Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1877-11-23

Correspondence Of tho Bulletin.
WASHINGTON, D. G., Nov. is. ~.
The Senate has passed both the Ar
my and Navy Appropriation Bills, the
latter without amendment. As the
amendments to the Army Bill do not
radically change it, we expect the
House to concur directly or through u
conference committee within few days
There is great need Of improvement in
our mode Of enacting laws. We not on
ly should have vote of ayes and nays !,
upon every measure which involves ap-
preparations of money, but should con-
fine appropriation acts exclusively to
that purpose. In this Army Bill, Sena-
tor Thomas very properly condemned
the addition thereto, by amendment Of
matters purely legislative, and which
should be first matured in the commit
tee to which matter belonged For in
stance, the Bill makes appropriation for
support of certain regiments of cavalry,
and then directs the disposal Of the
troops in manner which, Mr.. Thur
man claimed, was in gross usurpation
Of the rights of the Military Committee,
whose duty was to mature and report
all such measures. The demonstration
Of silver was first rendered possible by
this boarding an appropriation bill with
a legislative burden belonging alone to
the Commute on Finance to determine,
and the sooner we abandon this most
pernicious practice, the better for the
interests Of the country. Appropria-
ton bills are discussed and amended Of
ten when not nearly quorum of mem
bers is present. No one is interested
enough to demand call of the House,
by which the lack Of quorum would be
shown, hence the facility with which
dangerous provisions creep into our
laws may be appreciated, when the peo-
pie reflect that bakers dozen of men
can determine, and often do, the nature
of these laws. But were appropriation
bills restricted closely to providing
means for the Executive officers to dis
burse, and the directory needs thereof
left to the proper committees, and were
the ''ayes and noes" compulsory requi-
site to the passage of the bill, we fear
the trade of public filchers by means of
vicious laws would be narrowed down to
a small point; so small that the lobby
would nearly lose its power for ILL.,
Whether Congress will adjourn as soon
as the Army and Navy Appropriation
Bills are finally disposed OF is still I'M
determined The pressure for an imme-
date adjournment comes mainly from
those whose homes are within day $
ride of the capital, while those more
removed, who would have little time to
spend at home prior to Dec. 3D., the be-
ginning Of the regular session, are more
inclined to work than to remain here
doing nothing, hence we look for re-
cess of a few days only. Mr.. Bland S
silver bill will be sadly punished in the
Senate, for there is strong feeling
among many of the Senators to give it a
black eye. New York and Philadelphia
sent large delegations of bankers and
capitalists to protest against its passage
and it seems settled that material
modification will be secured. Its free
coinage clause is doomed, as the Senate
will not rescind the Finance Commit
tees action, which struck it out, and it
is very probable that the full remoneti-
cation feature will be essentially chang
ed, hence we opinc that Mr.. Bland will
hardly recognize his measure when it is
returned to him by the Senate, as that
body seems disposed to limit silver as a
legal tender as we'll as to bar free coin
age. The fate of the anti-resumption
bill will be similar to that of Mr. Bland S
bill, for there is not the same desire in
the Senate to change the policy of the
government in regard to finances that
the House has eyinced recently
Amendments will be made, and of such
nature as to most materially alter the
present intent of the Act. Hence we
cannot now indicate for your readers
that Congress has succeeded in fixing
upon some definite financial policy.
But the chances are that by the next
letter we can see precisely how great is
the divergence Of views between the
two Houses. There is undoubtedly a
radical difference at present, and we do
not perceive how it can be reconciled,
unless the House of Representatives re-
cedes materially from its positions. A
most brutal outrage was recently com
mitted by negro named Jones upon
the person of young white girl, who
was passing along one of the thinly set
tied streets near the boundary of the
city. The citizens of that locality and
friends of the girl were so highly incen-
sed that violent threats were made of
rescue of the man from the police, with
a view to lynching him. Prompt meas
ures to prevent were taken by the po-
lice, and now the courts will not be in
terfered with So frequent are these
outrages becoming that our people are
beginning to feel that more decided pre-
ventive measures must be taken with
the class whose instincts seem SO low
and vicious. FELIX.