New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-02-03

miles /, such that majority OF the House has not
tho control of ts doings: and To give II that con-
troll it 10 obliged ~ suspend the operation oil lie
rules.
Now. by a rule Of the House. II Is N order on
every Monday. and an 30 other day Of the week, to
move 70 .usfend the rules, So as 10 clothe the
majority with It's legitimate Powers-eXcept that 1t
is in order on every day to move t. 60 into Com
mittee of the Whole on the state Of the Union.
Practically. therefore II ls impossible Tor the
House ~ control It's own proceedings except on
Mondays-on all other days u being the slave Oi
ito rules. But. even on Mondays majority can
not guide It's action. because il requires the AMIR
NATIVE votes Of twO-thrds Of the members present
to suspend the rules. Hence il may be stated a.
d general proposition, that the HOuse can never do
business without the consent Of two-thirds OF It's
members.
An unnitiated person would naturally suppose
that Monday would be hailed 10y members as day
Of Jubilee that at the bafest hint That MI a. or
Mr. B. wanted to suspend the rules all the rest OF
the Cor sressional alphabet would shout Aye
with startling alacrty Nothing can be wider IRON
the fact To illustrate. The longed-for day ar
ryes The reading Of the journal Is endured Win
impotence. As the last word falls from the CierE
lips. scores OF members spring 10 the moor ana
franticaly demand suspension OF the rules Aiter
tumutuous struggle for the priority, the privilege
of making the auspiclOus motion IN due FORM IS
bis intention 50 to do than three fourths OF the
House clamOrously demand toe Yeas and Nays on
the motion which. being ordered, Virgins hnds,
at the close Of the weary call OF the roll, thai
instead of being supported by tWo-thlrds OF the
House he is crushed under the negative votes OF
three fOurths Of 1t. No sooner IS Virgins put
down than seven-eighths of the members leap to
their feet and waving bills, resolutions and what not
high in air euriously demand the floor, that they
may move a suspension of the rules. Sprigglns
catches the Speakers eye, Is recognized by that
functonary Ct was agreed upon the day before,
and makes the requisite motion. All eyes are now
turned Indignantly upon Spriggns. The Yeas and
Nays are fercey called for. " Not sufficient
number up" says the Speaker. " Tellers on the
Yeas and Nays, shout ahundred voices: The House
moves slowly through the tellers the Yeas and Nays
are ordered and again the tiresome roll drags its
length down 10 Felix X. ZOllcOfer, when 10
Sprigens, by vote of four to one, Is sternly re-
buked for attempting TO cast a momentary refec-
ton upon the exquisite wisdom OF the rules OF the
House Of Representatives. Sprigglns having re,
ceived his quetus, the floor, amid a tumut that
would frighten band of Seminole Indians is
awarded to Snubbins. AL hands now fall savagely
upon Snubbins, and subject him to the slow tor
ture of teers and roll call, till, his temper and his
motion being clean gone, he bequeaths the hight to
Dgpins, who, with his expiring patience, hands 1t
over to DObbins, and so on through Higgins and
the rest, till the House, having used up the dd!,
goes exhausted, cross and hungry to dinner.
To come TO the realities of to-day. This Is Mon
dav No sooner was the journal read this morn
inc than the clam0r for the floor in order to move
to suspend the rules began. A lOoker-On would
have supposed that the House by unanimous ac-
claim. was eager to send the whole parliamentary
code includeg Jefferson and Gushing. TO the
Black Hole of Calcutta, there to remain TIL Tues
day at II O'Clock m. But after weary session
of nearly four hours, the days work may be
summed up thus: The rules were suspended four
times; once, to pass bill for - the relief OF WI
liam Hazard Wigg' fortunate Wigg! his bill,
after encountering great hazard has at last come
10 the scratch); once, to let IN resolution hIlng
the hour of meeting hereafter at J. o'clock, which
was adopted for fear OF an extra sessions; once to
authorize evening meetings for reading Buncombe
ESSAYS, usually their first and final reading by NOR
tai man; and once to pass bill to pay somebody
for something done To his house IN the Mexican
war. These four items of business did not occupy
twenty minutes. The rest of the day was spent In
calling the Yeas and Nays, going through teuers,
and in other filibusterng" devices.
During this short session the sttings of the
House cost at least $4,000 per day. Are not
Congressional fillibusering and gas-hght essay
reading rather expensive uxuries to the exchequer
of this Republic! Grave gentlemen justify such
proce edngs by insisting that the less business
Congress does the better it is for the country. III
this be true. then would not the speedy return OF
honorable members to the bosom of their families
be a public and private blessing