The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1874-05-30

we'll attend to. Let us look after our
finances, our currency, our system of
transportation, lest dissatisfaction
may cause another rebellion in some
section of the Union, and foreign ma
tions may combine to disintegrate our
country by acknowledging the in
dependence of our rebels.
| MEMBERS OF CONGRESS,
when on duty, furnish another illus
tration of the truth of the saying,
"Men are but children of the larger
growth" Strangers who, at distance,
have been accustomed to regard Con-
| gress as a pre- eminently wise and
dignifed body, are positively shocked,
when they enter the House gallery,
during a session, to note the scene of
confusion below. Some of the mem
bers are passing to and fro; some are
absorbed in the columns of a news
paper; some are writing letters;
groups are gathered here and there !;
while all are convefsing on subjects
entirely foreign to the matter under
consideration. Meanwhile, amid this
babel of voices, some member who
has been fortunate enough to catch
the Speakers eye is endeayoring to
make himself heard. The attempt is
futile; and he finally resumes his seat,
annoyed at the lack of attention paid
to his remarks, but cOnsoled by the
reflection that he will see his speech
in the Congressional Record of the day
following. The House is getting to
be very large and very unruly
body, and it is possible that the time
may come when the rules will be
made as stringent as in well ordered
school room, and when conversation,
while member is speaking, will be
prohibited as discourteous, and as
serious hindrance to the transaction
of business. The greatest disorder
reigns when Speaker Blaine Temporal
rily vaeatcs the chair, and calls some
other member to perform his duties.
At times, the confusion becomes so
serious an impeachment, that the
Speaker resumes his chair, and gem
orally brings order out of chaos by
few vigorous raps of the gavel, and a
sharp imperative demand that men,
hers take their seats and cease con-
versation. Unlike Colfax, Blaine
wears no stereotyped smile, nor does
he, like his predecessor, plead for or
der; he commands it, like self-pos-
sessed schoolmaster who expects i'm
plieit compliance, and does not dream
of disobedience.
WIN 1N1EhESISs
The Changers will have to look
after Congress in the matter of the
report of the Commissioner of Agri-
culture. The members having re-
duced their pay to the old figure at
which it was when the franking privi-
lege was in order, protest their pecu-
mary inability to send the agricultu-
raj reports, at their own expense,
even if they were printed, which they
are not. The reports for 1928 re-
main unpublished, simply because
Congress, in a piqae, will not order
their publication until some provision
is made to forward them to their con-
stituents, free of expense to them
selves. As there is no apparent dispo-
sition OH the part of Congress to
either repeal or modify the law
abolishing the franking privilege, it
is probable that there will be no re-
port from the Agricultural Depart
ment for some time to come. Appli-
cations for these reports pour in by
the thousand, weekly. AS it is, the
Agricultural Department is of no
special value to the public its opera
tions being restricted to the dissent
nation of incomplete, and consequent
" inaccurate, statistics, and to the |
to members of Congress, |
and few others, of small quantities |
Of vegetable and flower seeds.
P. S. The House has just passed, |
after a long debate, the amendment
Of Mr.. G. F. Hoar to the Post Office
appropriation bill, as amended by /
Mr.. Mills, of Texas, by which the
agricultural reports, monthly and
animal ORC ~ 90 L. ,,o;l Co. & /