New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-01-25
prBJJc Ply FOR PRIT.ATE WORK.

They have been i'm session, more or less, nearly
two months The passage of one bill-a ieat
which occupied two or three houTo-lS the pres
emf fruit of their labors. But this blil-the
one for the payment Of Deficiencies IN the Cen
sus Bureaus so drawn that some oilclals
think it will be found null and void If signed
by the President. One small bill oi doubtful
VALIDITY is not much fruit for six weeks OF so
called work The fact is that members OF Con
grcss have been mainly engaged thus lar III
attending to their private business Ihey are
drawing pay IA if they were public servants
The evidence that they are rendering any pubHc
service for their pay has yet TO be offered.
Ii is not pleasant to say tins of Republican
Congress. For several years past, 1t has been
the duty Of journalists to call attention TO the
shameful neglect Of business by Democratic
Congress. The latest conyocaton OF lncapdhl'N
that WAS digniGed by that name, the onrwlHch
made the country happy 10y ahoIlshm" l~rIi
in March last, received and fairly earned Ihr
title Of the Do-Nothing Congress Int II VIII
soon become necessary if the present Congress
does not give more attention to puuhc ba>l''>'
TO apply to il the same name. According 10
account, from Washington, the business OF Tie
committees is not further advanced nor III
better shape at this date, than 1t was when the
latest and most diScrcditablc Democratic Con-
grcss had been rs long in session. The work
NAV be more efficiently done hereafter; we
trust thatit viii be. But there has been quite
enough time wasted in matters which cannot
propcrlv he called public business.
1t is true that members are overwhelmed with
demands for personal services by then conStitn-
entS. Good members complain that their con-
stitucnts seem to regard them rs mere Grand
BOYS. sent to Washington to do chores for them
in the Departments. Unqucstiondbly a great
deal of time is taken up in this way, and the
evil is growing rapidly. But this is not public
business. The member has no right Whatever
to attend TO these demands, ii he Is thereby
compelled to neglect the duties for which he
has been chosen. Both to the constituent who
asks and to the member who performs these
personal services, they are essentially private
business; the constituent has personal inter
est 10 serve and the member serves INN III
order to secure hi, support at "a future election
In plain terms, the member of Congress, while
doing chores fog hi, constituents Is c'cctIoncci-
ing. and IS not engaged in public business at
all.
But j, j., also true that the doing of chores
does not occupy all or the greater part OF the
time Of members. They spend great deal
more time in sQuabLhng about matters OF pr
vatc interest and personal ambition than ID al
tending TO public affairs. The House Will
vr9r lie for DAYS and weeks about questions oil
order, priority, assignment to committees, or
leadership On the AuoI. and get cannot end time
enough to get single brief bill into such
shane that il Is certain to be good for anythng
if passed. Speeches are made by the cart-load,
which have no effect whatever upon legislation
and are moi expected to have any The mem
b,rs who make such speeches are sacrificing
puliic 10 private interests; they are merely
clrctiouccIuc. when they are paid to be max
ir., laws. Nmc-tcnths of the bills for which
members labor and loG-Ioll, moreover, are not
intended to serve any public interest what
ever. They are meant TO benefit some con-
>'itucnt. or class of constituents, and thus 20
promote the reelection of the member who
offer, OF votes for them.
II is time for members OF Congress to under
stand that the public Is getting very much dis
gustcd with this state OF things. 1t has seen
for year, past the gTaycst public interests neg
lcctcd or Wamtonly sacrificed, while members
have been trying to secure Office Tor TRENDS
or Jobs for constituents, or success Tor their
party, or reelection for themselves. The pco-
pie had strong hope that q Congress composed
more LARGELY of new men would discharge It's
duties more faithfully. 1t is not yet too late
for the present Congress to Justify the hopes Of
the people, but it needs to begin very soon.
Moreover, if members are going honestly to
earn the money paid to them as Senators and
! Representatives, they will find it absolutely
necessary to set aside the chores and jobs and
private interests of constituents, to spend a
! great deal less time in wransling about their
OWL private interests and ambitions, and to 20
| to work in earnest to frame and pass wioc laws
| for the public benefit ii will not do to have the
people as disgustcd with this Congress rs ii
was with the last. That will not help members
| themselves, nor the Republican party