St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1871-03-10

SClIsttOl ''Au4'J 49, -
drunk he did not know il ; and the vice
president was obliged to remind him
when he undertook 10 make a speech,
that new Congress had convened, of
which, fortunately for the country, there
was at least one less drunken mcmbcr-
Mr.. salisbury not being a member Of
the new senate.
The new Congress, after clecting
Speaker Blaine, voted Tin the housc) 10
al ourn Wednesday o: this week until
December. Possibly the President may
order Il special session Of the senate for
executive business. The Springfield Re
puJEcaM thus sums up the last lights
work of tie old Congress-.
1t took all night sessions Of both
houses 10 get Congress in shape to ad-
iourn, as usual, but i'll neither branch
were they attended by the excuses which
have diSgraccd the closing hours of some
former Congrcssc. Neither were lobby
lists able to take advantage OF the hurry
and confusion of the last hours and get
through their pet jobs. The House con-
tinucd It's sharp scrutiny of all measures
to the last, and though several bills
which would otherwise have been lost,
were attached az ''ridcrs'' to appropriate
ton bills and went through, few, if any
of them. were Objectionable i'll them
selves, and none of them were measures
of Il private character.
All the appro priation bills were finally
passed, though the omnibus bill had Il
tight squeeze. After the Senat" got
through with it there was not time to re-
fer it TO conference committee, and
the house adopted the Senate amend
mcnts without knowing what they were,
but with the general assurances from Mr..
Dawes that the whole amount appropria-
ted by the bill had been cut down. The
appropriation for a navy yard at League
Island was retained, but that for New
London was stricken out, and no sums
are appropriated for the beginning OF any
new buildings anywhere. The bill Civ
ing relative rank to staff officers in the
navy, was attached to the naval APP
preparation bill, and passed. But il set
ties nothing. and the whole battle of the
line and staff will have to he fought over
again. What the staff demand, and
what they will be sure % get soon. is
positive rank "Rclativc' or ''l>~ini-
lated" rank is simply no rank at all.
The bill 10 abolish the rank of admiral
and Vice admiral in the navy, when these
offices become vacant, failcI in the House
ut the last moment. There has been a
lung dispute between the two branches
over this bill, the House wanting TO cut
down the number Of rear adIniralS and
other officers OF the navy, ~ well a>
abolish the two highest ranks. Failing
in this, it is Just as well to let the whole
matter 90 over for further consideration
and more intelligent action by the new
/ Congress.
The Southern Pacific railroad folks
feel happy over the success of their bill
which passed in Il form much less object
iOnablc than when it first came from the
Senate, though not, rs it first passed the
House, quite shorn Of al its branches.
The old Pacific railroad folks feel happy,
too, inasmuch as they got Congress to
rebukc Secretary Boutwell, fer his &aal
in looking after the governments inter
ests, and say that the Pacific roads may
perform their obligations to suit their
own convenience. This was the thing
that looked most Ike Il job during the
closing hours. Only one land grant bill
cot throu.h ,-tlat renewing the grant
to tie South Carolina and North hlaba-
E!a railroad company, but why that
should have been singled Gu; for such
favor is not evident. All the steamship
subsidy bills failed entirely.
But TIE great triumph of Friday night
was the passage Of Il civil service reform
resolution authorizing the president 10
prescribe such regulations for admission
Of persons into the civil service of the
United States as will best promote its
efficiency. This is the identical begin
ming Of civil service reform in Great
Britain, and will do for Il beginning here.
1t seemed one while as though it would
be impossible to- raise the salaries of the
judge of the supreme court without i'll
Guiding all the district judges, and the
heads of bureaus at Washington, but it
was finally accomplished, the circuit
judges alone sharing the increase. The
increase of the salaries of the supreme
court judges is not large, only from
$4,000 10 $4,000, with $500 additional
for the chief justice, but it is better than
nothing.
The bill repeating the duty on btu
minous, coal failed to carry in the upper
branch, the senators from Maryland and
Pennsylvania threatening TO talk till the
end of the session against the bill if il
was not dropped. The repeal would
have no perceptib!c influence in settling
our anthracite coal troubles, but it is Il
simple matter of justice to allow New
England to get her soft coal if she can,
without paying tribute to Pennsylvania
and Maryland, and the repeal is sure tc
come before long. Most of the schemes
to make new Judicial districts in different
states, for the purpose of making soft
places for retiring members of Congress,
failed, as they should have done.
EDITORIAL EXCUEsIoN.-NIcmb oil
the Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire