New-York tribune., 1876-08-10
CONGRESSIONAL DILLY-DALLYIHG.

CONGRESSIONAL DILLY-DdLLfHH.
An attenuated Congress. growing small by
degrees and beautifully les~ wrc>t'inS heavily
and laboiiouIy with business Chat ought to
have been disposed of weeks nro, Is not
spectacle to cxharatc or inspire. Were It not
dsrcsncctful, iilcveIcnt indeed, We should he
almost disposed to call the exhibition Tidicu-
Ions. Ostcnsibly these saeos are differing and
holding high debate upon questions OF
expenditure and methods OF retrcnciment.
Really they are posing before the
country, and making eyes at the voters.
This is not legislation that is going on at
Washington it is a Presidential canvass. 1t
is not debate, BIT wranglc; not the
forum. but the stump. It IS said by persons
who have witnessed encounters IN the Ing
that there is nothing more ridiculous III nature
or in art tl,an the GucFLgs and lodgings ana
dippiDgs, the contoYiions of body, the tents,
the skipping about, and miscellaneous bobbing
around of the two Combatant5 before they get
to close quarters. The two parties III Con
mess seem to be engaged i'll similar preiim-
mares. And j. must be said that the spec
taclc is not a diycrting one. SO Tar rs
the actual business Of Congress is concerned
there il 10 earthly excuse for the continuance
of the session. Except for the obsiinacy OF
Mr. Randall and perhaps one or two other
Democratic leaders, the session need not be
prolonged a day, might i'll fact have been
bought to a close with the conclusion of the
Bdknap impeachment trial. But Mr. Randall
and thc rest, upon the pictcnsc OF carrying
out a pioayune policy OF retrenchmcnt winch
has 10 other purpose than to make political
capital for his party hold Congress together
and make it the arena for partisan encounter
and debate Both branches Of Congress have
now driftcd ont upon IN intcrnindbc political
discussion, in which neither side hopes TO con
vince the other, but each contends for the last
word and the advantage Of the most impress
siye attitude before the people.
1t is not entirely unaccountable however, in
this view of Tie objects sought, that Mr.. Ran
dan is dcsrOus OF pr0lOugmg thc session. For
| if he has hoped TO make capital for his party
| he has so far lamcntably failed, and an adj
iuuInmcnt leaves him and his friends at q dis
advantage. in all the discussions o. general
politics thus far the Republicans have had de-
cidrdly the better Of 1t. The Democratic
leaders have not been able to cope sue
ces,fully with their opponents in any
|
have undertaken an encounter In the debate
in the House on Tuesday between Mcssrs. Cox
and Hale, the latter gentleman made some
vcIy telling points against the majority, the
effect Of which MIR. Cox was unable to parry
by argament or dissipatc by any pranks OF his
cxubcrant humOr. Indeed, Nlr lillcs alralgn-
ment OF the Democratic majority upon its
record in this Congress was SO thorough and
complete, and 50 fortified by undeniahc facts
as to be unauswcrable. 1t was not by any
means a profitable discussion, and had 40 per
turncc to the business of Congress; but
whatever political advantage was gained
very clearly accrued to The Repubicans.
so too in the Senate, the prolOngaton
of the session has been to the disadvantage
of the Democrats. Even the "bloody shirt"
discussions in that body have strengthened the
RcDublicans and disclosed weakness on the
palt of their opponents. The two days palti-
san haranguc OF Senator Eaton OF CONNECTICUT
did not add to the strength Of his party's po-
stiOn before the country, ana we shall be
greatly disappointed if the effect of the. speech
when it comes TO be printed and circulated as
n campaign document Is not more damaging
TO bis party than any of the speeches on the
other side. Mr.. Eaton Is a powerful speaker
but his power consists in furnishing arguments
to Lis opponents.
The truth is--and it is amazing that the
Democratic leaders III Congress do not see it
the object Of ali this dIlly-daiying about
retrenchmcnt in expenditures is fully under
stood by the people. Mr.. Samuel Randall,
with all his back pay in his pocket, and his
record as a salary grabber on bis back, cannot
make people believe in his sincerity or earn
csincss as a reforncr in that direction, though
he should keep Congress in session till Decem-
Der over his petty policies and plcayune
methods. The people sec through it all, and
understand 1t all. Nothing has been made by
any of the small devices which have been re-
sorted to to convince voters that the party led
by Mr.. Randall is the party Of retrcnchment
and reform. They know NJ. Randall too
well. And they know his party pretty well