New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-08-31
CONGRESS-.

close the First Session of the Thirty
Second Congress. We think no impair
tial citizen will complain that it closes
a day too soon.
Both Houses have been completely con-
troIed by the party self-styled Demo
cratic which had large majority in each,
the presiding Officers, Committees Chair
men, every thing. The Wings have been
powerless, save when divisions in the OPP
posing host have casually enabled them to
throw preponderating force into one scale
or the other. What, then, will have been
the fruits of the Session!
Democracy affirms as a cardinal truth
that The world is governed too much
that we have too many laws and far too
much legislation. Yet this Session has
been protracted to the extraordinary dura-
ton of nine months.
If the time had been carefully spent,
we could excuse the length of the Session.
But careful scrutiny will show that not
three months moderate attention has been
given in all to the public business. The
greater part of the Session has been de-
voted to mean, partisan appeals to sec
tional jealOusies and prejudices-in the
same breath agitating and denOuncing agi-
tation concerning Savery-and when at
last an eminent Senator from Free State
asked hearing in support of practical
measure, the Repeal of the Fugitive Slave
Law, he was unciyilly refused it in body
Which allows no Previous Question and
boasts of its freedom of debate, and was
compelled to snatch his opportunity at the
heel of the Session by resorting to
legislative stratagem. Agitation respect
ing Slavery has been broadly denounced
but only agitation in favor of Liberty has
been practically frowned upon.
The extravaganza of the National Ex-
penditures has been n prolific theme of
Democratic Congressional harangues
and newspaper diatribes yet this Demo
cratic Congress has increased the Public
Expenditures in almost every direction, and
reduced them in none have created new
Offices, and set aside the subsisting con-
tract with brother Democrat for the
printing of this entire Congress, and
elected the Editor of their party organ
Printer instead at more than double tho
prices stipulated in the Contract. This
single OBJ will cost the country more than
100000 per year.
Private Claims-many of them most
meritorous and urgent-have been neg
lected and condemned; but the impudent
foray on the Treasury of EXHIBITOR Rit-
chic, of the Democratic organ has been
crowned with success to, the extent of at
least $4,000, 1--WE suspect it will turn out
a great deal more,) when he had no
shadow of claim which any man who
should take job under false pretenses
and execute it mi.erabIy and tardily, would
not have to an extra allowance of $4,000.
The Galphin claim was originally fair
one but this Richie claim is simply out
rageous from beginning to end.
Two good bills have been passed-the
Steamboat Passenger Safety and the River
and Harbor-the first measure indisput-
ably Whig In its origin and scope, while
the latter was mainly urged and advocated
by Wings, and encountered hardly shad-
ow of opposition except from the self-styled
Democracy If Cheap Postage on Peri
odicals shall likewise prevail, it will also
be an exception to the general Incidence,
and will have scarcely engrossed two days
of the Session.
The Free Homestead bill is killed;
Mileage Reform has had no chance; every
attempt to improve the Tariff, even to the
extent of correcting its gross and undeni-
able defects of detail, has been rudely
choked down; and the majority of the
dominant party has had no purpose, no
plan of, no aspiration for, more benefl-
cent National Policy. They have pro-
tracted the Session to nine months, though
they did not propose nor desire to do any
thing but depete the Treasury.
Docs the Country want more legisla-
ton like this ! If it does, it has only to
elect Pierce and Congress to match, and
it will have enough of it, minus the River
and HarbOr bill, which Pierce would veto.
So says the leading journal of the State,
tVirginia) which first presented him for
President, and which knows where he is