The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1875-04-07
Charming Legislation.

Mr.. Garfield claimed great credit
at sthe beginning Of the late session
of Congress because his Committee
on Appropriations had met month
in advance of the usual time and pre-
pared the regular supply bills, so as
to expedite the public business and
|preyent confusion in the last days.
Like most of his promises, it was
made to be broken. " go ''' ...s.
The records show that the great
appropriations were kept back until
the closing hours, and then loaded
down with special legislation and
jobbery Of the most discreditable
kind by the personal cohnivauce Of
the very Chairman who had taken to
himself so much merit for unper-
formed service. If these bills had
been properly pressed forward they
might all have been completed ten
days before the end of the session,
and the. various items could have
been deliberately examined. But
such course would have shut. out
jobs like that which Mr.. Ramsey and
Mr.. Hamlin struggled in for the ben
eft of the express companies, by
doubling the rates of postage on
transient newspapers, magazines, &C.
Hence it was not pursued, and the
tpublic was deceived in order to help
this corruption. .......,.-
| In no former Congress were the
recognized forms Of legislation more
fshamefully ;disregarded than in the
last. Theqsrevised statutes, which
have changed the tariff materially in
favor of certain monopolies without a
particle Of authority, were voted up
on. night after night when twenty
members were not present. And this
bill was never serutinized blythe
committees as the rules required,
and was never enrolled on parchment,
but stands solitary exception bear
ing the Presidents signature affixed
to a printed volume. nj, aae.l- .
The Bounty bill, which would have
taken at least one hundred millions
out of the Treasury to fill the pocket
of claim agents, brokers, and their
confederates in Congress, was signed
by the Speaker and Vice President
/ although the Senate by formal vote
of yeas aud nays had laid the confer
ence report on the table and thus
killed the plundering scheme. The
1 River and Harbor bill, appropriatine
nearly seven millions of dollars, was
driven through the House in the last
hours without even being read. The
majority did not care TO know what
the amendments were, and gulpet
them all down at one swallow. 9th:
or bills were passed with less cerc
mony, and without the least rcgart
to the many millions that were reck
lessly voted away. They were pur
| posely1 thrust aside until near tht
i close, so that examination was i'm
practicable and fraud made easy
An item from the Legislative, Elk
ecutive and Judicial Appropriation
act, under the head Of "Housc o
Representatives" illustrates the sor
of care bestowed by Mr.. Garfield i!
preparing it:
'For hire of horses and mail wagons 70
carrying the mails, and for one saddl
horse, for, messenger, five thousand fon
, hundred and seFenty-five dollars Re
'For furniture and repairs of the same
ten thousand dollars. ~.e as III. :
It would seem by the latter para
graph that the mail wagons and hor
ses were furnished and repaired at
pretty round cost after being hired
But in point of fact the two items
have no connection with each other
though they are thus tied in the Law
as formally printed. It'will be curl
Gus to see how the last ten Thousand
dollars will be expended, and to wha
objects it shall be diverted in ,thl
face Of this appropriation Sun
'SrYI1sH TURNoUrs IN WASHING
} rox.-A Washington correspondent
describing a stroll, up Pennsylvani
avenue, says the display of turnout
! is magnificent nowadays. Mrs. Gran
is very fond Of driving, and may b
} seen daily in a high park phaeton
the gift Of General Bhtterfeld. Tn
Presidents horses are highs pirite'
| LIZ