The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1853-02-22

fusion; they might have walked out even leisurely
and yet, in consequence of the struggling and
sonfhfng Of every one to get ahead, many were
smothered in the flames, and many more came ont
~ muttiated condition. So it is With the busi-
ness OF this House. 1t is the constant stru gling
and Jostiang and maneuvring on the part of
members to get bills in which they feel particular
interest ahead that cause great part Of the de-
lay in the public business
"The rules of the House, if properly adminis-
tered, are good rules. They have proved to be 30.
This is the fifth Congress in which have served
When fret came here, John W. Jones ,vas Speak
er Of the House. and every thing .oent on then az
smoothly and as soell as possible. Euery morn
ing The committees ,oere called for reports, and
the Speakers table ,cas cleared 1t ia true. the an.
preparation bilis were not passed early in the SEES
sion, and undertake to say that they ought not
to be passed very early in the session They ought
not to be reported too precipitately by the Com
mittee on Ways and Means. That committee
ought to have time to scrutinize the bills tho.
roughly. They ought to have time to put in all
the appropriations that are needed, SO as to OBJ.
ylate the necessity of offering amendments in the
House, and of deficiency bills. In this way time
10 saved and the transaction of business facilitated
"Mr Chairman, as there has seemed to be the
disposition on the part of some gentlemen to atri
oute the delay and obstruction of the public bust
ness IN part to the Chair, and in part to the COM
mttees OF the House, have felt it my duty, as the
Committee on Foreign Affairs might by some be
supposed to be implicated, to defend it. We have
never been for one day-we have never been for a
single moment, unprepared for action upon any
subject that belongs to US. The only question now
upon our docket is that with regard to the fisheries
which will be decided to morrow The House ia
well aware that that subject was brought to our
notice only few days ago. and l also felt it nv
duty, in justice to myself, to the committee over
which presided during the last Congress, and to
the honorable gentleman who was Speaker at that
time and who ia absent, to show that during that
Congress there were none of the difficulties that
are now complained of. | say further, that 30 far
as the complaints made early in that Congress are
concerned, those who made them retracted them
before the close of the Congress.
"Mr. Chairman, | had designed to have gone
more fully into this matter, but find that have
already oyertasked my physical strength, and
am therefore unable to make this defence as COM
pete as had intended
We wish to call the attention of the people
to the fact that only ten years ago, when Mr..
JONES, of Virginia, was SPEAKER, the SPEAK
ER's table acas cleared every day, and every
morning the committees aoere called upon for
reports. .Now, it is impos sible to get report
in edgewise. Mr.. EASTMAN states that he has
a whole drawer full of reports nine months
old, and cuts off the widow of revolutionary
soldier from her pitiful pension, because he
feels bounds to challenge as favorable recep-
ton of his own reports as is given to the re-
ports of other members. And not only are
these reports thus accumulated in the hands of
committees, but there is nearly years accu-
mutation of bills Wondering ON the SPEAKERS
table.