The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1881-03-11
Congress-A Retrospect.

The functions of the Forty sixth Con-
gress came to an end on the 4thinst., and
the Democratic domination of six years
was brought to close. Though not call
ed upon to deal with events so momen-
tous as the three Congresses which fol
lowed the advent of the Republican par
ty to power in 1861, these six years are
marked with some excellent as well as
questionable work. Remembering the
condition of the country in 1875, when
the unframed leaders of the ma ajority
took their places to deal with public af
fairs, enlightened popular judgment will
credit the party now going out with
a record on the whole not be ashamed of,
though the work accomplished falls far
below what the friends of reform had
right to expect The Democratic party,
however, must forever bear the honor of
the first steps in turning the government
back to the course of economy in admin
istration which signalized the early ira
ditions of the country. They set the
example of selecting their best and pur-
est men for responsible place and they
closed their career with the passage of n
funding bill marking the highest water
mark of national credit and enlightened
legislation.
1t can never be forgotten that time
when party domination had come to mean
the right to plunder the National Treas
ury, to place notoriously corrupt men in
places of trust, the new majority, after
fifteen years exclusion from power, chose
Michael G. Kerr to the Speakership and
drew the lines openly against subsidy
| and jobs. Since 1875 it has been the
| complaint of the free-handed in Wash
ington that there was no longer place
for the lobby. The jovial ranks OF these
sinister make-weights to the legislation
between 1861 and 1875 found their oc-
cupation gone under the austere regime
of Kerr No member of the lobby was
permitted to go upon the floor of the
House, whereas before his day they had
swarlned in the seats of the members.
The opulent feasts of the rings which had
been wont to enliven the social life of
the capital came to an end, and it is the
glory of the retiring party that their
tenure was denounced as dull and un-
profitable TO every form of the shifty
trade of lobbying-from the astute log
rolling of the Pacific monopolists to the
transparent bullying of the venal news
paper stool pigeons.
The court of the king of the lobby,
which had been before resplendent with
every rank of legislative life, came to an
end, and the fallen monarch became wan
derer, without hope or purpose, until the
revolution of last autumn opened the way
for renewal of his reign. But the ma jority
did not content itself with merely tenta
tive well doing 1t pushed the practice ol
reform aggressively. The first session OF
the House was illustrated by the uncov,
ering of the colossal coruptions then ex-
isting. The hands of Secretary Bristow
where upheld, in the face of strong ex
ecutive opposition, to lay bear the mem
orable thefts of the whiskey ring, invol
wing the regulations of nearly every EN-
inent friend of the administration in
more or less intimate conniyance, and
traciRg the guilty ring into the very oil
flee OF the President. The expenditures
of the government We're cut down al
one blow thirty or forty millions The
scandals of the post leadership system
were exposed and corrected, duplicating
the Secretary of War in the extraordi
nary rascslities, and in spite OF the clam
or aud adroit obstacles of the still pow
erful minority, he was driven in igno
miny from his place, The robberies OF
the Navy Depatment-perhaps tho
most shameful and reckless OF which al
administration had ever been convicted
-were laid bare, and, though the chic
oulprit escaped by technicalities and Tho
interposition of powerful party macl,in
cry, tho practices which were wasting