The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1842-06-14


Having in our last repeled oifecinaiy the Loco
T7oco impuations of faction and reckiessness
'oSnins. the course Of the Wing majority IN cons
gress we proceed now to consider what reaso n
sbero il for the oucry that nothing has been done,
md tbn the transaction Of business is unnecessary
DELAYED by that body O.
And at first let see at what tlme the long 0es-
son OF Congress has usually closed
CONGRESS Yeor. Closed.
nv Oos lid 1894 June 30ib
Twenty oulth lS36 Ju,y sth
Twenty fifth 1855 July o."
Twonty sixth . 1910 July 2Ist
Thus it will be seen that the average time OF ad
ournment at the first long Session o eacn OF the
four last IVAN BUREN, Congresses is about Inc Ith
ofJuIy-hy which time, we trust, the present Con
press will havo completed its Session, and wiihout
leaving three fourths Of its most important o''S 10
die on the table, as has generally been done.
And now let us how much has oeen zone al
this Session and how the doing OF more has Deen
prevented. =,
The first business O { the Session Is 10 refer the
several portions of the Presidents Message 10 inc
appropriate Committees respec iiveiy-and inc ap
portionns il and wing such reference III me
Eolse is uni ormy devolved on the chairman OF the
Committee Of Ways and Means. Mr. filmore &c
cordnply offered the proper time Inc resolutions
of reference which are almost always adopted, as
a matter Of course But they were met 'his ume
by a counter motion from Mr. C.. T. dMerton "a OH
ter Loco Foco from New Hampshire, that so ,nI nc
of the Presidents Message recommended DIS
eliminating Duties be referred, not to me commit
lee of Manufactures, as usual ,butto me Coh'i'eo
of Ways and Means. On this notion gong 10
change the unform action of the Hou and IN Ell
feet 10 nulliTy one Of its Committees, Mr. Anterior
proceeded to lnnict Speech, and thus opened
debate which consumed some weeks. AZ last Mr.
AS motion was defeated. as was obvious rom the
beginning il must be, but meantime Foco focolsm
had satisfactorily used up so much lime IN 'he us
cusson.
Next came m tho necessities of the Government
urgent i'm perious, admitting of no delay. LIE
Secretary of the Treasury asked authority 10 issue
more Treasury Notes The factious Wigs assem-
ted to the proposition though 1t was 10 them IKE
tue tooth acbe-on the assurance that the pressing
necessities of the Government could in no other
way be seasonably provided for. When an was
ready for its passage-Mr WiSethat lovely apos'ate
from his Wing professions and bitter enemy o. al
who adhere to them move ed 10 stick on rider re-
peaiing tie Lund Distribution! Here was another
waste Of time wantonly incurred by our adverse
ries, who backed the proposition and sustained "
&c the last. But the Wings defeated II, ana passed
snch bill as the immediate necessities OF The Gov
crnment required, against the excavations OF me
Loco Focos and part OF those mo profess 10 oe
the especial friends of the Administration,
Next came the Loan Bill, also demanded ny Ire
necessities of the Government, and by the arma
rnents required in the then onnous aspect OF our
Foreign Affairs. The Secretaries of war ana OF
the Navy urgently calling Tor more money q
moro force the Secretary Of the Treasury could
hardly 1--we from hand 10 mouth with his rapidly
exhausng Treasury Notes The President sent a
special Message TO Congress Tor supplies anu NJ :
Fillmore again reported such bill as The necessl
lies of the Government required. This was resls
ted. day after day. not only by The LocoFocos, who
persisted in wasting time in Irrelevant iirades
against the Distribution Law and other Wing meas
ures but also by Messrs. Wise, GImer, y Pr9Btt,
!nds Of .Re , w2 din ther prot
bankruptcy and disgrace. MIR Wise moved that
not only should none Of the stock authorized De
sold below par by the Secretary OF the treasury,
but that If IL should full betoao par, tho Sec' etary
sh6uld ban iL-ibough where he would get the
money, in a contingency which would be utterly
out of his power to borrow dollar, II would puz-
gle wiser mau than Wise to tell. The more con
sderate Wings obliged TO beg their more ar
don't friends to change their from Nay 10 Yea,
and thus carry through the bill against the whole
force of their Representatives, who changed, pro
testing with good reason against The necessity I'm,
posed on them Of voting expressly 10 sustain an Ad
ministration Of which they were denounced as fac
tons opponents, while its boosted friends were vo
ting to let it go to the wall So this subject was
disposed of. :,
Next came up the General Diplomatic and
Civil Appropriation bill, which was carefully scru
tinized, item by item, with decided saving TO
The settled ;a Jna mnor,an
measure which has properly consumed much time
and is not yet completed lfthe second (Dlstricp
section OF the House bill is retained, Will be rich
ly worth to the Country in securing true and
equal re representation of the People in the House,
more than months time ofCongress, Then came
the Army and Navy Appropriation bills which are
under consider alton win promise OF most Deh
efciaI results.
Aud here let it be noticed that il has been a com
mon and most rsprehensibe practice to leave the
Augmentation bills the heel OF the Session w hen
they are unavodabIy driven through pellmell in
the midst of noise and confusion, with hardly doz
en- Members really understanding what they are
voting upon. This, all must see, completely de-
feats the intention Of the Constitution in requiring
all Expenditures to be made in pursuance of spe
cific Appropriations by Congress. If each House
is but to pass dumb show the items reported
from the several Bureaux, 1t would be as we'll to
have no action OF Congress on the subject, but lie.
each Department help itself to whatever it could
find in the Treasury. This year, however, there
has been real action in each House on the several
bills and with decided advantage to the Public
Service.
There remain, then, after the ApportioDment &
the two minor Appropriation bills, now nearly dis
posed of, two great topics /. that of National Ex
changes and Currency, on which we now fear moth
ing will be effected at this Session and q the Re
vision Of the Tariff This latter has already occu
pied the attention OF able and industrious Commit
tees OF either House during the greater part OF the
Session, and we trust will be formally taken up ir
the House by the beginning Of next week-or a