The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-09-02
THE DEMOCRATIC HOUSE.
An Immense Amount of work Introduced
and Accomplished. as shewn by tine
Rep0rt os the Index Cserk-Hnterestfng
Facts ana Figures Presented by MR.
HR0Fen.

b, WASHINGTON, Sept. 1l.---Mr. John G. Doren,
3nA,d Ohio, index clerk of the House of Repre-.
Y tsStv gof itatives, has Just completed and finished
Il 6R9 RRs last 81 and the inc
State 3 reports Of committees and to the execu-
nm thei1 and miscellaneous documents Inc lndex
nanue ~ .'she House journal makes nearly Ii not
fal at te 500 pages ofnonparei matter, royal oc-
Sinlretsvo size There were 1o17 different reports
fF'IsDf committees during the last session, con-
Etit1ting five volumes. The series OF eXecu-
five documents embrace 103 different num-
bers or subjects. and constitute twenty three
volumes. ,,.... ,.... z.
~ brace sixty-six different "numbers' or sub
~ iects, and constitute seven volumes. Inc IN
dexes to the latter are separate from ana III
addition to the index to the House journal,
which runs the grand total OF the index ao-
complished by Mr.. Doren since the first OF
January when he was appointed up TO SIX TX
napes Of matter or 'text" indexed amounted
To about $4,000 pages. Only the House jour
sAE nal. however, containing ABOUT l2oV pages VI
r pages every different subject and name ap-
pearing on each page, leaving each refer
q ence In the Index.
E The volume of reports Of committees, ex-
ecutive documents and miscellaneous docu-
ments areindexed only by the titles or subject
matters of the documents or reports constl.
tuting the series, with the subjects CROSSED
or ''revised" and references made to them by
their appropriate numbers volumes I'1 ,aae ana
snarts" IN their series A glance at the index
4 1T the House journal shows that 1927 different
and m dii 2ooIiolnt RESOLUTIONS had been introduced
into the present House Of REPRESENTATIVES,
antareceiyed more or less consideration, pc
Il sides several hundred Senate bills. OF this
number t779 were introduced at the extra
session. ~.
House during the whole term OF two years OF
any Congress heretofore has rarely, il ever,
exceeded G0OO. SO far as this affords critic
rion, the present House has more or less con-
l. amount amount of business in tie first half of its
term than any OF Its predecessors IN the en-
fire term From the foundation OF the gov
ernment, however, the amount OF business
thrown upon Congress has shown @ steady
Increase, but OF late years 1t mas peen iipit t !;
&aa rand and noticeable For this reason it Il
r claimed by persons familiar with the admin
+. istration Of the business incident TO Ieglsla 2.
~ tion that the Democrats made mistake ell IL
"A their cry of ECONOMY" when they cut doW1
$l their number of clerks and employees III TIT
p House at the close of the Forty y-fourtf Con
gress, because they reduced the force belov
while the Senate acted more wisely in In
sisting ON their refusal to do SO, ana II
maintaining their force OF clerks ana I oIne @
employees up to the full standard, In view
the constant Increase OF Legislative puslhes
that was being experienced .-- ,ua .
: BY far the greater part Of ths increase g
3 business arises from what is known as per
- sonaI legislation in the shape OF claims arlslD
\ in the late war, for pensions or the lncreas
~ thereof, and for property destroyed clallne
to belong to loyal citizens. Other exceed
ingly great sources are found In the increas %
/. ing settlement in and development OF the Ier
ritories, In railroad and mining interests an
a. the natural increase of trade and commerce
e. involving an increase of government expend
q lures on public buildings. rivers and harpols
and attention to customs, Internal revenue
&&4 public lands, etc.
! An analysis of the 5227 bills and 200 join
q resolutions introduced SO far into the House
q as shown by the index alluded to- lndlcat
e. that they are reducible to less than 500 title
- ior subjects of general legislation, even
Spmuch that may be regarded as locally refer
sting to the different States and Ierrltorle
III alone be counted. All the balance refers t
i individual societies or corporations, an
- may, therefore, be classified as what
Il known as "private legislation, and tn
. amount of the latter, as compared with tha
OF the former, Is astonishing, although unde
existing circumstances seemingly unaVold'
II BILE,