The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1880-05-14
Congressional Shortcomings.

: The sins of the Democratic Congress
both of omission and commission, max,
n long list, and are of different degree
of turpitude, ranging from mere neglec
and sluggishness 10 positive attempts {,
nullily the laws and violate the spirit o
the Constitution. The House can fine
time to debate and pass bills reducing
the tax on whiskey, but having been in
session three months, it has found nc
time to pass deficiency bill in the
ordinary form and the result is that on
the 18th inst, the public business will
be interrupted in all the public Offices
by the shutting off of gas aud water,
there being no appropriation for those
objects. Unless Congress concludes to
send the President deficiency bill that
does not contain legislation which has
nothing to do with such measure,
there will be no light in our large Post
Offices, thereby causing a delay in the
distribution and delivery of mails which
will seriously interfere with every
mans business.
| Perhaps, however, the best ilustra-
ton of the culpablc neglect of Congress
and the carelessness of the leading com
mittees, which are relied upon to
present to that body important meas
ures, is found in the course the House
has pursued with reference to the back
pay aud bounties of soldiers OF the late
war. There was complaint by soldiers
whose claims had been audited that they
could get no money from the Treasury.
IL occurred TO some members that it
would be good thing 10 ask the Secre-
tary of the Treasury why such claims
were not paid, and the House adopted
a resolution requesting such informa-
ton. Secretary Sherman promptly re-
pied that the men were deprived of
their money not through any failure OH
his part, but by the failure of Congress
to appropriate money to pay such
audited claims. lie pointed out to the
House that by the act of 1874 the unex-
pended balances of appropriations must
be covered into the Treasury. He also
Informed the law-making body that by
an act of 1873 the Secretary of the
Treasury was required to certify to
Congress the amount of money neces-
sary to pay such claims as have been
allowed at the commencement of each
session. The Secretary then called the
attention of the House to its own printed
Treasury Department had complied
with the requirements of the law by
making estimates of the amount neces-
sary to pay such claims and that the
same had been received and referred to
the appropriate committee. 1t seems
scarcely possible that the House could
have made such a bunder as it did
when it called upon the Secretary for
information on this point, but such is
the fact. The fault was entirely that
of the committee aud shows that it does
not carefully attend to its business.
The chief of the sins of commission of |
the present Congress is its failure to |
provide for the payment of the United |
States Marshals and to furnish them |
with the necessary means to protect the |
Government and the people against |
Iawbreakers. 1t is true that q def |
cheney bill, was passed which contained |
n clause dcpriving the Marshals of
authority to appoint their deputies and
partially render imperative law that
Congress ofitself cannot repeal, which |
the President vetoed and which he will
not approve in the present form. |
The House has not yet acted upon the |
vetoed bill and the Senate refused to |
add to a partial deficiency bill the sum
necessary to pay the Marshals, to
provide for the maintenance of prison.
ers, the payment of Jurors, etc. And
yet the courts are almost at stand-still |
throughout the country. In several in
stances jurors have been dismissed be- |
cause there is no money to pay them.
In New York the Marshal owes the
keeper Of the State Jail 10000 for the
keeping of prisoners awaiting trial and |
has not dollar to pay the demand. |
There is said to be n prospect that the |
prisoners will be released very soon ifl
the money is not forthcoming. Coun-
terfeiters, mail robbers. dishonest
officials under Indictment and other
violators OF Federal laws will applaud
the action of a Congress which nullities
the laws, opens the Jail doors to them
and permits them to pursue their pro-
fessional law-breaking. Aud all this
mischief and danger is incurred because
the majority in Congress is determined
to nullify law which is designed TO
secure fair and free elections. Il Boston
journal.