Middletown transcript., 1870-01-15
THE woR1x OF CONGRESS.

it were the intention to consider every bill
that has been introduced thus far, the ses-
sion would probably last year from Mon
day I; but, as it is, enough of national in
terest has been brought into preliminary
shape to prolong the meeting far into the
midsummer months In the House there
have been already introduced over six
hundred bills. This is without precedent
in the busy days of the war OF this num-
ber over twenty-four are for railroad
schemes, land grants for the same, etc
twenty are for appropriations; thirty relate
to financial matters six propose to change
our naturalization system two are inten-
ded to change the apportionment of Rep
resentatives among the people; five pur-
pose to reconstruct the State of Virginia,
and three are intended to abolish the frank
ing privilege. These are but specimens of
contemplated legislation on the part ofthe
House. In the Senate, nearly four hun
dred bills are pending in that body and
before its committees but it should not
be forgotten that two-thirds of these mea-
sures are inherited from the brief session
of last April, and that they in turn were
pending in the Fortieth Congress, and
were re-introduced as the legitimate result
of their failure to squeeze into enactments
in that Congress and, in fact in each
House, bills of the same general character,
and even of the same text, have been in
troduced OF course, action on one will
offset action on the other.
Outside of legislation on the financial
question, reconstruction seems to stand
pre-eminent Virginia comes first on the
list, and it is not easy to predict what
will be the result of the various measures
relating to this State, now in embryo,
before the Reconstruction Cmmittee. 1t
is believed, however, that while further
exactons will be made, tho State will f.
nally be restored to the Union without the
iemodeling of the Legislature. Missis-
sipp thus far stands without objection.
Military rule there has done its work, and
the result is so overwhelmingly on the
Radical side that the State will probably
slip into representation in Congress with
out further hindrance; but as to Texas
which State is to close up the great Radical
programme of Radical reconstruction
the result cannot SO well be anticipated.
General Reynolds writes that she is ad-
ministration all through, including Gov
ernor and Legislature. If this be confr-
med, the minority in Congress will be
over-trodden as in the Georgia bill, and
all opportunity to expose the frands of the
Radicals in Texas-which seem to be as
shameless as they are extensive-will be
denied by the majority,
Eollnuinn tbic ,,nactinn ooinng that of
finance. The Senate committee will soon
be incubating on Secretary Boutwelps
four and half per cent. funding bill, as
well as the measure to redeem thirty-five
millions of three per cent. certificates and
issue National Bank notes in lieu of them.
The House Banking Committee will will
also be obliged to decide between imitation
or contraction, whether it will favor the
issue of forty four millions more legal ten
dcrs, as provided in Mr.. Ingcrsoll's bill,
or let the volume of currency remain
where it is. Besides this committee
has four bills before it providing for free
banking. Then there is Lynche's bill to
provide for specie payments, and, in the
Senate committee Shcrman's bill to pro-
vide for redistribution of the national
bank currency, which corresponds with
Coburn's bill before the House COM
mittec for the same purpose. The
daily Bulletins of the Ways and Means
Committeeman inappropriatcly styled
sometimes, " the Committee of Mean
Ways"-show that they are about to finish
a new tariff bill, and to follow it with a
new tax bill.
Going back to the Senate VIC find a.
mong its important measures Senator Fer
rys universal amnesty bill Schurz's civil
service measure; Mr. Williams's bill tc
regulate Chinese immigration; the eigh
hour question, 80 earnestly opposed by the
Vermont Morrill, the several bills to Civ,
new steamship lines the ocean postage
the bills from the House to take the nintl
5 census, to incorporate the Washington in
ternational exhibition scheme, to admi
! Colorado as a State, and to hit polygam,
blow in Utah. Much of the time of til
, House will be taken up with the twent.
f contested election cases; and, singular t.
: say, the FIRST one to be called up is to give tn
e seat to a Democratic claimant from Sout
n Carolina Although he comes with fou
!, thousand majority at his back, his f. te
). by no means likely to be favorable ono
Vt Incidental to the tax bill will be amend
IS ments to abolish the income tax. to reduc
'e the rate, &c. to make the internal revenu
!, bureau an independent department, wit
Of its head in the Cabinet; on the India
question bills, to prohibit further treaties
and to make the bureau Independent of Il
ID Interior Department, are pending in ii
Iv House. There are half dozen constitl
IS tional amendments, one of which propos,
ee female suffrage, and none of which al
rs likely to pass. So it will be seen tn
IN there is enough for Congress to do, if
es keeps within moderate channels. If
ne enters upon the wide range of railroa
is telegraph, canal, and land grant jobs, mol
,y can say what the result will be in the di
n position of the public plunder.-N
of World.