The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1860-03-08

after ally Ii still MOTE vague, ard the Commit
tee of Investigation have very slender ground
70 begin upon.
The resolutions Of Mr.. Hoard made en- i'm
nense disturbance in the House, and a great
many wasbwomen from all parties and all sec
doos Of The country hurried up their pack
ages u foul linen towards the Speakers
nose There was Houston from Alabama, with
a very dirty bundle, sent all the way proba
bly, under frank, from Maine 1t was bought
with the public money, aud WAS marked State
Treasurer This package was knocked abou,
the benches for some time, until another was
Introduced by the same member. The LIST
named linen bore various marks. The names
Of the Clerk, Printer, Doorkeeper and others,
officers of the House, appeared upon some
pieces Of it. That which came from the Clerk.
desk was % foul as the stuff in the buck
basket wherein the jovial danes of Wiadsor
epvelcped Sir John FalstaH, ''rammed in with
foul shirts and smocks, socks, foul stockings
tHd greasy napkins, with the rankest CON-
pound Of vilisnous smells that ever offended
nostril" The bouquet Of the Clerks budget
must have been more powerful than the COM
biped s.inks fifteen In number, of the famous
city Of Cologne.
OF course the laundresses on the republican
side returned 70 the charge Pennsylvania Co
vode had lot of dirty rags, sent by distin-
guished democrat of Pittsburg, whose name
had been erased from his linen. Mr. Houston
hen proceeded especially to overhaul the
bundle marked with the initials of the Cheva.
lier Tom Ford. The public printing is noto
fously nasty job, and Mr.. Houston thought
That the Chevalier Ford's skirts were said
10 be so far bedraggied as to have
fculed those Of several other persons. Fl
naliy, Mr.. Hickman, famous washwo
man, brought in his assortment in the
shape Of q comprehensive resolution to pro
vide for the cleansing of all the official dirty
linen in the country by one committee. All
this tine the iaundresses were shouting. guar.
ielling, laughing and talking at the top of
their voices, after the approved manner of the
tribe. Indeed. we are not quite sure that the
regular professional washwomen would have
been more quiet and respectable than the anna
tenIs at the Capitol.
Now that the House has voted in favor of this
display of dirty linen, The committee will do
we'll to make it as thorough as possible. Let
every thing come out ON both sides, and abou,
all parties and factions. Let them go back to
1856 and ascertain what became of the twenty
thousand dollar fund raised to carry Pennsyl-
vania; then follow up the lobby in the last
Congress and give us all the details of their
doings The Congress of the United States can
not do anything now which will tend further
TO disgrace the nation which it misrepresents
The House has already touched the lowest depths
Of degradation. Already we are beginning
to receive the first instalments of the criticisms
and comments of the European press upon the
workings of republican Institutions in the
United States, as shown by the scenes in Con-
gress during the struggle for the SpeAkership.
As matter Of course, the government and the
people Of the United States are held RESPONSE
BILE for the disgracefulsquabbles Of their agents
and servants, and very unfavorable conclusions
are drawn as to the ineiiiciency of system
under which such outrageous conduct il per-
mitted in the high places of the nation. IF
order and decorum had been restored in the
House after the election of the Speaker, mat
tiers would not have looked so badly for us;
but the facts seem to show the existence of
worse state Of things after organization than
before The squabbles among the members, the
giving Of the lie direct on the floor, the dis
graceful exhibitions made by member from
Virginia and others, the orgie by which the
election of the Clerk was celebrated, the scenes
Of petty intrigue and miserable ,chicaue-
ry by lobby of half starved sucking
pigs of country editors, and still more
recently, the remarkably extensive dis
play of national dirty linen made by the
federal laundresses, will afford a fine field for
the British and French journalists who are
only too happy to pick flaws in the model
republic. In view Of the present state OF
things at Washington, our rulers are deter
mined to open for our European critics the
richest possible placers.
But the matter has for us still graver and
more important Specification. Congress is a
body with limited powers and special duties
The constitution makes it the duty of the
President to recommend in his annual message
measures to promote the welfare Of the govern
ment. Then it becomes the duty of Congress
to pass needful laws and make proper regula-
tons for the practical working Of the govern,
ment. Congress has to regulate the financial
affairs of the country, to provide for the supper
of the army and navy, to regulate the postal
service, the coming Of money, the collection OF
the revenue, and so on. In addition to this rou
tine business, there are certain special mat
tiers, such as the abolition of the Thanking
privilege, the condition Of our relations with
Mexico, and the disturbed state of the Texan
border, the Pacific Railroad bill, the proposed
alterations in the laws relative to the public
domain, and many other matters of vital i'm
porsauce all awaiting Congressional act;on