Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1882-08-06
THE BILL.

Involves al dPIAOPA-"O4OH 4" -
poses, it has become almost indlspensa-
bic to make combinations and to trade
votes. "You stand in for my measure
and I'll stand in for yours" This is the
way that the swap is made. Hence it is
that any bill containing appropriations
for different localities, zach Of which has
its one or more Congressional champion,
will be more or less likely to become a
law in proportion as many or few local
interests are involved in it. There is no
doubt that such a plan OF legislation is
improper and unwholesome. The national
money should be expended for national
purposes only. This is the true theory;
but legislation is human. However much
we may wish to see it idealize the trae,
the beautiful and the good, it always falls
below that Utopian standard in practice
The Congressman. as a rule, is most IN
duenced by the desire to please his i'm
mediate constituents. To a very great
extent his attitude in Congress is chosen
to correspond with their wishes. In so
far their will may be said to bind him as
a law. TO theorise upon abstract right
and the proprieties Of an ideal government
would be to shelve him at home. He might
thus make himself popular with the
nation If the nation should ever hear
of himl, but he would be unhesi5atlngly
dropped by those whose votes put him IN
the office, but whose known wishes he
has been sufficiently bold land patri-
otto, possibly to ignore. The Jumbo
River and Harbor Appropriation bill
aptly illustrates the condition Of things
referred to. Arropos OF which the Sac
ramento Record Union contains a lead
ing article, which is a very sensible and
philosophical discussion of Jumbo 1t
has been the habit of the constituencies
of all Congressman, says that paper, to
demand Of them Governmental aid for
local advantages. There is not a Con-
gressional district in the Union which
has not always had its pet projects OF
this kind. Now it is a Postoftice or a
Custom-house that is required. Again
it is some river Improvement. Wherever
there is q stream that will float a saw
log there has at some time been al en-
deavor to secure Congressional assist
ance. Nor is it fair to say that all
these efforts are made by spectators
and adventures. Ii is, on the contrary,
notorious that whenever a Congressman
before his constituents for ~re-elec-
ton, the local press at once proceeds to
judge him by his ''record, and in dis
cussing that record he is almost invari.
ably Endorsed or condemned according
to what he has done for his district.
His constituents do as a fact approve his
action whenever he gets an appropriation
to be expended among them. And they
do not care whether some other district
is injured by what they obtain. The
consequence is that every Congressman
must be perpetually on the watch to OBJ
tain good things for his own constitu.
enoy, and it follows that few members OF
Congress are in a position to resist ex'
travaganoe of this kind.
in the present River and Farbor bill
we have merely q aagrant illustration OF
= process which has been going on fol-
She best part OF a century. Until re-
Gently the Treasury was empty, and
therefore Congressman had a good excuse
Eor being moderate in their demands.
But for many years these bills have no.
]Soriously contained appropriations as ex-
t%ravagant and as unconstitutional as any
thing in the last one, and for many years
they have provoked the same kind Of
criticism. 1t happens this year that
there IS a great deal of surplus revenue,
ana for that reason Congressmen have
been encouraged to make a RAID upon the
Treasury. The surplus revenue whose
presence in the Treasury has led to this
raid, was in great part taken from the
people by very inequitable and injurious
methods of taxation. So much of it as
the River and Harbor bill covers will
now be returned to them in indirect
ways, and in the process of redistz.hu-
ton a great number of local benefits will
De conferred. The system which has
produced this mode Of employing the
public funds is no doubt a bad one, and
may easily result in dangerous ~infrac-
lions of the Constitution. But it must
be keep N mind that the people have
sustained these methods. and hat they
have steady refused 10 take any steps
for the introduction Of safer and better
ones. And since they alone are IN danger
Of injury, and since they haze refused to
believe that they are being injured, they
must bear the resr onsibility, and they
must not undertake to shuttle it off on to
the shoulders of their agents and repre-
sen0atlves. AS good a way as any to
obtain q clear view of the situation is to
inquire what would be the popularity Of
q Congressman who refused to solicit
any local aid for his distrios, Oh the
ground that such demands were prejudi-
cial to the national welfare? Is it not
certain that a Congressman who should
take this position would be retired at the
end of his first term?