The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1882-03-03
VEGNlY CORVALLIS GAZETTE
Corvallis, March g. 1882.
wksHIWaTGM LET TER.
Washington. ID. e., feo' ~ l00-
From our Regular Correspondent

smaller because the increase Is an
ont of proportion to the work Done
ond It !, +, coming serious question
os to where the thing will end al
ready members are estimating upon
the probable duration OF the session.
and the most experienced Judges
aoroe tI,a. this is likely to be one OF
tie longest since the war. Even II
only the most important and nee
es-ary maasu cs are acted uPon' 1t
would be hardly possible to ge'
1!.ronoh before the end Of July; out
II is inevitable that consldefa o't
q :d,tional time must be consumed III
g ing attention to the numerous
schemes which do not come under
this head. There is the EAds' ship
railway already taking up the time
Of committees, AMI its friends are s."
much in earnest that they viii Ger
tainly obtain hearing Then there
is the tariff question and the proposed
reduction Of In ernal Revenue taxes,
the "new navy" enterprise, and
many other matters equally import
ant which will be heard and which
if considered at all are bould to
occupy a great deal Of time. 1he
necessary business like the new ap-
port;onment, the contested election
cases, including the Mormon qHeS-
ton, The appropriations, etc. promise
at least to occupy three months judG-
inc from the debates thus far.
OF the measures that may be class
cd as secondary there is none really
more important than the enactment
of a law to regulate the counting OF
electoral vo;eS. Two Presidential!
elections have been held without any
defined method of counting the votes
because partisanship was more po-
genital in Congress than patriotism.
The danger in 1867 reappeared on
a smaller scale in 1880, when an at
terl,s was made in certain Demo
cratic circles to GET mp contest oVe'
the vote Of New York, and the rep
resent2tvcs OF both parties owe it tc
themselves and TO the country tc
take up the subject and consider II
iudicia!ly at time remote from tht
excitement -ef a campaign. The
matter in =ias present indefinite ant
undetermined state, furnishes mater
ial for fierce controversies, ami, II
the event Of a close election, possibly
dangerous conflict over TIE result
and so long as Congress neg!ects t.
provide the proper legislation 1t cor
tributes to this danger. There Is Il
evident disposition TO take action
but delays and procrastinations ma
prove as fatal to this much-necdc'
legislation now as nartisanship ha
proved in the past. If the Demo
Gratis ia the last Congress had passcH
a fair measure it would lave beer
approved by President Hayes. Ser
ator Edmunds' bill, which passed the
Senate of the Forty-titth Congress
is generally admitted to meet all th'
requirements of te case. 1t Accord
to the State all the rights that Dam
ocrats claim in regard to the appoint
ment OF electors and decision Of cor
test over the vote, and could prot
ably be passed through both House
of Congress in short order
The repeated complaint ever
session of Congress that half tn
time of our statesmen is consumed i
the consideration OF small, inconS'
quential matter is again heard. Coz
gressmen are themselves to blame tu
this. More than one-haf the bill
presented every session refer to pr
vate claims, which should ncve
come before the National Legislasul
charged with the vast general int
ests of a population Of fifty mi'llo
people. Congress might easily ri
itself OF this picayune business by e'
larging the jurisdiction of the Cou1
of Claims. To do so would be
great advantage to the country,
benefit to Congressmen, and q bIes
inc to the honest claimants, many
whom now wear out their lives
seeking Legislative redress. Co
gress now tritters away large po
tion of It's time in the considerable
of questions which are hardly
sufficient dignity to come before
board of aldermen
A peculiarity of the etiquetteln
gard to the official mourning for Il
late President is of interest. 1t is n
only the stationery used for offici
correspondence at the Executi'
Mansion and State Department
which still has broad black bord'
hn 1rg,