The Evening critic., 1882-06-28
An Idiotic Proposition.

The following paragraph is to be found
in the Sundry Civil Appropriation bill,
lines 1850 to 1854 inclusive:
That hereafter all advertising in newspapers
required by existing laws to be done In the
District of Columbia, by any department Of
The Government, shall be published only In
two daily newspapers, one Of each of the two
political parties.
This paragraph is open to two objections:
First, it provides that legal advertising in
the District of Columbia shall be published
in papers having the least circulation.
Second, it provides that the Government
shall recognize no newspaper as an adver.
tising medium which is not avowedly q
party organ.
We hold that Congress has no right under
the Constitution to discriminate in this
manner between rival private enterprises.
Suppose some inspired ass should put into
the Sundry Civil bill the following para
graph;
"That hereafter all contracts for station
cry required for the use of the Government
in the District of Columbia shall be made
only with two persons, one of each of the
two political parties"
The cases are exactly analogous. What
has the Government to do with political
parties" anyhow, in the transaction of its
purely business routine?
DO we understand the Appropriations
Committee to prohibit the existence of
more than two political parties ?"
Moreover, the verbiage of the paragraph
is altogether ambiguous.
What are the "two political parties?"
Do we understand the Committee on APP
preparations to say that only two shall be
recognized as having legal existence?
Here we have represented in Congress
itself the Greenback party, the National
party, the Republican party, the David
davis party, the Democratic party, the
Readjuster party and the Transcendental
Reform party, lately fetched into this
world by the Hon. Van Wyck, of Nebraska.
AS a matter of fact, the Greenback and
National part.e, combined control the
House of Representatives, while the David.
davis and Readjuster parties control the
Senate. These parties are therefore the
most important in existence. Do we un-
derstand the Appropriations Committee tt
mean "two" of these parties il its idiotiC
paragraph?
Let us see how the paragraph would
operate if it should became a law. There
are as we have shown, no les, than seven
political parties" represented in Congress
Three daily newspapers AMI one Ereain!
Star are published in the District Of Co
lumbia. We suppose that for purposes o
illegal advertising" even the Star would bt
in the eye Of the law newspaper" Th,
eye Of the law is peculiar
Well, these papers may be classified a
follows:
One, to wit: the National Republican
belongs to the Readjuster party.
One, TO wit: the Post, is a Republican
paper of the Blaine school or faction.
One, to wit The CRITIC, is simply
newspaper.
As for the Egeaiag Star, it inclines to tn
Van Wyek party.
Now, then, we would like the Appropria
tions Committee to specify.
AS the paragraph stands, it is SO yagu
and ambiguous that no executive Office
would dare to attempt to eonstrue it, Prob
ably no two could be found to construe
alike. II is the most senseless paragr2p
We eyer saw in an appropriation bill Or al
other bill.