Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1849-01-12
A Day in Congress.
"a chiefs among we nkin notes,
An faith he'll prept EN-"

An ialth ne u prent EN-.
Horace Greeley deals rather bluntly
with his new companions at Washington.
Hear how he talks, through the Tribune,
of the C~ongregated Wisdom Of the Ma
ion.
'On Monday the two Houses of Con.
gress met and went through the usual
preliminaries; on Tuesday they received
and endured The reading of the Presidents
Messages; on Wednesday, the House G.
lected a Chaplain, and within three quar-
tiers Of an hour after meeting, by a vote
of "a to 63, adjourned; dozens sitting in
their seats and not voting, and only nine.
teen rising in support ola demand for the
Yeas and Nays. The Senate did not O.
ven succeed in forming a quorum; out Of
ffiv-seven or eight Members, who are all
sure to be in for their pay and mileage,
only tw%enly-nine appeared in their sea,s;
and the annual hypocricy Of elec,ing a
Chaplain had 10 go over and waste ano,h-
er day. If either House had a Chaplain
who dare preach TO its Members what
they ought TO hear of their faiihlessness,
their neglect Of duty, their iniquiiious
waste of time and robbery Of the public
by taking from the Treasury money
which they have not even attempted 10
earn-lhen there would be some sense
in the Chaplain BUSINESS; bu,any ill-bred
Nathan or Elijah who should undertake
such q Job would be kicked out in short
order. So the chaplaincy remains a
thing Of grimace and mummery, nicely
calculated 10 help some flockless and
complaisant sheperd 10 q few hundred
dollars, and impose on devout simpletons
an exalted notion ofthe piety Of Congress.
Should not the truth be spoken?
Each House has now at least a hum
dred bills on its calendar, ready for con-
elusive action, with the Chairman and
other Members who have reported them
ready TO explain and advocate ihcm-in
shorl, everything as ripe for their passage
or rejection us il ever can be. Yet Sem
ators stay away from even the short sit
Ting Of one or two hours per day, under
the pretext of seeking lodgings, or some
Other equally empty, and the House
adiourns forly-fve minutes after as
sembling, only nineteen Members cali
ing for tho Yeas and Nays! Not even
The death Of Mr.. Lewis Of the Senate, or
of Mr.. Sims Of The House, is announced;
, these are ~s,udiously kept back in order 10
. form p~rctexts for wasting two more days
when the Houses may not venture TO ad'
lourn without a preteXt. Do the people
Y ever look into these things?
But in truth the great sorrow is that sc
n many Of the Members Of Congress, as o
n men in high station ~eIswhere, are merely
'e dexterouS jugglers or the tools Of dexter.
GUS jugglers with the cup and balls of pol
tics, shuified into responsible places us a
reward for past comPlianccs or in the
hope of being there made useful 10 the
re inventors and patentees of their intellec-
n tual and moral greatness. To such men,
lie the idea of anybody's coming to Congress
for anything else Than the distinction and
e the plumber, unless it be in the hope oil
intriguing their way up 10 some still la
i zier and more lucrative post, is so IRE
sislably comic-such an exhibition OF jol.
w greenness-lhat they cannot comtem-
plate it without danger of explosion
t Just so long as the people choose to shut
their eyes and elect such men as party
caucases, such as they VIGOROUSLY are
/, shall see fit to pick out for them, they
, will be served as they now are-and viii
. richly deserve H."
In a later number Of the Tribune, Mr.
Greeley continues his criticism upon the
official drones about him, under tho head
$ ing Of congressional ldleness I've
give an extracts:
e The Senate sat five or six hours las
week, and, before it had been in session
an hour on Thursday, it adjourned owe
e to Monday. This is in pursuance Of
habi, which has become chronic viii
e that body.