Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1882-08-11
CONGRESS-.

ton; but when its doings are reviewed
little is found to justify deliberations SO pro-
tracted and debates so prolonged Very few
measures of the first importance have been
adopted and the session has been In no re-
spect an evcntful one. The appropriation
bills, the elaboration and passage of which
constitute no small portion of the annual
work of Congress, occupied much more time
than ever before-a fact due to the circun,-
stance that the large surplus in the National
Treasury offered glitterng prize, a portion
OF which there was general struggle for.
AS finally passed these bills aggregate the
enormous sum of nearly three hundred mil
lions of dollars S204, 513, G30-an increase
OF nearly S7s,000,00O over last year.
And the event by which the session
Is chiefly rendered conspicuous is the passage
Of the River and HARDER bill over the Presi-
dents veto-a step which unnecessarily adds
something like ten millions of dollars to the
public burden, admitting that one.half of the
money raised by the bill is q wise and neces-
sary outlay. For this step, it ought to be
said, the Republicans arc not alone to blame
An analysis Of the vote shows that seventy
one Republicans, forty-seven Democrats and
five Greenbackers voted In favor Of passing
the bill over the veto, and twenty mine Re
publicaus, an equal number OF Democrats
and one Greenbaoker in opposition to so do
ing, The Democrats can therefore derive
no party capital from this extremely ill
advised and mistaken action of Congress.
Indeed, there probably never was case of
the kind where both parties didn't get slice
of the pork. In the way of negative virtue,
the session is 10 be credited with refusal to
pass any private Jobs and subsidies, and in
this respect there was decided improvement
upon some former sessions.
On the tariff question, all parties were
hopclessly divided, and the result was the
creation of a commission, into whose hands
Congress committed theprlmary responsible
ty of the whole matter. Whatever may have
been the motives which led to this action, the
result will it seems to us, commend itself to
the popular judgments and with the basis
furnished by the report of thorough and
careful commission, Congress can hardly fail
to elaborate intelligent and satisfactory legis-
lation. On this as in everything else that
came before it, Congress wasted much valu-
able time and developed much useless elo-
quence, thus unduly prolonging the session
and wearying the public. The bill
for the extension of the National bank
ah haA hn nd
though it was finally adopted, it encountered
degree of ignorant opposition that, how
ever natural in Greenback convention, was
surprising and disgraceful in u body like our
National Legislature. On the general ques-
tol of the finances there was no legislation
of consequencc-which is negatively better
than the financial vagarlcs with which form
er sessions have cursed the country. The
principal ground of complaint is that the per-
fcctly absurd coinage of silver was not stop
ped, 50 that the sin of the session was one OF
omission rather than of commission.
Another sin of omission was the neglect TO
reduce taxation. A vast and unnecessary
burden is now imposed on the people, and
from all quarters comes a cry for relief.
Congress failed to listen to the demand and
therein disappointed the people and gave just
ground for complaint. Under the same
category of omission comes the failure to
take some definite steps in the direction of
civil service rcform-something which, how
ever, can not be long delayed, so strong is
popular feeling growing in Its favor.
One of the notable me assures of the session
was that restricting Chinese immigration-a
law on which there are many arguments on
both sides and which may now be safely left
to the test Of time and experience. Another
was the unseating of the frauduently- elected
Southern Congressman and the giving of
their places to the rghtful claimants. In
doing this Congress acted justly and wisely,
and it Is to be hoped that the lesson will not
be lost on the South. On most of the meas
ures to which We have referred the Demo-
Gratis had no convictions, no united bekief and
no policy save that of blind opposition to
every Republican measure but on thhsc con-
tested election cases they took an active part
in the defence Of fraud and injustice, delay
ing action by filibusterng tactics and going
every length in favor of the men whose only
claim to their places was based on intiu.ida-
ton and fraud.
Such are some of the salient points Of this
somewhat inglorious session. While Con-
gress might have done worse, it might Ger
tainy have done great deal better and it is