The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-03-17
WHY SHOULD CONGRESS ADJOURN ?

The indications now are that the extra ses-
sion Of Congress will be very short one
under any circumstances. In case Hayes
concludes that he can run himself and the
government without any appropriations and
carries out his threats by vetoing the acts re-
peanR the test oath and obnoxious election
laws, Congress will almost certainly adjourn
Immediately without any attempt whatever at
further Legislation.
We do not see how 1t could well do other
wise In that contingency, but we fall to under
stand why this programme should prevail In
the event OF Hayes yielding to the proposed
legislation, which is made the absolute condi-
tion Of any appropriations The proposition
liz to organize but single committee In the
House, to which shall be entrusted the repeal
ing bills and the appropriations. to press
these measures through and then adjourn.
Our dispatches inform US, on the other hand,
that the Democrats in the Senate have been
considering and making arrangements for the
entire reorganization OF that body, and have
\ in fact agreed upon method Of selecting the
.chairmen Of all the committees. This is the
better plan, and we trust that Congress will
not allow itself to be driven into an adjourn
nent, to the unnecessary postponement OF
much needed legislation, by the senseless
tclamor about an extra session. There Is a
great deal of legislation to be done which
must be done eventually, and which should
be gotten through with at the earliest pos
sible time, and there Is no apparent reason
why Congress should not set to work on 1t
right away.
Very little indeed was accomplished at the
last session, and all the unfinished work OF
the just expired Congress must be disposed Of.
There Is as much to undo as there Is to do out
right. The whole body Of the laws must be
overlooked and carefully revised. with a
view to eliminating from them all the class leg
islation, everything like sectional or partisan
bias and all war measures OF prescription and
prejudice. There are the election laws,
which are scarcely touched by the repeal
of only those provisions authorizing the ap-
pointment and presence at the polls Of deputy
marshals and supervisors. To remain con-
tent with the repeal Of these sections, would
not be such vindication OF the constitution
and Of the great and enduring principles Of
the party as should satisfy Democratic
Congress. These laws should be entirely re-
fpealed, and a formal assertion made of the
doctrine that they bear upon matter in
trusted exclusively to the State, and have
no right to be on the statute books, whether
their provisions be, In fact, wise and benefi-
cent, or harmful and unnecessary. 1t Is a
matter over which Congress has no control
whatever. and therefore 1t has no right to
discuss the question OF their merits and de-
merits.
There are also the navigation laws. whose
most stringest senseless and destructive
features had their origin In the war, and
grew out OF the change OF American regis
tries caused by the devastions Of the South
ern cruisers, notably Of the Alabama. There
are hundreds Of American built and owned
vessels to-day sailing under foreign flags,
only because the silly enactment made at the
time, refusing the privilege OF American re-
gistry to all such vessels as sought the pro-
lection of foreign flags, Is still allowed to re-
main In force.
Besides this work of revision and undoing
the bad and harmful legislation of nineteen
years of Republican misrule there are many
other matters of grave Importance demand
ing the attention OF Congress. Prominent
among these are the Mississippi levees, the
aiding Of Southern railway to the Pacific.
and the encouragement, in accordance with
Democratic principles, Of our foreign COM
merce. The sooner the navigation laws are
repealed and direct communication with the
Southern Americas secured by subsidies
granted under conditions which will allow Of
competition, the better 1t will be for the coun-
i, try.
Why cannot all this great work be begun
now as well as later? What Is done now will
not have to be done at the next regular ses-
sion, which will certainly extend far into the
spring, II not the summer. Time can thus
be saved and that session materially short
ened. We trust that Congress will 60 to
work and not ADJOURN If 1t succeeds In fore
ing through the repeal OF the election law
and test OATH