The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1866-08-15
OF Congress.

more unfeigned satisfaction. Apart from
all political considerations, this season Of
Congress has won for itself anything but
an enviable distinction. So much obstin.
ate ignorance, combined with so much
despotic arrogance, has never before char
acterised similar body of representatives
in American history. That there were
some eminent minds in it is true. That
here and there mental capacity was ex-
hibited which lowered, ut times, above par-
tisan reach, and seemed anxious to meet
the higher demands of legislation, we shall
notdeny. But these evidences ofintellectual
power were SO lost in the mass of intoler-
ant fanaticism; intense partisanship, absurd
inexperience, and incorrigible corruption,
that we look in vain for some dash of ra-
diant coloring to light up the dismal hue
of the discreditable picture.
The whole character of the late session
of Congress was partisan. Its entire
course of action, from first to last, "was
nothing if not partisan. 1t never, in a
solitary instance, succeeded in diyesting
itself sufficiently of this feature to rise
above the dead level of time-serving dema-
gogueism. Its weakness in this respect
was painfully apparent in all its move
ments. Once or twice, indeed, inspired by
individual eloquence, it seemed upon the
point of exalting itself by an act Of states
manship, but it had not the courage to en-
act u role so far beyond it's natural calibre.
1t shrank back, self-conscious of its imbe-
cility, and pity for it's weakness almost
supplanted the contempt we felt for its
presumption.
The initial act of this Congress was
characteristic of itself and its subsequent
career. 1t surrendered it's whole power to
a committee of fifteen, and having thus
emasculated every member of his indie
pendence, it proceeded to legislate so as to
make the thirty-six states in the Union
surrender their whole power to the federal
representatives of eighteen or nineteen. 1t
proceeded to legislate for itself and its
friends only, to squander two hundred and
fifty millions of dollars upon mere '.iobs"
to enrich it's party adherents, and to per-
feet political scheme to perpetuate, at the
risk of another civil war, its own authority.
1t increased, instead of diminishing taxa
ton. 1t tried to alter the tariff, so as to
still more enrich the wealthy manufactur-
ers and still more impoverish the masses
of the people. 1t mangled our commerce
by excluding all vessels transferred to neu-
trail flags, to escape rebel privateers, during
the war, and it did what it could to para
lyse trade by refusing the benefits of
bankrupt law to enterprise that had been
unfortunate, lest it might be used as
weapon against its friends at the polls.-
Finally, the members of Congress disgrae-
ed themselves by voting half million of
dollars into their private pockets by in
creasing their salaries from three to five
thousand dollars year; also adding, by
new bounty bill, two hundred millions of
dollars more to the nations expenditures.
In sooth, Congress stultifed itself and
perplcxed the world. 1t disgusted some
and it alarmed others. Had it postponed
its adjournment much longer, we arc not
sure that public opinion would have failed
to put a summary end, at once, to both its
intnlerable existence and dishonest appro-
priations.
Apparently the most Objectionable part
OF this Congress was its deliberate resolu-
ton to maintain discord by keeping the
eleven ex-rebel states, for partisan purpo-
ses, out OF all participation in the next
presidential election. That resolution was
based on pleas, however, which were sub
stantially abandoned Wlen policy made it
necessary to restore to Tennessee her seats
in Congress-pleas to which the coming
election will give permanent quietus.-
The worst feature, therefore, in the pro-
ceedings of this Congress, is the encour-
agment it has given to the doctrine of re-
pudiation by its profuse squandering, for
and upon corrupt and idle objects, of so
many millions of public money. The pco-
pie who are oppressively taxed to supply
the millions thus superfuously voted away,
may easily be tempted to regard repudia-
ton as something worth debate when their
burden becomes onerous, and repudiation,
like any other vicious thing, soon loses its
hideousness when you make it familiar
To secure this familiarity no Legislative
body could have taken more favorable steps
than the thirty-ninth Congress. Its prodi-
gal dissipation of the public funds affords
standing appeal to the popular cupidity.
We shall hold this Congress responsible for
it, therefore, if ever such an evil should
present itself to embarrass our country's
giant stride, in future, towards national
prosperity.-N Y. Sunday Times.