The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1837-10-31
From the Boston Atlas
LABORS OF THE CONGRESSIONAL

LIST ACTS PASSED AT THE FIRST SESSION OF THE
TWENTY-FHTH CONGRESS.
l. An act TO postpone the fourth instament of
deposites with the States.
=. An act to authorize the issue of treasury notes.
3. An act making additional appropriations for
the year 1887.
4. An act appropriatng Sl 600 900 TO the prose
cution of The Florida War.
5. An act TO postpone the payment of certain
Custom House bonds.
6. An act to regulate the fees the renewal OF
Custom House bonds.
Z. An act for settlement with the late Deposiie
Banks.
8. An act TO continue in force certain laws to the
end ofthe next session of Compress.
9. A Joint resolution regulating postage by the
Express mail.
10. An act providing for the payment of horses
taken for the of the United States from certain
volunteers in the florida War.
II. An act for the relief of ID. p. Madison.
1t is to be considered that this session called,
in the midst of general, or more properly speaking,
of universal Distress and that the people fondly
looked to the action of Congress for relief TO
their calamties al least for guarantee against
their recurrence. But among the eleven acts above
enumerated, Matched by the six weeks incubation
of three hundred legislators, assisted by the
volunteer aid of the Secretary of the Treasury, who
saved them all trouble of framing the bills which
were sent TO the committees ready drawn, by Gthc
hand of that lucid and exact compositor;-wha
acts, in the whole NUMBER have been passed for the
relieof the people and for the benefit othe country?
No. l, the Opposite Repeal .act, is an act 10 rob
the people of ten millions of their lawful property
property which they held as much under the guar
antee Of special law, much as they do any other
RatqPs''y Whatever ''' ~' people ''S''3 0y ''
No. 2, the Treasury Note net, regarded in its most
harmless character, Is an act TO impose n
debt of ten millions upon the people. The former
act plumbers them of ten millions, which they al
ready had in possession, 0or the government held
it only trustee y this act them ten millions
in debt. Ttoenty utiltOnS taken from the people to
nC
months very pretty sort of relief indeed
But this is not the worst of it. These taoenty
millions, of which the people have thus been plum
dered, are the suppiies,-that is, three month S
suppiy,-for the war which the Executive of this
government has undertaken, not only against the
banks-but as the plan of the campaign is develop
ed by Pickens, in that remarkable speech Of his,
against all those institutions 10 which the North is
supposed to owe its superior prosperity. The coun-
try is taxed these t,oenty millions, contribution
towards bringing about the ruin of the country -
Elceiient relief!
Nos and a, are bills appropria,ing two
millions of dollars of the peoples money to be spent
in fighting Indians, and to pay Congress for having
voted away twenty millions of the peoples money.
HG no mueh are The people relievcd by these bills /?
No. D, the Merchants Bond Bill, though il incl
denally works reIiefto small number of
importers, is principally intended and that
ground 1t was recommended in the Treasury report,
as benefit to the Treasury. 1t certain that
i the payment of the bonds were pressed, the gov
eminent would loose large sums of money; and
for that reason the bonds are extended
No. g is pendant to number 5. AS it diminishes
the exhorbant fees of set ofextortionate govern
nent attorneys, 1t certainly is valuable boom But
the people do not owe it to the administration. AS
the bill was originally introduced, it calculated,
and probably designed, to enhance fees instead of
abrldgng them. For the character which the bill
now bears, the country is indebted TO the amend
ments introduced into it by Webster and Ciay,-a-
mendments which have totally superseded the orig
inal bill.
No. 7, the .Act for settlement aoith the late depos.
ute hanks, if il confer any favor upon any body,
winch is very doubtful-since the act drawn by
Woodbury. is thought by some to be totally destitute
OF any meaning; but if it confer favor upon any
body, 1t is favor only to few late pets of the EX-
ecutve. This act or some of similar charac-
ter, is no doubt proper and necessary but so far
from relieving the people, it as tax upon the
many, for the benefit of very few.
no y, Is an act for the special relief of members
OF Congress-at the expense of all the rest of the
community: While baking such great batch of
pread Tor the Executive, what wonder if Congress
makes little cake for ilself'
No. TO- is another of the "scalping knife laws,'-
little item of a million SO, towards the Florida
war-that's nothing.
No ii an act for the relief of d. p. Madison.
The Congress of the United States is called together
at great emergency; spends six weeks, sitting day
and night, devising measures for the relief Of the
Peopte and after all this labor and effort, concludes
Inc session by passing an act for the relief Of
On, LABoRIoUs MOUNTAIN