The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-06-21
CONGRESSIONAL WORK.
A Resume of What the Present Congress
Mas Done and What nc Has
Left UndOne.
New York Herald


WASHINGTON. June 17.-This Congress.
which has been in almost constant session
since the fifteenth of last October feight
mouths), has, according to the saying OF Sem
ator Bayard, done less good and less harm
than many persons expected. In fact, one Of
it's chief merits is that 1t has done very little !;
it's sins are mostly sins of omission. Aside
from the river and harbOr bill, it Is guilty Of
not single job and the lobby has done no
business at all at this long session, for the
river and harbor bill Is q job that needs no
lobby. 1t is prepared In the committee Of the
two houses to force q two-thiTds vote by giving
q slice of public plumber to more than two
thirds Of the districts and States. This gen.
eral 'diVide" is larger in AMOUNT this year
than for many years before. The House fixed
1t at $7,00O,000, the Senate increased it more
than S1,0O0000 and in spite of the opposition
of the Speaker and several members -Messrs.
Cox, of New York, and Eden, of Illinois, and
others-it was adopted.
WHAT HAS BEEN DONE.
The only important legislation has been
that on the currency. The remonetization of
silver and the prohibition to decrease the
greenbaCk circulation, with minor measures
of less consequence, make us q paper money
nation with our paper based on silver OF less
value, which nobody wants. The House has
to prepare it's business about forty commit
tees, and the best way to show what it has
done and not done is to run over the list of
these.
The Committee on Elections has left four or
five contested cases over to the next session,
which is like deciding that a man is not
guilty after he has served his term out at
Sing Sing.
The Ways and Means has accomplished
nothing, the tariff bill having failed.
The Banking and Currency Committee has
remonetized silver, but has fortunately failed
to carry any other OF its numerous PROPOSE
tiOns.
The judiciary Committee reported sound
bill on the distribution of the Geneva award,
but so late in the session that it was put over
to next December by general consent
The repeal OF the bankrupt law was accom-
plished.
The Committee on Military Affairs brought
in bill to reOrganize the army, founded on
the theory Of curing mad dOg-tO cut off his
tail close up behind his ears; but this bill,
being reported, was never heard Of again, and
Mr.. Hewitt's more intelligent measure fOE the
same end shared the fate of the banking biz,
and the army is left to q commission tOreport
to the next session-the Wisest course.
The Committee on Patents considered some
important and needed reforms in the patent
laws, but produced nothing.
The numerous Investigating committees
made very few and unimpOrtant discoveries,
and that Is all.
| When the failure of important measures is
considered we find that the tariff bill is dead
the transfer Of the Indians to the War De.
paFtment failed, partly because the measure
| as lC came from the House, was 50 crude as CC
be impracticable, and partly because Sena.
tors, though they may hate Secretary SehuTz
love patronage, and were reluctant to give uL
the power to confirm and to influence tht
nomination Of Indian agents. Various job
and subsidies failed, and it must be said foq
the House that, Ike it's speaker, it was In TN
main honest, and hated jobs
| The commission to improve the Mississippi
| river failed, and no measures looking to a per
manent reform Of the civil service, or to ez
tending the presidential term and making
him ineligible to reelection, or for reforming
the method OF eleGtiDg President or count
ing the vote, were considered.