Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-05-08
CONGRESS AID ITS BUSINESS.


sidential election, when all the points upor
which that election turns are sure 70 enter more q
less into the debates of every day. however littl'
connexion they have with the matter properly uniei
debate Since Congress assembled, Ave months
have passed away, yet almost literally nothing
has been done in the discharge Of the legiti
mate duties of Congress. The description q ths
state Of business in the House Of Represents
tivos as contained in the following extract from an
article in late number of the Courier and Enquirer
is indeed hardly too highly colored:
"The clerks table is piled knse-high with re
ported bills, upon which some kind of action i
most urgently needed by the public interests but
no more notice is taken Of this mass Of business
than if it were the sweepings Of Bedlam. Even to
this day the annual message and reports, which
were sent to Congress last December, have not
been treated with the cold respect Of reference 10
the appropriate committees. The tariff, rivers and
harbors improvement, comprehensive land system,
steam-line enterprises, establishment of new minis,
formation of an agricultural bureau, and numerous
tother measures bearing momentously upon the
commercial, manufacturing, and agricultural in
erests Of the country, have been as eectually ig-
nored as if none of them ever had an existence.
No time is found even to close up the seams and
smooth down the ridges Of such pieces of last
son's botchwork as the postage bill Making and
mending are now alike out Of the question"
The questions which have nearly monopolized
the attention Of the House of Representatives and
almost as exclusively that of the Senate during this
already long Session, have been, in the order of the
consequence given to them, the Intervention project
the Printing for Congress, the contest for the
Public Lands, and the Deficiency Bill.
The first of these, in the shape of Resolutions
for and against the established foreign policy of this
Government, it is notifying to reflect, owes its
origin to the preaching Of foreign Missionary,
whose now avowed object in coming to the United
States was to enlist the power of this Government,
through the sympathies of the People, in an Euro
pean crusade The discussion which this question
has elected has, however, been of great ability,
and has thrown so much light upon subject Of very
great consequence that we cannot reckon as lost
the time that has been occupied upon it.
We cannot say the same of the weeks which
have been devoted to the discussion of not so much
how, as by whom, the Printing of the two Houses
shall be done. Animated by party spirit or Gas
doubtless many members were) by a reforming zeal,
gentlemen have for the most part debated this SIM
pie question for practical men upon grounds of fact
and argument having little connexion with its merits.
1t is one Of which the mechanical details could not
be well understood but by persons who had served
their time to it-of whom there are not many in
Congress of course much of the time spent
upon it has been thrown away.
Nor, so far as we can learn, has any thing con-
elusive been even now done in regard to the Printing
1t is greatly to be desired for the credit Of Congress
that some permanent system could be established
since the subject has been so much debated but N
such system, it is clear, has any chance of bein,
adopted until the next session Of this Congress
when the event Of the Presidential Election will hav
withdrawn that element from debate.
OF the Public Lands we have lately said so mucl
that we shall add nothing here, except that, willis
we trust that moderate appropriations of them TO
important and eligible public works and institution
may be made by the present Congress, we incline
to doubt whether the discussion Of the projects fo
general appropriation of them will lead to any de
cisive result at this Session. We have been laugh
by the old philosophers that all public business con
sists Of two parts preparation and action 1t is no
at all improbable, but very likely that this princi
pie will 80 far apply to the action Of Congress- tina
important business will have been discussed by Con
gress at the present session in one frame Of mind
which will not be acted upon until the next session
when Congress will re-assemble in frame of min
much better adapted to the transaction of business
With regard to the Deficiency bill, the passage 0
which has been obstructed by discussions Of part
topics that ought not to have been mixed up wit
it, it would be difficult to exaggerate the mischief
occasioned by its delay; and, most of all, by tn
suffering entailed and disability caused by that de
ay upon all the Government agents, civil and mill
tary, on distant service OF the increasing and Ia
menable consequences Of omissions or neglect on tn
part of Congress to make due provision for the ex
animation and settlement Of claims upon the Gov
eminent for services, expenditures, and losses SOM
Of them under the most critical circumstances, tn
case Of Col Fremont, lately arrested and imprison
ed whilst on visit to the capital Of Great Britain
on the part Of persons who have taken this way a
enforcing the payment Of claims against his Coy
ernment, is an example which cannot fail to hay
deeply touched the feelings Of every one who has watc
ed the distinguished career Of that yet young man.
marked the gallant traits and daring perseveran
which have characterized IT, Whilst we are glad
be able to commend the greater attention to Priva
Claims in general that has been manifested by 4
present Congress private claims they are terme
but claims for the most part of the highest MOI
public obligation-we can assure our readers th