New-York tribune., 1872-12-02
CONGRESS-.

of the XLlId Congress begins; at noon, march
4. 1873 it ends. Not much work will be done
in December; it will take some time for the
members to prepare for the actual labors OF
the session, and tho more pressing calls of
their immediate constituents will draw them
to the departments and other sources of offciol
patronage, rather than to the Committee rooms.
Some Summer promises must first be fulfilled.
The holiday recess is likely to begin on the
Friday Oec. 2O) before Christmas, and last
until the Monday Jan. o. following New
Years; so that the working days OF
the session will be few in number.
Probably, these will be sufficiently numer-
GUS for the business which the country
requires There will be, of course, the usual
Appropriation bills the administration OF the
Government and the smooth working or its
machinery depend on the prompt provision Oh
the Ways and Means and the estimates OF
the various Departments have been duly fur
nished to the Committee on Appropriations
for examination, so that there is less need
than usual for delay in presenting and pass
ing these indispensable measures. The vicious
custom of delaying Appropriation bills until
the last night sessions of Congress close up
the term, and then rushing them through in
q wild turmoil, should be discouraged; we
shall never see any reform worth having
until this is accomplished. A good beginning
has been made already, as Gen. Garfield has
three Of these bills all ready to lay before the
House. This is something unprecedented and
cOmmendable.
In the House there are twenty-five or thirty
bills ON the Speakers table or before the
L. fnrnNV, ftnnG
but not otherwise disposed of. The most inn
portant of these which aomas ND after "the
"morning hour" to-day, is the bill relating to
the disposition of public lands to actual set
tiers; this is a legacy from the unfinished
business of last Spring. The next important
measure is the bill relating to our mterna-
tional relations with several Of the British
American Colonies this provides for the adj
mission, duty free, Of certain colonial products
into the United States. when our neighbors
shall have performed their part of the obli-
cations imposed in the Treaty OF Washington
Among other bills which are Immediately IN
order during the week is n transcript of Sena-
tor Summers original Civil Rights bill, which
comes up in due course tomorrow. The French
Spolations bill and that to organize the Indian
tribes into the Territory of Oklahoma must also
receive early attention in some way, as they
are so set down. Taken altogether, however,
the number of bills already in view OF the
House is encouragingly small The members.
to be sure, will bring with them many new
propositions which they will ask shall be made
into laws; their constituents are urgent; some
will not be in the next Congress to present
schemes of law; but, for reasons above given,
II. In Or
densome.
In the Senate there is less than in the House
to attract public attention and occupy the
opening days Of the session. The reorganiza-
ton of the Standing Committees. which is said
to be inevitable, will cause ripple on the
surface of legislation, but no debate. Amnesty,
Enforcement Amendments, Ku-Klux legisla- /
ton, and the Tariff are not likely to occupy a
large space in the work before Congress and
but little special sectional legislation will be
asked by anybody, unless we except the inevi-
table demands for satisfaction for the value of
property destroyed in the South during
the war. 1t is worth while, too, to |
recall the fact that Congress will not be
plagued by the divisions of race and section
which have heretofore often embarrassed q
just and generous course of law-making. /
These arbitrary lines have been broken by
the political movements incident to the can
vass which has just closed. For the first time
in the history of the Republic the artificial
distinctions which have separated parties into
factions and the people of different geograph
ical districts into parties have melted away.
Let us hope this is forever. 1t seems as if
the present juncture of public affairs were
particularly rich in opportunities for the exer-
else of wise craftsmanship, high patriotism, \
just economy, and single-hearted devotion to
the immediate needs of the Republic. All
these we hOpe to see.
TIE INTERIOR DEPARTMENT.