Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-08-09
COLLAPSED. DISSOLVED AND DIsSI.
PATED.


1t would not be entirely accurate to
speak of the bodies which vacated the
national capitol yesterday as having
adjourned.
More properly Congress collapsed.
The process of disintegration had been
going on for some weeks and final dis
solution came very naturally just as in
other cases of dry rot.
Looking at the eight months of time
occupied by the session, the large pro-
portion Of it wasted in small affairs,
petty wrangling, party squabbling,
intrigue and personal vituperation, do
ing next to nothing outside of passing
botehed and scandalous appropri-
alton bills, the session and the Con-
gress have made wretched history.
With such q record an exchange an
ticipates the meeting of Republican
Congressman with their constituencies
in the various districts, and the neces-
sity of giving an account of their stew
ardShip. 1t formulates for their use an
address, which, as it is strictly truthful,
they may find ofseryiee, should any of
them achieve q denomination, and We
commend it as an instructive campaign
document:
BELOVED AND RESPECTED CONSTITUENTS
The following are the principal events OF
the long and wearisome session Of Congress
Just closed When we met, Mr.. Robson,
of New Jersey, proposed Mr.. Keiter, Of
Ohio, as Speaker. We would have chosen
Mr.. Robson himself, but We thought it
would be Just as we'll to take Mr.. Keller,
especially as he came from Ohio; and as
the arrangement had been made before
most Of us got to Washington we according
ly elected him. Mr.. Robson and Mr.. Kei-
fer thereupon framed the committees, tax
ing care-frst, that Mr. Robson him
self should have the most i'm
portant places, which he for his
own ends desired; second, that Penn
sylyania, which by Mr.. Robeson's arrange
ment had supported Mr. Keller, and there
by made his election possible, should have
as many important places as its members
desired, three, for instance, on the Ways
and Means Committee; third, that the ex-
perienced Democratic members should be
carefully put on committees with whose
business they were least familiar; fourth, !
that Mr.. Robson should have Republicans |
o: his own kind on the committees which |
he desired to control; and, finally, that |
Mr.. A. s. Hewitt, whom Mr.. Robson spe- !
CialIy disliked, should be on no committee
at all. This last my friends, was a mistake,
for it gave this troublesome person leisure
TO do great deal of mischief to Mr.. Robe
sons and our plans.
next, my respected constituents, the
President told us in his message that there
was large surplus reyenue-oyerOn one hun
bred and fifty milliOns-and advised US to
repeal a number Of troublesome taxes and
to reform the tariff somewhat But we |
knew better than that. Mr.. Robson called |
US into caucus early in the session, where
we resolved-frst, that ne internal taxes |
should be repealed; and second, that the |
House was unfit to reform the tariff, for |
which reason we would allow no changes, |
but refer the tariff to a commission. By |
this means you can see that We put a stop |
to all the ridiculous appeals to
lower the taxes and secured to our
selves the spending of the big surplus |
revenue. Thereupon the Appropriation
Committees went to work, as also the River |
and Harbor and Public Buildings Commit |
tees, and while these were busy in prepar- !
ing ways to spend the surplus we proceeded |
to regulate the Mormons. That was safe to
do, because the Mormons have no friends. |
Then, as some notwithstanding newspapers
began to urge upon us the Presidents re-
commentator to repeal the silver dollar
act, and as this question began to prove |
troublesome, We got MP long tariff debate,
which was safe to do, because we had before !
resolved that nothing should be done with |
the tariff. In this way We avoided disa-
greeable agitation for the repeal of the dollar
of our fathers and kept the party together.
Next, beloved constituents, we got up
q congressional committee, under the chair !
manship of the talented Mr.. Hubbell, OF
Michigan, and while that was preparing to
levy assessments on the officeholders to
raise the necessary ginger for a campaign
fand we thought II well to appropriate one
hundred millions for pensions. 1t is large
sum, one hundred millions, my friends;
but it makes the grand old party solid
with the soldiers, and particularly with the
claim agents, who live in fine houses in
Washington and give pleasing entertain
ments and issue papers which go gratis to
all the pensioners and would-be pensioners
in the land and stir them up to new damands
on the government. Lastly, We passed the
appropriation bills including the River and
Harbor bill for eighteen and three-quarter
millions, which the President was absurd
enough to veto Much good that did him.
We appropriated two hundred and ninety
four and q half millions in all, which is
seyenty-eight millions more than last year
and one hundred and ten millions more
than the year before that. But, my friends,
you will find a large dividend scattered
over the country in handsome sppropria-
tons for public buildings and in liberal
gifts for the improvement of your creeks
and small streams, as wsll as in many other
ways.
THE labor of aPpropriating two hun
.dred and ninety-four and half millions at
a single session Of Congress is 50 great and
absorbing, my fellow citizens, that we had
necessarily to leave some other matters I'M
acted on. We were unable to pass bank
rupt bill; We could not find time to provide
for Congressional library; we had already
appropriated so much that We were afraid
to act on the Nicaragua Canal bill-in fact
having made it ugly for the Mormons and
having ordered the Chinese to keep out Of
the country, We had but little time left and
had to adjourn to attend to our reelection,
leaving 222 bills which had passed the Sen
ate Enacted on, as well as l2l bills which
.ta,I ~, Eha uonsa calandar oiS hills which |