can override the veto of any Presi-
dent. So, I agree with you heartily that it is a question of Congress
shouldering its responsibility the same as the President shoulder his.

Now, suppose the bill that the gentleman from Illinois, Mr. Adkins,
proposed, is put up to the President, I am frank to say, and I
think you will agree, that I have more respect for the President than
to say he would sign such a bill as that, in view of his former state-
ment.

Mr. Kenoe. In view of his errors of the past. I do not know
what may be his errors of the future.

Mr. KixcHELOE. So far as practicable all legislation that will be
enacted here for the President to sign, I think you will agree with me
that the President is just about as likely to sign this as he would be
a debenture plan, when you are going to disturb the tariff proposition,
do you not think so?

Mr. Kenok. I think so. I think if the President decides to sign
any bill he will finally decide to sign this one. But there is no
responsibility anywhere on the President for legisaltion—now here.
He has the privilege of vetoing, and I will concede that it has grown
probably into a great deal more force and effect than it should have,
and it is not without complaint that I have heard members of Con.
gress saying that the rights of the legislative branch of the Govern-
ment were being encroached upon in various and sundry ways by
boards and other things.

It is a serious problem for Congress to sustain its responsibility.
If I were a Member of Congress I would resent the slightest encroach-
ment upon the rights of Congress. There has already been too many
of them, gentlemen; and you are the man at the foundation of this
Government; you are its foundation; there could be no executive,
there could be no judiciary, if the legislative branch had not created
both of them. You are.the man of the house; you furnish the
money to run this Government. There can be no war declared
without you. If you did not exist there could be no executive and no
judiciary part of this Government.

So the Member of Congress that does not realize and does not, feel
the responsibility and the great honor that has been conferred upon
him by being a member of this great body falls short of his proper
conception. I consider it one of the greatest honors of my life to
have been a member of this body. I say everywhere that I never
saw a body of men discharge its duties with more fidelity and efficiency
than they have. In the years I was here I never attended a com-
mittee mecting—since I have been here I have never attended a
meeting of this committee but what the majority of the members
were here ready to do the best they could. I never saw the hour of
12 arrive when the men elected to perform the duty of assembling
the House were not there to perform their duty, and while there
Is some jocular criticism of the Congress and some foolish people
try to make fun of it, gentlemen, the people realize what vou are.