The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1877-12-27
what Congress Has Done.
From the New York Sun, 18th ,

the country. A Def ylcncy Dlll mas
been passed ~ ,lint Of vigorous log
rolling which sqnaDdcrs between a mn
lion and u million aud a nail OF Tue
pcoplc's money, One hnli.mll'lon
item in this hill was so mOnstrous that
a Iiiph official ot the department to
vlicl, it wa 10 be voted said ~ 50
many words TINT the money was not
needed, and that the department
couim't possibly spend more than
hail Of it. But it was voted all the
same With u like disregard Of the
demands Of the times and Of the pco-
pie, Congress has voted 100000 TO
dclray the expenses Of q mIsreprescnl-
alton Of the United States ut The ap
proaching Worlds Fair in Parls-mo
ucy worse than wasted. Or the other
bills passed, the Only ones Of any
public interest which we now recall
are those for the burial Of the lluron's
drnd at the Governments expense and
Tor the relief Of the sufferers hy that
douhly cruel, because nccdIess, dlsas-
ter.
In the way Of preparation tor future
legislation, more has been done ahd
attempted. A great number Of bills
have been introduced and referred.
dealing with II wide range Of interests
public, corporate and individual,
We may note among them several nc"
ones relating to the Texas Pacific EN-
tcrDrisc; one or Two relating to til,
Northern Pacific; a bill for the crea,
ton Of II postal savings bank system
and another for .he Issue Of small
Government jonds for popular invest
mrnt. Several Senators have cvince'
a purpose to find out whether th'
Uno Pacific Railroad Company can
not be made 10 obey the laws and i've
up to It's agreements. The Silver Re
mouctizllIOn bill is before the Senate
and will come 10 ugain after the recess
possibly it might have been forced It
"A vote last week If it had not bcci
crowded aside ~ Mr.. Stanley Mat
lIlrws' resolution asserting the IcSa
and moral right Of the Government t
pay It's debts in silver. TINS also goc'
over, and wlll be the unfinished bust
ness when Congress rcassrmbIcs. j
i, probable that the Senate sill post
ponc action on the bjIl for ilc rcp"a'
Vl the Resumption act until the silver
question is disposed Of. The lnIica.
tons Of the discussion and the prcllln-
lumary votes are that II minority OF the
Senators will vote for decentralization,
aud this majority may reach the two.
thirds required - pass the bill over a
veto.
Thanks to Mr.. Conkiing aud Mr
Hewitt, the legislative branch OF III,
Government has at last interviewed t.
save the country from the conScqucn
ccs Of Executive hlundeling-Or wors,
in the Rio Grandr business. lh,
Foreign Affairs Committee OF til,
House and Il special committee Of The
Senate, headed by MIR. Conkling, have
been instructed to make a thorough
investigation, aud empowered to sr
during the recess. II they have tina
sense of the imminence Of the danger
and the consequent urgency or then
duty which we are fain to credit them
with, they will be heard from to pur
pose, when Congress reassembles.
Democratic dilatOrincsS, lukewarm
ness, or cOwar,licc in the first place,
and Republican liilbustcrlng in the sec
ond, are responsible for the fact that
the Glover notwithstanding the
House Committees with full powers to
investigate whatever may seem to them
To call for investigation IN the EXecu-
tive dcpartmrnts-is still to be passed.
Nearly II month has thus been wasted
in a case, too, where time is, literally
money
Select committees Of both branches
have been charged with the duty Of in.
qnIring whether any lmprov cmenls can
he made on our ~prescnt--or rather our
latc--mcthod Of elec,ing and installing
Presidents, and also whether any
change should he made in the duration
Of the Presidential term. These re
ports will he awaited vita more Gu
riosity t'nn %hopeiulness.
Mr.. Kellogg, Of Louisiana, having
been seated by n party vote, the House
followed suit by seating Mr.. Patterson,
of ColoradO-a Roland for the Senatc's
Oliver. But this is almost the only
instance in which the Democrats in the
present Congress have acted effectively
together.
Indeed, the session will be mcmora-
BILE for the revival of party devotion
and discipline on the Republican side
Of the chambers, aud tor the simul.u
neOus generalization and %treaclicry
on the other side. While Democratic
Senators and congressman have been
playing the lackey at the White House
and in the Capitol, the Republicans in
Congress, under the magnetic leader.
ship Of Roscoe Conklins, have scrried
their ranks. They are now in better
fighting trim than any time since 1872.
The quality of their discipline was
shown in the matter of the New York
Custom House nominations. II Re
publican Senators have cOnnived at
such scandalous appointments rs that
Of the sell seeking Harlan to the Su
preme Court, aud that of the bride
tukin. B,ncroft Davis to the Court of