The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1853-03-05

Bridge, and thirty thousand for bridge at tn,
Little Falls; and creates the Office of Assist
ant Secretary of State, with salary of thre.
thousand dollars per annum.
All the general appropriation bills wer,
PASSED; and, in addition to other measures 0
Importance, the bill establishing the Terrific
rial Government Of Washington
Owing to the late hour at which the tw,
Houses adjourned and the confused condition
of the business, we were unable to procure
list OF the acts which have passed during thu
session which has just closed
The Inaugural Address of President PIERCE
to his countrymen will be received by them
we think, with very general appreciation.
With regard to the extension of our terri
tory, 1t expresses no fear Of new acquisition
but contemplates without alarm the possibility
of Its becoming eminently important for oul
own protection. At the same time, it repu
dates all wrong or dishonorable means of ex.
pansion. 1t recommends pacific policy to
wards foreign nations; and reaffirms as an ad.
mltted principle that no further colonization o.
this continent by foreign powers beyond theil
present jurisdiction is to be tolerated.
The views of the PRESIDENT with regard tc
the Army and Navy will commend themselves
TO the approval Of these two branches of the
/ public service.
! We apprehend that no holder of Office and
no office-seeker can be dissatisfied with the
observations of that part of the message which
is devoted to their respective cases.
We have no disposition to object to what is
said of the propriety of adhering to the exercise
of power granted by the Constitution to the
Federal Government; and we cordially approve
the sentiments avowed in connexion with the
Compromise measures of 1850. We hope that
these principles will be SO far esteemed vital
| by the PRESIDENT as to induce him to exclude
from his Cabinet every man who has regarded
and denounced those measures as justification
| for Disunion.
In conclusion, we cannot withhold from the
PRESIDENT our grateful Acknowledgements for
the entire absence of party animosity in his
| inaugural discourse. It breathes the spirit of
the sovereign whom great English writer
| pictured to himself as the beau-ideal of chief
magistrates --one who should be sfnot the King
Of WHIGs, nor the King of TORIES, but
the King of England"
President PIERCE acknowledges his obliga-
tons to the masses of his countrymen, and to
| them alone.o He seems to be sincere in this
sentiment, and his address presents in no part
any contradiction to it. If he acts in accord
ance with it, and with the general views of
his address, we apprehend that he will find
more factious opposition in his own ranks than
in those of the friends of the late Administra-
ton.
Delays and Confusion in the Public BUSH
We are glad to see that Mr. SMITH, Of Ala
bama. democrat, has undertaken to expose in
a speech the shortcomings of the present Con
gress, and to explain how and why it is that
so little business has been done, and why that
little has been SO ill done.
The present system of official reporting is
one cause of this crying evil, which ought to be
| abolished. 1t puts a stop to any sensible dis
cussion Of public measures. 1t leads to egotism
and display of the most insufferable stolidity
The speeches reported are made for the speak
! er's district, and not on the matter in hand
Political harangues, mere party TRADES, often
offensive in their character and always useless,
hill up the volumes and render them entirely
| vaueless.
We shall despair Of seeing any thorough re.
| form in either House until members are con-
fined to the discussion of the subject before the
| body, and the reporting isconfned to hespeeches
| actually made by the members, and not made
to embrace those got up for them. Let any
| one consider the voluminousness to which these
| reports are now swelling-and the prevailing
worthlessness Of their contents-and then say
If Congress is justified in continuing the pre-
sent system at the present enormous expense.
Let Congress apply to this matter Of reporting
the competition which they apply to every
thing else, and not make monopoly Of it for
| the advantage of special journal with special
| and peculiar privileges, and then people will
be kept more thoroughly posted up than they
now are with regard to all sayings and doings
OF Congress which it is important to circulate.
We have not taken our pen this morning
| with the purpose Of going at length into the
causes which have defeated and embarrassed
the practical legislation of the present Con-
| gress. That is work which we have re-
served for the summer campaigns. We pro-
pose to teach little Democratic philosophy by
| example. If the country continue to send men
| here SO intellectually insignificant that they
can be swayed by the tools of gentleman like
Mr.. BoYp, we shall continue to witness such
scenes as have disgraced republican govern
ment during the life Of the Thirty-second Con-
gress. What would have been thought If it
had been predicted to the Thirtieth Congress
that the day was at hand when the House
would be sunk SO low in capacity that with
HousroN for the chairman of Ways and Means,
and G. w. JoNEs, of Tennessee, chairman Of
the Committee on Rules, a DEMocRArIc ma
jority of FIFTY TWO members would be utterly
Incompetent to get the appropriation bills pro-
perly digested and seasonably acted upon Z
The day has gone by in our judgment when
mere Ddrfn m auatair c,,,I r,,<,,, L..