New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-06-27
TILE NOTION TO ADJOURM.

The proposition made in the Democratic
Congressional caucus that Congress should
Immediately adjourn, and il called together
again by the President should AGAIN
adjourn, and keep on adjourning indefinitely,
had at least one merit as a partisan measure.
1t struck upon what may safely be called the
best hold of the Democracy. In nothing have
they ever succeeded so we'll as in adjourning.
1t is obviously their forte. In whatever else
they undertake, they founder about and get
snarled up among themselves, and blunder
everlastingly, and make everybody hate1them.
They are always dong something either his
chevOus or ridiculous; making row among
themselves or trouble for the country. There
are always the most serious apprChensionS
when they come together, and constant IN
easiness while they are Ill session. but Their
adjournment is hailed always with the most
unbounded enthusiasm. The whole country
feels toward them as the weary but irreyer-
emit youth did toward the tedious preacher
who at the event of siXteenthy sald
And what now shall i say7" Say
"Amenl" promptly answered. the young
man. The public experiences the same feeling
of WEAKNESS with Democratic Congress, and
the same desire to hear it say Amen aud
get through. Mr.. Finley clearly apprehends
the public desire when he proposes adjourn
ment. Let u.s. he says, or might say, truly,
do the only thing we have ever been ap-
"plauded for; the only thing we ever do to
1.-The public satisfactiOn-let us adjourn"
And Finley's idea is to keep adjourning, and
do nothing but adjourn.
Wen, why mott We confess we not only
Il. lint how r1th
q desire to see them at their best. eff there's
" any other game that you can play better
than you can this said a gentleman to Il
Dragging fellow whom he had beaten every
time at his own game, perhaps you'd
better try itn If these people who have
been fooling with legislation for the
past three months, trying to evolve
an issue OF construct policy, and have been
making such a sad mess Of it, have any other
game that they can play better, we should be
glad TO see them introduce it, for the cOntinu-
ance of this is getting to be painfully monOto-
nous If they think they can do better at
the adjournment game-and 1t does seem
as though they might, for they have
never adjourned yet without giving the
country thrill of deiight-by all means
let them try it. Every one to his
trade. Obviously legislation is not theirs adj
iourning may be. The scheme is open to the
objection that as it now stands it viii leave
the United States Courts unproyided for and
will cause great inconvenience, delay and in
Justice to suitors and others; but there is
always this to be said in mitigation of that
offence that they might have done, and were
at times liable to do much worse. They might
have interrupted the course of business in all
the departmentS instead of only one. They
began by threatening this, but have gradu-
ally tapered off to the present proposition to
cripple single department. That this is the
Department of Justice is the result, no doubt,
of some prophetic instinct. IL would be al
together too much to expect them to pass all
the appropriation bills like decent and we'll
behaved legislators; but when we consider what
they threatened when they came together
and what they have finally come to- we have
great cause for thankfulncss.
But aren't they making political capital at
a great rate, thought Up to the assembling of
the present Congress their great cry was that
they had exercised wonderful amount of
sef-denial in not kicking up disturbance
over their defeat in 1876. They refrained
from the temptation to repeat the unhappy
experiment Of revolution which they UNDER,
took in 1861, and have beer boasting of it
ever since Once more they can go TO the
country with the boast that they haven't done
half the mischief they might And perhaps
on the strength of that claim the people will
trust them with unrestricted power. We shall