Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-03-05

The provert that nothing evil should be spoSen
OF the dead f. not o Iservel ~ the public or q
press In cJm nentinI u ION the Forty-Seventh
Congress- II. Shortcomings are raked up re-
norseleSSly, wnls the goot that 1t did is lightly
pissed over. IS, however, room for s1me-
thing commend story - be sud Of the Congress
just expired IT'S st days were comparatively
free from the iSsaga or jo In sc1e Ia as
too frequently hp through In the rush AMI hurry
preceding Anal adiornin ut It Is true thousands
OF measures were parm tied to .aft but the
chances are IN II there W S great deal more 10
be condemned tn approved In the lot. Some OF
the wisest statesmen msi1tiIn that too much
legislation Is greater evil than too little. and
upon this theory the course o. Congress in quietly
allowing vern thcusani bills TO 70 TO the waste
basket is, II TACT, h-naEt I, the country. Among
the lost bis aEe many Of I'm doubted merit, such
As the shipping bill. that 10 rrovid' an int rmed
ate court for the lief ~ the United States SH RENE
Court, the educ ttiondl bill, am OF ike i'm
portance. One OF the most serious omissions
e. failure 10 enact definite Nv regulating he
count or the eieCto al vote and prrv itag for the
presidential suc . SION III gnxt Congress VIII
will be divided betw the irt!es che repub-
ncans controlling tie Senate aud the democrats
tae House; hence there IL Lut little prospect that
1t will agree upon any law prescribing how The
electoral votes shall be counted AMI thus the
try my be exposed TO the danger OF another COM
pncafion and partisan controversy over the deci-
sion OF the next presd ,ntial election.
In r viewing III. last Congress, 1t Is but Just TO
remember TINT the tax nd tariff gu st:0n over
Shades ed everything else, and necessarily con.
sumed a great proportion %, the term What merit
or fsilings the Law fin lily enacted posse sses,-
whether It Is the great pub 1; boon its friends
claim, or the great evil its enemies charge,-m1st
be determined by operations or the law itself.
The act OF the Attn Congress which gave more Of
tense 20 the people than any other single thing
aone was the .Ssage OF the river and ,rbor BILL
last session, and as the party responsible for IL
was severely punished at the polls last November
and the Congress men VINO ware individually con-
spicuOus as IL advocates are.with few executions
suffering the penalty OF enforced retirement, that
sin may be regarded as expiated especially in
view OF the fact that the punishment Inflicted by
the people had the good effect of pr -nting at
the last session. the final passage of another river
and harbor bill After all, II can be truthfuliy
said that the 47th Congress might have done
worse.
While it may be unjust to suggest such q thing,
Speaker Kaifer really exposed himself to the I'm
putatiOn Of possibly being party to some legsla-
ton which,for some reason or other, it was desra-
Bile to keep out or public view, by hts un1ignin ID
and unfair refusal TO entertain motion to clear
the gallery set apart for press representatives
OF The crowd OF outsiders which had been
admitted there on turiay evening. In violation
OF all prece lent and propriety, and which rem
dered clear knowledg. of what was going on on
the Hoor absolutely impossible TO the reporters
present Unfortunately for the late Speaker how
ever, his strongly biased action earlier In the ses-
sion, fla legislation which covered a stupendous
and shameless private printing job, makes such an
explanation OF his course on Saturday evening the
more easily accepted by the public.
The Washington organ OF the star route thieves
is yocifeT0pS in praise of Senator Van Wyck's at
tack upon the prosecuting officers in the star
route cases This settles the status Of Van Wyck
In relation 70 the star route gang. II indeed any
further proof was needed. They have no praise
TO besIOw uDon anybody not in utilization or
sympathy with them.
The failure OF Congress to make an appropria-
tion for the reclamation of the Potomac fats was
not In the line of economy, as the ultimate cost OF
the undertaking viii be increased by suspen-
sion OF the work next fall when the existing ap-
preparation is expend d.
Mr.. Henry james, jr, takes the trouble to crit!-
else uufavorably the merits OF SaIvini as an actor
Let us hope the great gedian will not say what
he thinks or Mr.. James writer. They have
some very expressive phrases In the Italian Ian
guage.
The New Jersey legislative committee to investi-
gate Charges Of bribery has cornered an ex-