Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes Co., O. [Ohio]) 1870-1895, 1874-01-01
THE CONGRESSIONAL SEASON.

The Cincinnati Commercial very
pertinently calls attention to the
fact as shown by the record of Con-
gress for twenty years past that no
legislation Of any consequence has
been done at Washington during
the three weeks that interviewed be
tween the opening of the session on
the first Monday in December and
the beginning of the holiday recess.
1t is an understood thing that this
recess shall be given each year no
matter what the exigencies of legis-
Iation and beyond the details Of or
ganization, nothing but preliminary
and Intellectual sparring is ever at
tempted. 1t is therefore proposed
that two important changes be made
in the Congressional business, first
that the sessions of Congress shall
begin on the second Teusday of jan
uary each year, and secondly that
members elected in the fall shall
take thei: seats at the first assem-
bling Of Congress thereafter. AS it
now is the Representative elected in
October waits until the following
March, then goes to Washington,
answers to-the roll-call of his name
as the new Congress is polled, and
returns home to await the real as
sembling of the session on the first
of the following December, a year
and t,co months after his election.
Meanwhile important changes have
gone or. The whole financial and
Political aspect of affairs may have
changed. The representative which
a constituency may have chosen
during the autum of 1872, msy ut
terly fail to represent the CONTROL
ing sentiment of his district four
teen months latter. 1t Is theoreti-
cally true of the House of Represen-
tatives that it comes direct and fresh
from the people. If this is really
desirable it would probably be diff
cult to show any good reason why
the members might not better take
their seats within three months af-
ter election rather than after whole
year has passed. Concerning this
point, there will be, of course great
difference Of fopinion. We have given
the main reasons that are urged in
favor of the new plan. Concerning
the wisdom of emitting the frag-
mentary part of the session
that comes before the Christmas
holidays, there can be, one would
suppose, but one opinion. If it is
true that Congress can not get
through that part of the year with
the simple cessation of work on
Christmas and New Years day, like
the rest of the world, then it would
by all means be better to save to the
country the expense of three useless
weeks, and to members expense of
additional trip home. The Parli-
ment of Great Britain meets about
the first of February, and sticks to
its work week after week until
about the first of July. Then, when
the growing heats of summer impel
the Lords and Commons to seek
rest and a cooler atmosphere, the
business is closed up and the mem
bers are off for the summer vacation.
There is none of the hasty and dis
graceful rushing through of a
months work on the last night of a
session that must close at a fixed
minute. There is no building home
for a fortnight's junketing just as
Parliment gets thoroughly settled to
its work. Economy of time and
money and generally effectiveness
are important considerations in the
management of a legislative body.
The present Congressional schedule
is sufficiently defective to make the
dicussion of Improvements interest
ing and pertinent.