, 1879-02-27
Last WEEK or CONGRESS.

tonnl limitation will, tho ID of Ma1ph, and
the I'd Of D1arcl by legislative construction
expires at noon on the 4th Of that month.
At noon, therefore, on Tuesday next tho
present Congress will pasa ont Of legal exist-
enoe. aud It's powers and opportunities for
good and for owl will conso forever. As
usua1, tha masa Of necessary legia1atiou has
been postponed Until tue last week Of tho
Ressioa, and faction Is In position to mike
whatever demands it thinks proper under |
the threat Of refusing tho appropriations |
to carry on tho Government.
In tho effort to grasp control Of tho Gov.
ernmont tho Democratic party in tho House
Inns pushed the spirit Of faction to tho verge
Of revolution. 0utstlo Of Congress the party |
llas by violence, by intimidation, by coercion,
by fraud, forgery, and perjury, destroyed oil
freedom Of elections in tho 1ato s1ayohol1ing
States, and returned AZ elected m almost
unanimous Domocratio representation in tho
House for the next Congress-. Despite this
most extraordinary proceeding, tho minority
of the purity In the wlo!o House will bo 80
close aud SO uncertain as to thruatan the
ascendoncy Of tho Democrats in t1,at branch
of Congress. Moreover, so aagrnnt was tho
violonce during tho recent elections that
number Of the meinbors-elect ara in danger
,naor tho law Of Congress- Of being convicted
of crime, and OF necessity unseated. The
guilt OF these persona Is substantially nd
n.ittod by The efforts mado to repeal tho law
under which tloy may be convicted. Tho
presence Ut these mon in the next Congress
il essential to Domocra:io majority, aud
hence the Democratic effort to mako MI
other Legislation dependent upon the repeal
Of that law.
At tho sane time tho general proceedings
in Congress havo boon Of q most proaigato
charactar. Both Houses in fit Of cowartlty
sentimentalism passea bill protesting to
oqna1izo pensions, but go ill-considcrel was
tho measure that now no ono can ostimnte
what the amount needed will be, nor the
amount actually voted to tho several pen
sioners. Some pensioners will got ono hun
drcd dollars "back pousion." others will get
several thousand ds, while others will got
nothing. Two hundred millions Of dollars
will not perhaps foot tho bill, while 1t Is
notorious that from 10 to 30 per cent Of
the pensions now pnid, and Of course Of tie
back pensions, arc fraudulent. The low
makes no provision for MI examination Or
for my protection against n repetition Of
these frauds.
| Hardly 1ess scandalouB was tho appropria.
tion Of eight or ton millions Of dollars for
so-called river and harbor improvements
IN ingenious and domagogfcal device to
| pluuler tho Treasury TO furnish local copltal
for members Of Congress dosirous Of ro-eloc-
| tiou. Nine-tenths Of these appropriations
are for notorious and shameless frauds upon
tho country.
Thu average Congressman assumes that II
Is hia first and most important duty to appro.
prlate os much money ~ possible. It docs
not seem to over enter lis mind that the
Government has no money save what II
priatos million Of dollars to be oxpoudct
by tho Government 1t requires tho collection
Of nbout one million md quartor Of dollar
tn1es to raise tho money aud meet tho cost @
collection and the wasto and loss in expend
iture. II each Of these appropriation bill
required the lovy Of tax To raiHe the none,
necessary to meet the expenditure, perhap
Rorno Of those Congrossmen would not bo g
boaatful OF their liborality in voting gratui
ties bonnties, and subsidies to DO paid on
:; Of Other peoples substance. Tho fact re
mains unchanged, howover. that every dolla
appropriated necossttates more than do1la
Of Ink, md that evory dollar wasted or give
away Is so mitch takon from producer witt
out juBtifoatibn.' The Senate, to whom III
county hos, "a right to look for pruaouos
,notlerntion .'atld conservatism, md wltc
! was Intended by tho Constitution to o1orci'
some reslraint upon the lemagoglsm Of IL
IIouao ot Representatives, spent sevor'
days laboring indastriousl$ to vote a subsid
. Of thrao millions Of dollars to stnrd
paupor named JouN 1toAou, who nlta aslil
> yard in pbilaaelplia, mud tho Senate nev
. yielded until tho money WAS voted! Wht
. IL is remembered TINT this subsidy Is but Il
3 prelude to dozen othera equally infamon
: tho Significance OF .he notion Of tho Senate
: lanlontable.
:. Among its other revolutionary proeco
0 ings, tlIu House Of Representatives, in ord
i to get votes enough to control the Hons
o deliberately voted within tho last week
J, cxpcl two Republican ,nomhers in order
admit two Democrats, thus gaining t,
y yotes, anil dividing sa3,00o in money
"a tween two Democrats who hatl never bo
o elected by tho people.
y III tho ulonn.!ms the Secretary Of
d Tronsury, In tho interest OF tue public, co
y. muuicated to Congress information that, o
ia ing to q serious defect in the Revenue II
G. The Treasury Lost about ten millions Of d
r. lars lawful reyonue annually by falso
10 portasions OF sugar, aud 10 aakol tho noe
Ii. sary legislation to romedy tho defect, and,
at preventing fraud secure to tho Treasury
he honest dues. Tho IIot'so Of 1sepresontati'
IN have refused repeatedly TO even consider
"a. bill, ~ 1t llaa also Tie BILL to prevent {
'iu honest i,nportations Of kid gloves and otl
ng artieles.
ug While Congress hiss permitted ftsalt to
Of | worked into uatiring energy to vote .