The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-08-22

The present session Of Congress, when nss ne' on
the first Monday Of last December, ana "n'cn
adoun. thank the Lord on the 3lst day Of me pro-
sent month. has been one of the longest, the most
stupd. and most uuproftable sessions, since the or
ran;zat;on Of The government. Is was universally
exne,,ed from the beginning, that its labors would
he devoted to the Presidential campaign, and the
6f,y millions Of the public plumber involved in the
contest but Abe hackneyed clap trap for Bancombs,
The small intrigucs, plots and counter plotting,
among the masAging politicians, the pitiful SQUAD
bles among the petty cliques of both parties, the
dirty tricks Of the wirepulers, and the shameless
disregard on all Sides in both Houses, Of the public
business are without precedent this side of Aexcs
Nine months Of continuous Legislation ought to
have something to show for it; but what has been
done sffordng any shadow Of excuse for such pro
traeted and barefaced suction upon the public trea-
sury, at the rate of Ave or six thousand dollars
day? Absolutely nothing The whole session, ex-
cepting few days, has been FILTERED away upon
stale CONNIE place speeches for Bunesmbe-and
this has been the story frsm day to day. the same
threadbare and stupid trash for my constitu-
ents," or for "the state which have the hon
Or in part to represent" Congress has become
bore, q hunbug, and, in fact, an imposition upon
the pablo. BArnum always gives you something
for your money, and when one expedient runs out
he tries another but our wise Legislators have
Aashed and rehsshed the same indigestibic trash
for !" the dear people," from day to day, from week
to week. and from month to month, from the fret Of
December to the last day of August. With the
thermometer below zero, or mp to ninety nine de-
grees in the shade-in the depth of the water or in
the midst Of the dOgdays-
Through all the changes Of the rolling year.,
the two houses Of Congress have continued ut the
same dead level Of stupid rant, cant, and balder-
dash for Buncombe. What n waste of the public
time and the public money-whst a shocking in
fatuation upon the part Of public wiseacres in
regard to the capacities of popular credulity
Nine months of steady legislation! 6 The world
is governed too much''-at least this part of the
world What has been done in re- organizing, re-
cruitiDg, and improving and strengthening the navy?
Nothing. What for the Mexican frontiers, exposed
along boundary Of twenty. five hundred miles to
the unrestrained ravages of the savages! Nothing.
What for the agemen and extension OF our
merce, excepting the pending little River and Har-
Dor bill Nothing. What has been done for cheap
hostages! Next to nothing What for the great Pa.
cifc railroad? Nothing. Instead ofany such legisla
latve action. we have had several weeks or months
wasted in the House in discussing the reference of
the Presidents ge-several months occupied in
plotting for the two conventions ut Baltimore
and most of the time since in stumping it, at the
public expense for Gen. Scott and Gen. Pierce.
We have had some little buster, and even some
second rate specimens of fistcufng in the House,
the slavery question; but, upon the whole, the
efforts at agitation by Giddings and Horace Mann,
in ha Of Seward
Sumner in the Senate, have utterly failed to raise
more than passing ripple upon the Dead Sea of
federal politics. There was to fear that such
was the deadly stagnatiOn of Congress-such the
drowsy influences of stale speeches, by the hour, by
the day, the week, and the month-that neither
House could be walked up to make adjournment
before next December and we were in danger of a
Congress en- pemanence, when, to the great relief of
twenty-five millions of people, it resolved to
close this horribly dull, and do-nothing "long
Parliament on the last day of August.
For this godsend, we ara indebted after all, to
the pressing demands of the Presidential canvass,
for there is still money in the treasury and the
capital, for Buncombe is inexhausibe the gold
mines of California. But speakers are wanted upon
the stump-men who have the brass and the ex-
perience of some service in Congress. The peo-
orators, after q round two; but there is always
something refreshing in the rich fund of infor-
nation of a member Of Congress, initiated and
drilled into all the political mysteries and
calities of the corrupting atmosphere Of Washing
ton. He can tell the people how the money is
taken out Of their pockets by the legerdemain Of
the tariff, and the various ingenious devices by
which the sturdy patriots annually collecting at
Washington, insiders and outsiders, contrive to
pocket the lions share Of the PLUMBER and get fat
on it. He can tell whether General Scott or
General Pierce is the better qualified to watch the
treasury, and he knows all the ins and outs, and
crooks and turns and artu lodges. of the political
thimbe rgger who has served an apprenticeship in
the Capitol. Hence the necessity Of every available
member of Congress returning home for the hot
work of September and October in each Congress
sonal district in the United States, and hence the
resolution to adjourn on the last day of August.
Already we have had a cluster Of some half dozen
wing members stumping it in Maryland; while
another detachment of as many democratic men,
bers, at eight dollars day, out Of the treasury,
have been operating in the State Of Virginia, with
various Individuals Of both parties scattered pretty
much all over the country, also drawing their pay
out of the public crib, for imaginary duties at
Washington. The two houses, therefore, in re-
solving to wind up the session for fair swing
upon the stump, deserve the thanks of the country
for the elevated magnanimity of the act. They
might just as well have continued the session to
December, and their pay and mileage accordingly;
but high sense of public duty in regard to the
wants Of the people upon the stump has prevailed
even over eight dollars day, and all the prospec
tive pckings and profits from the prosecution of
Gslphin and other claims against the government.
What better proof could be asked of the integrity,
magnanimity, and patriotism Of the present Con.
gress! What if they have been sitting for nine
months, and have nothing to show for it-what if
their debates have been stale as dish water-what
il the plots and combinations Of free sellers and