Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-06-05
THE ADJOURNMENT OF CONGRESS.

Woii aoh "Has eiie SiS7b CApcusS VI hSSP-
ing the national legislature so long in ses-
sion is incurred for. The duty which lay
most imperatively upon Congress was the
devising of some plan for the counting of
the Presidential VOTE After lodging the
vital subject until it was found impossible
to invent any more excuses for procrasti-
nation, the bill of Senator Morgan was
brought up OF this bill New York
journal says that it is Democratic
proposition to overthrow in each State
sits control of its own electoral vote and
to make Congress a Returning Board for
''the whole country, to decide every ques-
ton by snap judgment. No doubt that
is the kind of arrangement the Democrats
prefer, for it is perfectly apparent that they
contemplate the counting in of their can
didate if it be possible, and already their
managers have begun to talk of the expe-
diency of throwing out the vote of Maine.
On the question OF the Marshals' pay they
adhered to their old policy of obstructive
ness, refusing to make appropriations for
the pay of those officials, clearly because
they want no interference with the tactics
by which they expect to obtain a solid
South. Again, the demand for tariff re-
form has Become so imperative, especially
as regards paper material, that it might
have been thought any legislative body
which cared for the good opinion of the
country would have done something here.
Yesterday an attempt was made to adjust
this grave question, but all that was done
was the passage of the bill to provide for
the appointment OF Commission, which it
is expected will effect nothing, beyond
postponing all remedial action. And
it becomes necessary to point out that
the Republican members have by no means
done their duty in regard to the question
of tariff reform. Our report of Thurs
days proceedings shows that they could
have effected something by pressure, but
that they stood back and suffered the Com
mission bill to pass without troubling
themselves to urge any immediate changes.
The truth is that the whole session has
been demoralized by the Presidential con-
test, and that for the last week the atten-
ton of members has been fixed on Chicago,
to the neglect of all other business. If
this is the inevitable consequence of the
Presidential canvass, it would save the
country great deal of money to do away
with these quadrennial sessions and then
members could devote themselves to poll
tics at their own charges.
The outcome will be that Congress will
adjourn without having settled any of the
important questions which it ought to have
adjusted, and that this condition of uncer
tainty will have very damaging results,
both upon special interests and upon the
whole country The present state of the
paper tariff is an outrage upon all pub
fishers in the United States. They are
tied hand and foot and delivered over to
be plundered by a group of protected
firms which are believed to have partners
in Congress. 1t is the quinine tax over
again, in fact, and the refusal of Congress
to remedy so patent an abuse is tolerably
certain to have its reflection in the ap-
preaching campaign. 1t may be that
the reluctance of Congress to do any
thing decided proceeded from its
fear of offending important interests,
and thus making enemies, but as it is,
it has incurred the hostility of more peo-
pie than it has satisfied, and when the
record is published, it will find that its cal
culations were bad. 1t is singular that
Democratic Congress should have thus re-
pudiated the fundamental doctrines of its
party, and should have appeared in the
role of an unqualified defender of
the most rabid Protectionism, but so it
is. and Democrats will have to invent
their own explanations of the phenome-
non AS to the Republicans. they were
not in a position to effect much, but they
might have at least put themselves on
| record in behalf of the reforms demanded
by the country, and above all they should
have made more determined fight against
| the Democratic trick of shutting over the
vital issue Of the electoral count. IN
fortunately they appear to have been
almost as hostile to most of the
methods OF adjustment proposed
as were their opponents, and
the inference which would probably be
drawn by dispassionate observer would be
that neither party cared greatly to have
the question deinitively settled. That it
will have to be settled thus eventually is
however certain, for it is clear that the
country cannot risk another partisan quar-
rel over the result of the election, and
that to leave the manner of making the
count to mere joint rule is to invite
anarchy and Mexicanization. On the whole
it must be admitted that Congress has had
very unsatisfactory session, and that the
real interests of the country have been neg
lected in very reckless way from begin
ming to end.
MR.. HANCoCK'S CARD AND THE