Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1882-06-24
Plumber by Wholesale.

II is probable that Congress will
soon he compelled to adjourn, hav-
ing divided out all the money in
the treasury and thus having no.
thing more to do. 1t is true that
scarcely one measure OF public i'm
portance has been passed during
the long session, but the organized
band of robbers, led by Robson
aud Keller, that calls itself the
House of Representatives, has
thought of nothing but plumber,
and when that is all gone there
will be no further need of even a
pretense of caring for public bust
nesr. 1t has frequently happened
that the country has felt ashamed
and indignant at the conduct OF
Congress, but there never has been
q Congress so utterly abandoned,
so incompetent and recklessly dis
honest as this one. To read the
report of its proceedings is appall-
ing. In former years the river
and harbor bill embodied most OF
the fragrant jobbery of the session,
and even that was only passed in
the face of earnest protest. But
this year the river and harbor APP
preparations are increased fifty per
cent. and put through with scarce
" any opposition, aud even this
bill sinks into insignificance beside
other schemes Of plumber passed
with still less consideration. The
pension bill, doubling the already
liberal allowance to invalid SOL
diers, and appropriating the stu
pendous sum of one hundred mil
lions of dollars, passed in the House
on Monday under a suspension of
the rules, without debate of any
kind. Were there no question of
the honesty and propriety of this
bill it would be still an unheard OF
thi to appropriate such a sum
Of money in such a way. The
amount is almost equal to the en-
tire cost OF the great military es.
adjustment of France it is more
than the cost of the army of Ger
many, with the whole pension and
invalid list beside. 1t is almost as
much as Great Britain expends
upon her army and navy together,
scattered all over the world, and
more than the annual cost of the
civil administration of that en-
pire. And this vast sum-a sum
two-thirds greater than all the
wages earned in year by all the
hands employed in all the manu-
factories in Philadelphia-is voted
off hand by the House of Repre-
sentatives, as though it were not
important enough for discussion.
Whose money is it that is thus
carelessly voted away to lobbyists
and claim agents ? Somebody
must pay it, and the very fact that
we think so little of L ederal taxa
ton. is evidence of its wide distri-
button. Here, in this one bill,
passed without debate, is tax of
two dollars upon every man, wo-
man and child in the United
States. Ii it were a necessary ex-
penditure-if it were demanded by
honor or justice-we could bear it.
But 1t is an admitted fact that the
larger part of this Increased pen
sion fund is not expected to reach
any deserving pensioners, unless
we include under that head the
great arEy of clerks under Dudley
of Indiana who will divide con-
siderable part of it. 1t is simply
. combination of political iobbery,
reckless demagoguism and fragrant
robbery. A Congress capable of
committing such an act in such o
way is q positive danger to the
country, and the only thing that
mitigates the uneasiness which IFS
continuance in session would cause
is the fact that in their greed for
plunder the majority are not apt
TO give any thought to legislation,