Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1878-06-24

and the various causes of interest at the Capitol
hide their diminished heads until another season.
THE CLOSING HOURS OF CONGRESS.
The last hours OF session of Congress, to one
unused to them. seem strange, confused, exciting
and Undesirable. la fact even one much used 10
these scenes is ever excited and fascinated. The
magnificent dome, the two wings of the great cap
itol and all the intermediate halls and corridors
are brilliantly lighted, throngs of people of all
sizes ages, and Of both sexes aud colois pass and
repass in the extra wide passages between the two
houses (which, by the way, makes promenade a
quarter of mile long, Senators, Representatives
Clerks, Messengers, Lobbyists (male and female
and policemen here and there miNing with the
general crowd, vocierating hurredlv, or travel
ing rapidly to the various Committee rooms; the
wide-awske correspondent is not behind the rest
in button boiling the men Of note and rapidly not
ing the result of his information. Inside, the
President of the Senate and Speaker of the House
are exercising voice and gave continually for the
preservation Of order, or for the putting of mo-
tions; pages are running forwards and backwards
W ith the speed of base bssts after their bases;
the Legislators themselves are running hither and
thither, or gathered in groups apparently utterly
indifferent to the reading of the clerk, and
often to the voice of the presiding officer;
the corridors and galleries are filled to overflow
ing with all sorts and conditions of humanity,
veIy many eagerly waiting the moment when
some pet scheme OF theirs, whether just or not,
may be reported upon for action, else for the
moIsent when some bhi of their rivals may be I'm
ally killed oil by adverse vote. Oh, what
place TO study poor humanity Oh, the
worn, sad faces that gather at such
tlme-fsces that have been seen session
after session waiting, hoping, suffering,
finally TO be cut off without shilling and to leave
discouraged, hesrt-broken. Men WITH their whole
future stAked on the result OF u single aye and
nay vote; fathers depending On this vote at the
last hour for the future support OF family in
want; mothers dependent upon n committees re-
port Tor The pension OF otneI plttance long her
due; contractors, many OF them honest ones)
who have expended their little all IN varied ana
lious attempts TO settle, through the action OF
Congress, what could not be settlGd satisfactorily
in the lower counts OF departments of Govern
ment. All these are the sadder sights to bc seen
al such closing hours. On the other hand. land
generally more successfully are tue regular ioUby-
lsts the extensive rai oau JUbbers the land spec
uIatOTs and Claim agents Ot all sorts. 1t
harvest time for them; for IN tue excitement
hurry, confusion and caIeessness consequent up
GU ADJOURNMENT, very many-too many-pernl-
and Illegal schemes receive legal sanction at
the hands OF Congress. In TACT, it Is next to i'm
possible tell the true from the false the time.
The word of a member (and he may be ii scamp,
for there are such even III CougIess) has 10 be
taken that the matter Is "all ST aight." such is
the result Of u piedsposiIion TO use nearly the
whole Of a session for windy speeches., often
times useless discussions o stale ideas and ques-
tIons; and then III a lew DAYS OF hours bundle
through, peli-mell, the most important appropTla-
tons and bills, III when millions Of dollars vi the
peoples money are involved and u large portion
undoubtedly squandered. The present Congress,
starting out with "Reiorm DlaZoued all over
It's banners ana echoed and re-echo.d through its
eloquence, has finally exhibited itself one OF
the most reckless aud ca eless bodies that ever
met together. Towards Tie close OF the session
all the pretended good resolutions anu actions
melted away mo the almost boundless atmo
phere which surrounds the grabbers, schemers
aud Sbylocks Of our country. The senate, with
IA baie republican maJority-some vi this ma JONI
" not OF the best-couid not check this spirit to
any great extent, and thus TINS iecklessness and
careiessness have prevailed. Had much OF this
money expenditure been appropriated to proper
uses-to the building up ot our public buildings,
navy commerce, etc, so that II would eventually
have gone into The pockets of the woIklugmen,
no one could have called 1t extravaganza, but
but now there Is no other name ior 1t.
Thus ends this session Of tue Forty Fifth Con-
gtess. Ii has done very many things that 1t ought
not to have done, and lett uudone heap of things
1t ought 10 have uone. But II Is now OF no use 10
croak about II. The facts the peoples the
work WAS tue WORK Of the reform" Democracy
tue result must be borne ny the nation, aud sane
ton or rebuke Tor the deeds done Is in its power.
these men 20 back to their constituents asking
VERY many OF them II re- domination and re eec
ZION. Ii majority of such are sent back
God save tue country and particularly the Treas
ury.