New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-04-03
NOT A" "Do-NOTHING" " CONGRESS.

THE FACTS ABOUT TIE CONDITION or wORK-AN
UNUSUAL NUMBER OF IMPORTANT MEASURES
DISPOSED OF-THE APPROPRIATION BILLS MUCH
FARTHER ADVANCED THAN USUAL
lFRoM A STAFF CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUSE.l
WASHINGTON, March 3l.-The Democratic news
papers are full nowadays of assertions that this
is "Do-Nothing" Congress, and the public business
| is sadly behindhand; and that the Democratic mi
nority in the House are quietly congratuatng them
selves upon the capital they accumulating for
the next campaign from the omissions
and blunders of a helpless and drifting ma
jority. There is always some justice, of course,
in the complaints of the diatorneSs of Congresses
and Legislatures. They never do move fast
as it would seem. they ought to move. But there is
less Justice than usual in such complaints regarding
the present Congress. Whatever the popular i'm
preston may be- the XLVIlth Congress has a better
record than many of its predecessors in the Impor-
tance of legislation accomplished certain to
be accomplished, and is much in advance OF recent
Congresses in the prompt preparation of the Appro-
pratOn bills.
Senator Frye of Maine said in o conversation on
this subject There three measures already
passed assured which alone the Republican party
can go to the country this fall and fairly claim the
election of a Republican House of Representatives.
The resolution for the appointment of a commission
10 investigate the alcoholic liquor traffic has been
waiting before Congress for ten years during six of
which the Democrats have had control of the
House 1t has been passed by the Senate over the
opposition of the Democratic Senators, and VIII
undoubtedly be passed by the House. The Repub-
can party can fairly claim that il has done for the
temperance sentiment Of the country what the Dem
ocratic party not willing TO do, either now or
when it had control of Congress- The question of
polygamy has been before Congress for many years.
The Democratic party has never been willing,
either as majority a minority IN Congress, to
take any efiectual action 10 suppress that
evil This Congress has passed, and passed
promptly, the most stringent and effective law
that has over been adopted on that subject. The
Democratic party was never able willing, in the
six years it controlled the House, to revise the tariff
and remove its inequalities This Congress will un-
doubtedly pass the Commission bill. which means
a thorough revision of the tariff. That Is record
enough for one session of one Congress- 1t might
be added that two other measures OF marked impor-
tance, about which opinions differ were to say the
least, disposed of with promphtude-the Apportion-
ment bill and the Chinese bill. Whether or not
Congress reached the wisest decision in both of
these measures, it certainly wasted little time IN
dealing with them.
comparison with the record of the past three
Congresses shows that. on the average the present
House is mnch in advance of the three Democratic
Houses in tho preparation of the Appropriation
bills The present House, aud. in particular, Mr..
Hiscock and the Committee op Appropriations. do