The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1876-08-19
ADJOURNMENT OF CONGRESS.


work. Most of the majority members were
5 new and inexperienced, while the minority
were old sagers, adroit parliamen'ariahs, anu
ND 10 ali the tricks of legislative legerdemain'
S The republican party had had full possession
Z of ALI departments of the government Tor over
r fifteen wears. During that time there had
been vast expenditures OF money Vast eAer-
else of arbitrary and often OF doubtful pow
, ers. and the acts of the party had in no case
undergone such rigid scrutiny as couid alone
f uncover its delinquencies or save II from iall-
ing into deeper ones. II remained Tor the
democratic majority, whom the people In
sudden mood of suspicion and dis'rust mao
thrust into congress, to undertake this Work.
That in It's inauguration and conduct lhey
should have shown much crudeness and
wan, of tact and skill was to be expected.
Years OF wrong doing, with the coincident
necessity of concealment, had to be overhaul
ed IN all departments of the government, and
at every step an enemy was encountered to
CAS-, distractions in their way. "Yet,' as the
Chicago Times itself, paper not overhead
Nv, Is compelled to say OF them, by LABOR
which was simply colossal the enormities OF
the foreign business, the postal business, the
war department business, the interior depart
meDt business, down TO the extraordinary
misdeeds of the executive office itself, were
tracked, compared, and mastered. There is
not clerical force in the most extensive es-
adjustment IN the United States that could
have gone through the work done by the
present congress between December and July
there has not been a congress since Vi that
can begin to show such record OF Work
done. There have been congresses more
gifted in wind instruments,--lhe present
house lacks ali these airy apings Of states
manshlp. The tone and temper and methods
of the house are illustrated by its most silent,
yet most able and most tireless worker, Nor
rison II is the testimony of every republl'
can associated on the ways and means COM
mttee with this sngularly modest and
excelleBtly sensible man that more capa-
bic chairman has rarely presided at the ways
and means table"
The democratic majority in the house aid
hcrculean and excellent work not only in the
way of uncoverIng iniqulties and frauds, but
it instituted important retrenchments ana
reforms. The first day of the session was
sigualized by The adoption of an antisubsldy
resOluiun which at once cleared the lobby OF
40 army of corruptionists that had been bred
and fostered by previous congresses. Thus
not an app opriation bill was passed by which
many heavy and useless expenses were not
cut off Mr. Randall, chairman OF the house
committee on appropriations, in speech on
Tuesday summing up what had been accom-
plished ia the way of rerenchment during
the session. stated that when congress met the
estimates of the departments for the year
were So 3,O99,025; bills as reported by the
committee on appropriations, 1929, 1856
bills as passed by the house, $l3S, 154, 342
bills rs passed by the senate, Sl5S,26O,59
bills as enacted into law, Sl47,7l9,074; as
against the appropriations for last year OF
$l71 G63 1927, being a reduction of 500 9i4, 25S.
He further stated that early in the session he
had given it rs his belief that the expendi-
lures would be reduced between $30,OOOOO0
ana $4O,tOO,OO0. This statement of his had
been regarded as exaggeratlon, but events
had demonstrated its correctness. He regret.
ted to say that IN the struggle with the senate
the house had been compelled to yield to the
extent of s l0,500000. lie hoped and believed
that in another year the senate would concur
with the house in tina, regard, and he asserted
that with a chief magistrate acting In har-
mony with the purpose of the present house,
a further reduction could readily be made Of
SlOOO0,OOO These facts and figures spoke
for themselves and needed no elaboration.
On the result which they demonstrated the
majority laid its claim of having earnestly
and faithfully discharged its duty to the peo-
pie 1t had not reduced the expenditures as
much as 1t had expected, but the failure to do
81 was not its fault
The house is rol only 10 De credited for its
work in exposing corruptions and in eiiecting
important rctrcnchments, but 1t did as much
work in the way OF important general legis.
latlon as any previous congress. IL perfected
and passed the constitutional amendment in
reference To the secularization of the public
school fund-originally hobby of Grant
and Blaine, but which was finally defeated
by the senate on Tuesday that the democrats
might not have the credit of ii. 1t repealed
the date clause of the resumption act, also
defeated by the senate tor the same cause; 1t |
passed the most important pension and boun-
ty act for the benefit of union soldiers intro
duced since 1866, and this also was defeated
by the senate for the same reason; it passed
the resolution in reference 10 southern out +
RACES, one of the most significant and impor-
tant acts since the war; and finally it killed
the senate bill To restore the franking privil-
igc.
There may have been sessions Of congress |