Washington telegraph., 1853-03-30
Delays and COnfusiOna I'm the
Public Business.

We are glad to see that Mr.. Smith, of
Alabama, Democrat has undertaken to ex-
pose in a speech the short comings Of the
present Congress. and to explain how and
why it is that so little business has been
done, and why that little has been SO i'll
done.
The present system of official reporting
is one cause of this crying evil, which ought
to be abolished. 1t puts stop to any SEN
sible discussion of public measures. 1t
leads to egotism and display Of the most in
suferable stoidity The speeches reported
are made for the speakers district, and not
on the matter in hand. Political harangues
mere party TRADES, often offensive in their
character and always useless, fill up the vol
umes and render them entirely valueless.
We shall despair Of seeing any thorough
reform in either House until members are
confined to the discussion Of the subject be-
fore the body, and the reporting is confined
to the speeches actually made by the mem
bers, and not made to embrace those got up
for them. Let any one consider the volu-
minousness to which these reports are now
swelling-and the prevailing worthlessness
of their contents-and then say if Congress
is justified in continuing the present system
at the present enormous expense. Let Con-
gress 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 a work which we have re-
served for the summer campaigns. We pro-
pose to teach little Democratic philosophy
by example. II the country continue to
send men here so Intellectually insignificant
that they can be swayed by the tools Of
gentleman like Mr. Boyd, We shall continue
to witness such scenes as have disgraced re-
publican government during the life of the
Thirty second Congress 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 Houston for the chairman
of Ways and Means, and g. W. Jones, Of
Tennessee, chairman Of the Committe on
Rules, a Democratic majority of ffy-two
members would be utterly incompetent to
get the appropriation bills properly digested
and seasonably acted upon
The day has gone by in our Judgment
when mere party discipline can sustain such
men before the country, in the face Of the
universal and overwhelming indignation IN
der which the immense Democratic maiori-
ties Of the Thirty-second Congress return to
their constituents. They viii be called by
the American people, whose rights and in
terests they have neglected, to a strict ac-
count. If they can Justify to the people the
elevation Of a man to the Speakerslip with
no more intelligence than to select HoUsroN,
Of Alabama for the Craftsmanship Of the
most important committee and with no more
tact or good sense than to choose 10 see only
those ne25dcrs who are the most incompe-
tent to aid in legislation; if they can Justify
themselves on these points to the people sue
cessfully, we hope the people viii increase
the Democratic majorities in the next Con-
gress. 1t is possible that things must be
worse before they can be better
Wasis. Rcpa5lic