Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1848-08-24
Adjournment of Congress.


/ The New York Tribune, in speaking Of the ad-
journment Of Congress, which took place on Mon
day the 18th inst, says -
THIS Day will be joyful witness of the close
of the First Session of the XXXth Congress, af-
ter duration of considerably over eight months.
During that protracted term it has seen the end Of
the Mexican War and passed the essential Appro-
praton Bills, with great many unessental Ex-
ira Allowances appended to them. Three months
extra pay to the Army $3.50 extra compensation
each to the regiment of overpaid servants of the
tive Houses; $4,000 for reporting Debates of
the Senate to the dissatisfaction of that august
body and So, 500 for leave not to do so any more;
increase of pay to various Judges and other func-
tionaries, but never cent of reduction on any
pretext whatever 5000 worth Of books each to
item has got to be regular y and all manner of
payments, allowances and gratuites to everybody
except the People who must pay for all-such is
the substance of the doings of this Congress.
The work which should have been done yet
was left undone demands far more volnmnous
recital. Nothing has been done toward admitting
and confirming the right of every landless man to
his needful portion of the unoccupied Public
Lands. The gross blunders and pernicious ine-
qualities in details of the Tariff of 1916 Ito say
nothing of its radical defects of prnciple) remain
unconected. The excessive Pay and outrageous
Mileage of the Members of Congress remain un-
retrenched. The unjust and anti-republican Frank
ing Privilege has not been abolished. No bill
1--WE fear) providing for the prosecution of our
River and Harbor Improvements has been passed,
or, if passed, it has doubtless been pocketed by
the President. In short, very rarely has long
or short Session done less for the People or more
for the stipendiaries of the Government than this
The payments of Mexico for her cessions and
Mexican claimants for spoliations has been Sc
cured, but the equally righteous claims for French
spoliations forty years ago remain unpaid and un-
thought OF.
But if no great amount fpositive good has been
effected, much serious evil has been resisted and
prevented. The Army has been cut down to
something like the old Peace Establishment,
though it remains much larger than it should be,
especially in officers. The desperate efforts to pro-
cure legalization of Human Slavery in so much
of the New Territories as lie South Of lat $50 30
have been defeated. We hope some sort of a
Postage Reduction bill has been passed, though
nothing effectual can be done in that respect until
the Franking Privilege shall be given up. Wis
consin has been welcomed into the Union. The
protection of Oregon has been looked to, though
her prayer for a government has been drowned by
the fierce clamor of the Slavery Extensionsts for
the concession of their demand. We shall be
glad to hear that arrangements have been made to
extingush on fair terms the British possessory
rights in Oregon and especially to the free navi-
CATION of the Columbia, but we presume this has
been overlaid in the general scramble at the close
of session.
We speak unfatteringly of this Congress, for
we think many of its Members have paid too little
attention to their own proper business, and too
much to that of their consttuents--namely. the
choice of President. Yet we know that many
of the Members have labored zealously, steadily,
faithfully in the strict line OF duty deserving prais-
es which they have neither obtained nor sought.
The People, we trust, fully understand that it is
not by the habitual speech-makers that the busi-
ness of Congress is transacted-on the contrary,
these are obstacles, impedments and dead d-weights
on the progress of legislation 1t is quite another
class who patiently labor in committees, in the
examination of official documents the maturing of
bills, &c. &c. and who often enjoy the greatest
influence in the capitol while their names hardly
appear in the daily proceedings. Several such
are present to our mind at this moment, yet we will
name but one who has labored with pre- eminent
assiduity and efficiency through the present Ses-
sion. and who has doubtless saved the country
many thousands by his vigilant scrutiny of ap-
preparations demanded, while never forgetting the
claims of an enlightened liberality. We allude
of course to SAMUEL F. VINToN of Ohio, Chair
man of the Committee Of Ways and Means. He
has declined reelection and will retire from pub
lie life at the close of this Congress, but his pro-
tracted and useful public career will not soon be
forgotten.
Signs in Mississippi.
The Vicksburg Wing states that the Misslssp-
pi Telegraph, published in Winston county, and
hitherto a (,asS paper hac haulod down tic old col