Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1882-02-18
WARRINGTON LETTER.

| 1nO FfO8feoo u ArB Z
Burden Of Private Bills to Re
llevo the supreme COurt-DakO
u wants to DO . Stsio-Mrs. Gar
Asld's Pension.
From our regular correspondent.
WAsHINGTON, d. G., Feb. IS, '82.
The present Congress is making very
fair progress with its legislative work
and is ahead of any previous Congress
for some years past. Five of the ap
preparation bills have been considered
and one passed. The apportionmenl
bill has been disposed of by the House
During the session nearly five thousand
bills and resolutions have been offered
in the House. This is more than twice
as many as were ever before filed &c
early in the session. The committee.
are very industriously at work and
since Lent will begin on the 22nd inst,
and put a stop to fashionable nocturnal
gayety, Congress will be able to give
less divided attention to public bust
ness. Many members think Congress
will adjourn AZ soon az the first Of une
but the majority are of opinion that
the session will continue until the mid
die of July.
A large majority of the thousands Of
bills that have been introduced are of
petty private character, and it is
ridiculous that our laws furnish no
CtJer court than an unw.eldy and ex.
pensive national legislature for their
adjudication. There appears to be al
absolute necessity of some measure to
relieve Congress from the burden of
private legislation in the form of petit
tons and bills for the relief of individu-
ais. The Single Committee on Claims,
of the House, has already had nearly
Il thousand bills referred to it aud the
Committee on Invalid Pensions is still
worse off 1t is said that there is not
st"nding committee of the House
which has not more or loss private bust
ness on its calendar.
Among the bills providing for the
relief Of the Supreme Court, one was in
PRODUCED in the Senate by Mr.. Pugh
which proposes TO divide the Curt
into thee divisions with three Justices
in each to be known as the Fe ieIal,
Equity, and Admiralty Law divisions
These divisions are employed to sit
separately, and all causes are to be
heard in the first instance by one Of the
di visions, except causes in which jury
is required; these are to be heard by the
Court in bauc.
Mr.. Cox, from the committee to audit
the expenses growing out Of the death
and burial of the late Plesid, mt James
A Garfield, reported a bill granting a
pension Of $1,000 year to Mrs, Lucre ia
r. Garfield. Mr.. Atkin CT Tennessee,
said he would not object to the bill, but
he thought that similar measure
should be adopted to pension the widow
of any othsr President. The biz WAS
then passed.
The subcommittee of the House Com.
mittee on Territories has agreed unani-
mously on a bill to provide for the ad-
mission into the Union of all that part
of Dakota Territory south of the forty !
sixth parallel.
A bill has been introduced to make |
the Bureau of Agriculture an Executivel
Department, placing it on an equality (
with the Post otiics Department, the
of war, and the other exc
cut We branches of the Government |
that have IL Cabinet Off Ger at their |
heal.
The chief of the Bureau would then |
be a member of The Cabinet, with the |
title perhap, Of Secretary of Agricul-
ture. The Representatives from non
agricultural States have heretofore OPP
posed bill of this Character on the
ground that the industry of agticul-
lure has no more risut TO Executive
than any Ott er Industrial |
interest, aud one member some years
ago derlsively proposed an amendment
that the interests Of boots and shoe ,
should have a place III the Cabinet. |
But there is a gcowiug sentiment in
favor of adding this Department to
the Cabinet, and of following the precs.
dents of other civilized nations in this
respect. The United States has only |
seven Cabinet places. France ha,
;welve, and ] think the other first. class
European powers have as many.
G.. A. S.