New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-04-17
BUSINESS IN CONGRESS.

The Republican caucus, it is hoped, VIII
have some effect in Fastening the dispatch Oh
the real business of Congress. There has been
oltorether too much attention to private ana
nortisan interests and not enough 10 the pub
lie busipess. Neither party can entirely rem
edv the evil alone, it is true 1nasmuch as the
Republican party is responsible TOR iegisiatioh'
Democrats of a certain class seem 10 nave
been DISPOSED to Tetard business as mlch
rs they can They remember that the
Democratic party was held responsible for the
f,iluro of the last Congress to give proper
attention to many public interests, and was
severely censured for its incompetence ana
NEGLECT. They would particularly like TO DE
ohio to show that a nominally Republican
Congress had been equally or even more inca
pable. To this end. they VIII wTangie end
lesslv for the privilege OF making as many
empty and meaningless speeches as they can
oct uo personal controversies on all possible
occasions. and keep the House busy, whenever
tbev can, with private bills. local jobs and
partisan debates. If any attempt Is made to
restrict the oulpouring of vapid talk, which Is
neither eypected nor intended TO have any
effect whatever upon the votes Of members,
shall near Il Eltdl ouDNAJ "'~"N 49,
Of "freedom of debate"
1t is we'll for the country TO understand, as
members of Congress do, chat scarcely one
speech in fifty, of all the speeches made III
the House. is expected TO have any influence
wbateyer upon votes in that body. Years AGO,
when the member from North Carolina made
his speech for Buncombe, it was felt that he
WAS insulting the House and proving himself
unfit to be member by wasting the time OF
Congress- on a speech meant entirely for his
constituents. But the practice has become so
common in later years that the House has al
most ceased to be deliberative body in any
sense. There was much shrewdness In the re-
cent remark of a member that the inventor OF
tbe verbatim reports Ought to be hanged,
drawn and quartered, for If no reports were
uernitted there would be fewer useless
sneecLes. But the accurate reports are on
other accounts demanded, and it must rest
after all with each branch of Congress to re-
store its own character az n delibeIatye body
NV adopting for itself such measures az are
necessary to put some limit to the talk for
Buncombe.r The practice Of holding night
sessions for speechmaking only, though 1t re-
lieves the House to some extent, does not go
far to make it in reality delibeative body,
and important changes of the rules are proba-
bly necessary to that end. .
Whatever steps are necessary, however, the
Republicans ought TO take without delay or
hesitation. 1t is now the latter half of April.
Congress has been in session four months and
a half. and has accomplished but little. If the
Democrats are to blame in one sense, in
another the responsibility is with the Repub-
6cans wholly, 20 long as they do nothing to
reform the rules under which the waste of
time is made easy They will be to blame
and by their constituents will be blamed, if
public business of Importance gets neglected,
after session of such length.
II was the opinion of the Republican caucus
held on Friday evening, that bill should be
passed to provide for the extension of bank
charters. Reasons have already been given
by us for regarding this measure as one of
the highest importance. During last week alone,
three and one half per cent bonds amounting to
S2.3l6,55O were withdrawn from deposit for
circulation. This week, it is expected will be
occupied with the Chinese question and the con-
tested election cases, and it is hoped that the
Tariff bill can be.put out of the way early next
week. The committee to whom it was left to
determine in what order measures should be
brought forward has a most important and
responsible duty to perform. and it ought not
to overlook some measures which do not
ap66ear to have been discussed i'll caucus. The
silver coinage, for example, cannot be left to
continue through the year without serious
risk of commercial disorder. which would be
extremely incOnyenient for members if it
.Iould come npyt fall. while thew were seek
ing reelection.
OHIO TEMPERANCE LEGISLATI0N