The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1852-09-08
From the National ,,,u.
sac Late Session OF Congres

' -ne Late Session OF COhgfVss.
| Often as we have heretofore had occasion to
point out to readers the things which successive
Congresses at the close Of each of their sessions
have left undone, we know of none whose errors OF
omission have equalled those Of the session which
has just ended.
On looking over the calendar of business of the
House of Representatives for the 30th of August,
the day preceding the adjournment, we find first
among the orders of the day-frst upon the dock
ct, as it is by the Constitution made the first duty
of Congress to act upon it-after lying on the Ia.
bic from the day of its reception, during period
Of nine full months. yet untouched, the annual mes
sage Of the President of the United States to Con-
| gress fact like this, demonstrative of the utter
neglect Of imperative duty by the House of Repre-
sentatives-of its utter incapacity, as at present
| constituted, for the discharge of its highest du.
ties-it would be idle to enlarge upon. The fact
itself stands upon record, indelible reproach to
the House, which no apology can extenuate, much
less excuse. 1t ia not merely discourtesy to a
| CO ordinate branch of the Government. but de.
liberate and wlful disrespect to the authority be
| tween which and itself the Constitution has estab
lished relations that be dissolved on y in the
mode which that instrument itself points out for
amending the Constitution, or by revolution. DE.
berate this omission of duty by the House has been,
for it has been of nine months duration. That it
has been ,ciIfl, no one can deny who will admit as
every one must, that no such disrespect has ever
before been shown, even by Democratic House OF
Representatives, to the official acts Of the President
| of the Republic.
Alongside of the message, in Committee of the
Whole House on the state of the Union, lies bill
reported by its Committee on the Judiciary, and
equally neglected with the annual message, to pro-
hbit the prosecution of claims against the Govern.
ment by Senators, Representatives, and heads Of
Departments, during the term of their respective
| office. Self. respect, one would have thought
| would have secured immediate action on this BILL
ndits prompt rejection if there appeared ground
| for the charges which it implies against all the
members unfortunately of both Houses Of Con-
gress.
In the same condition, on the table. besides many
bills reported from committees of the House itself,
there lie no less than one hundred and forty-fve
bills, mostly for the adjustment of claims of private
individuals, ,ohich had all passed the Senate, and
wanted but the sanction of the House, which would
| have required probably but few minutes each OF
the time of that body For the despatch of all the
bills one twentieth part of the time employedin
the discussion of the merits of candidates for the
Presidency would have sufiiced Nor is any con.
| ISOLATION left to those, If there be any SUCH who
by the failure to pass many bills for the payment
Of just claims; for, though the two Houses, between
| them, could in session of forty weeks, find time
to pass only thirtyfve private bills, the same
houses, besides donations and gratuities included
in acts passed by both, found time, separately dur
ing the last eight and forty hours of the session.
vote away vast sums of money in various forms,
some of them gratuitous donations, not only TO the
working clerks of each House, who had we'll earned
them by extra labor, but to all description of men
and boys employed in and about the Csp;tol-the
sum total of which donations probably equaled in
the aggregate fully half of the sums called for
by the bills for the settlement Of just claims Of lndi
viduals against the Government which the Housc
of Representatives could not find time to act upon
Upon tho whole, there perhaps never was go
great a waste OF time, chiefly in debates upon pri
GRITTY of business and upon questions wholly for
eign to the proper duties Of legislation. We GER
tanly, in our long experience, never witnessed 30
lavish an expenditure Of time and money in Con-
gross, with 60 little advantage to the country, as
during the late session. II is due. however. to the
members of the House of Representatives to say
that much Of the useless consumption of time is at
ributable to the wretched system of its rules for
the transaction of business; rules which would be
much titly termed rules for the prevention Of.
business.
Nothing can be more absurd, for example, thar
the rules which nterdict the reception of any orig
inal proposition by the House if single objection
be made tot; which require a two thirds vote,
upon such objection being made, TO permit the in
PRODUCTION Of any proposition; which allow of the
ma king Of frivolous and vexatious notions for the
mere purpose OF consuming time, to adjourn, or to
call the House, sustained by calls of the yeas and
nays, and by ill timed speeches wearying out the
patience of members, day after day, until the
House has found itself at last obliged to adjourn
without a quorum, and to re-enact day after day
the same disrcputable scenes.
But we have not time to 60 to the bottom of this
subject; and we should be glad if some qualified
and experienced legislator either in or of Con-
gress, would take it up more seriously, and pre-
pare between now and the next session project
for the reform Of abuses, which not less inju-
iious to the character of Congress than to the
health and welfare of the individual members
Within the last day or two we have had the pain
to announce the death of one member Of Congress
who had but few days before assisted in paying
funeral honors to one of his colleagues, both
of whose valuable lives would in all probability
have been spared to their mourning families and
to their country had the session been brought to a
close, as might and should have been done, on the
last day of June instead of the last day of August
The following remarks by one of our contempt.
raries will give the reader insight into further
evils and Inconvenience from this application of
steam. power to legislation-if we may use the
phraRe-in the last hours OF long session:
From The Ne,o York Express
The curious man may naturally ask how, these
numerous laws passing in the last hours OF a
sion, can the President know what he "appJopts2"
Why, curious man, let us answer you. 1.-The
President does not know as yet the twentieth part
as much about these laws we do, though we
spent only week in studying the make of them"
He had whole row of steamboat inspectors 10
make, and whole OF other officers to think
of, and to send in, amid these closing and exciting
scenes of a session We venture to cay he has not
yet read, and will not for month read, any OF
these long laws which he sets bis name to and
signs IL approve" Congress docs it's business
such way that it is utterly impossible now for
the Executive even to guess at what be "approves.
The Steamboat law had about sixty (biil pngos,
and the reading and comprehension OF that would
be fair weeks work tor an industrious man
Congressional action ow-a daysamounts 10 prac
teal notification OF the Executive authority to up
proce or peto laws. He can guess, and veto; but il
he does it, then comes extra session Of CongreaJ,
with all it's excitements and all its expenses the
country. Whether theIe will ever be an improve.