Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1882-08-03
A Disappointing Session.

The record of the present Congress is
relied on by the Republican managers
to insure their party majority in the
next House. Already the organs are
tuning up TO sound the praises of the
torty-seventh Congress, and many of
them are raising such notes of exulta.
ton as ought 10 be uttered only when
every public duty has been learlessly
and honestly performed.
Is not our purpose to deny to the
majority any praise that it may fairly
claim. We are disposed to make due
allowance for all short comings, to duly
consider all palliating circumstances.
and to render charitable judgment. II
is so much easier to promise than to
perform that we never expect any col
lective body Of wisdom TO meet all the
hopes that have been raised by the ut.
terances of its members or spokesmen.
This Congress was billed, so to speak.
to do certain great and important
things which it has signally failed to do,
and which there will be no chance to
do during the short session that will
precede lis dissolution on the 4th of
March next. Among these weighty
matters which had been discussed for
years and which every member of Con.
gress was supposed to understand when
he came here eight months ago, was the
utter pro-tratIOn OF our ocean carving
trade and our almost total lack of any
means of prosecuting even defensive
warfare. We are now in these respects
very little, if any. better off than we
should have been if Congress had never
met. Not a single new ship of any kind
has been authorized, not a single gun
for our detenseless harbors, not a dol
lars worth of foreign trade has been
secured, either absolutely or prospect.
lively. These great duties have been
shirked, and we still face the world as
hopelessly impotent and conten!ptible
military and naval power except in our
great numbers OF patriotic citizens and
our vast undeveloped resources.
This Congress was pledged TO reduce
taxation. Such reduction was demand.
ed on all hands, and its necessity was
conceded. 1t has shamefully failed to
fulfill that pledge. 1t has obeyed the
behests OF its masters, the monopolists,
aud iarmed out its work to a commits
sion that even Republican Senator
deems a fit theme for ridicule. The
enormous excess of receipts is continu.
ed under system that no statesman
has dared to defend. A tariff that con.
lessedly and undcnably bears with
cruel injustice on the toiling poor is lett
unreIormed to carry on its grinding op.
pres sion while Republican Congressman
will be going about asking the victims
of this wrong to send them back again.
The anti-polygamy law, on which the
high moral element of the Republican
party is pluming itself, is likely to prove
an utter failure. IL was carelesslv
drawn and is now finding its most ar.
dent admirers among those who were
expected TO feel the force of its fangs.
Some of the appropriations made in
the bills just passed are eminently ju
dicious, tut there has been a wild
break.neck race in the matter of pub.
lie buildings that will entail a heavy
waste of public funds. The revenues
should have been reduced so that there
would be 10 margin for extravagant en-.
terprises.
As whole the session has been
disappointing one. Those things that
ought to have been done are left un-
done, while much that has been accom-.
plished is of more than doubtful utility.
Ignorant indeed must he the coustitu.
ency that can he induced to approve the
record of the first session of the Forty.
seventh Congress- Washington Post.