The San Antonio light. (San Antonio, Tex.) 1883-1886, 1883-07-04
AN IMPORTANT MEASURE.

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time scratching to let the fact be known. He
is an able Representative, and too useful on
the floor to be dispensed with. Most Con-
gressmen value themselves on what they do
for their constituents and it is refreshing to
find one who has the sense to brag that he
has not been to Congress to work for his con-
stituents, but for his country. To an inter-
viewer Mr.. Cox said "On all questions for
IA years, as a New York member, have not
consulted New York interests, except when
these we're general: on the questions OF cur
rency and bonds, tariffs and appropriations,
have been as near representative OF the
United States in Congress assembled as
man OF my size and calibre can well be. l
acted in the same way when serving Ohio for
eigh, years"
This defines the line Of Congressional duty,
Of which most Congressman seem unaware.
Their zeal is shown by assiduity in giving t
tention TO the individual interests Of those who
sent them. Congress is a national body.
The duties of its members are exclusively
national, those OF the House as much so a
those OF the Senate. All bills before it shoul
concern the whole people. And yet seven
tenths of every session is consumed upon
measures in which the whole people have
no interest or concern. A docket is
kept called The Private Calender"
which is wholly unconstitutional, and contains
only bills of which it is especially declared
the judicial power shall have exclusive juri s.
diction. 10 the last Congress there we're
10, 900 bills introduced, OF which $50 only
were passed. or the whole mass, Congress
maintained an usurped authority in respect to
more than 10000. OF the number passed
more than 500 were acts Of usurpation. The
endless evils that result from this abuse the
people do not, and it seems cannot, be
brought to consider. 1t has cost the country
hundreds of millions of dollars. 1t takes
from the people the Legitimate use of their
National Legislature. It keeps an army of
honest claimants from year to year crowding
the capital, looking after their petty dem ands,
and after the petty members who have them
in charge spending money, suffering disap-
pointments and exhausting patience. There
is now, and has been for years, in the hands
of the Judiciary Committee joint
resolution to abolish, and expressly
interdict, the private calender by
an amendment of the constitution, which now
only provides that the judicial power shall
take exclusive cognisance of them. This
measure the miserable, pettyfosging Con-
gressmen, the average Ounce, who can be
great man only in small way, and will be
without importance of any kind when he
ceases to be important to the Smiths and
Joneses of his district who want private bills
passed, prevents being reported and passed.
For If reported and brough before the House,
that body would not dare to reject it before
the eyes Of the people when the monstrosity
of the abuse should be made fully and uni
versally known. The only way in which it
can be perpetuated from year to year, and
session to session, is to suppress that joint
resolutions as has been diligently done during
several Congresses.
Why is it so! Why does not Mr.. Cox and
others who have ability and compre-
bend this duty, bring this important
measure out OF committee, and let the
country see what members dare to record
their votes against it. There may be some,
for they know that the whole body OF incom-
petents will be dropped out of.pubc life as
one of its effects. We care nothing about
what political party carries this measure
through. II is too national and too important
to be thought of in any party light. The Re-
publican party having failed to do it, we trust
the next Congress will not fail. That little
joint resolution, a speck of writing no bigger
than dog ordinance, is the most important
measure that will be before the next Congress,
or has been before any Congress. Will not
the people everywhere make a note of it 2
When it shall have been adopted, all the leglt-
innate business of the country at every session
will go through, and millions of dollars will
be annually saved to the treasury; and what
is better, our Congress will become body Of
statesmen, and be no longer batch Of time
serving politicians. Only qualified statesmen
will command importance enough to be
elected.
Let these 10000 claimants that figure on
this private calender, and who are much ag-
grieved in having no other means of relief, let
| them demand from Congress, authority to