The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1883-04-13

II has unhappily become customary
- denolncc Congress whcn Is adjourn<'
and the organs d the party which has
controlled Congress are IN the habit q
niccting the dcnuncia'ion with feeble
apologies and deprccations hut not
even these will be brought forward IN
behalf Of the Forty-scycnth Congress.
A. Cromwell said IL tho Tory farlia-
ncnt after ne had dissolved Il: = There
~as not dog 20 bark q their going"
This Congress leaves no apologists and
20 friends.
II i one Of the anomalies q our sys-
tcm that = whole session q Congress
NAV pass before the elected representa-
lives IL the people can come together 70
execute the viii 81 the people. Al this
last session the first effort. We believe.
has been made 10 remove this anomaly
by legislation. Il i natural that the
effort should now have been made. for
che anomaly has never before been 80
Elaring and % mischicvous. The Sec
0nd session % the Forty-scventh Con
xress has been held in defiance Of d.
rect, emphatic and almost unprcccient-
ed condemnation by the people Of the
acts and omissions Of the first session Of
that body. II i not worth while. per-
haps 70 attempt 20 apportion among
measures or among men the exact share
Of iiscrcdit into which the first session
brought this Congress. The acceptance
Of man 80 tainted - Robson - the
leader u the majority. and q kobeson's
man Keller as the Speaker. excited 3
public disgust which was dccpcned BY
Robeson's selections for committees.
He put himself 1t the head 0f two i'm
portanf committees. one Of them the
Committee on Naval Expenditures. in
which il was commonly believed that
he would take advantage Of the expert
ence he had acquired IN tho Navy De-
partmenf q the manner in which he
could most easily break into the Treas
ury. He put colorless member, Mr..
HiScock. II the head Of the Committee
on Appropriations. and Mr.. Hiscock
soon acquired color. and > very dark
color. IS man who could be trusted
not 70 scrutinize appropriations pro-
vidcd only they were lavish. He put
Reed. Of Maine. ct the head q the Ju-
dietary Committee. though Reed had
no standing whatever aS . jurist; and
Reed speedily showed that L WAS not
necessary 70 be lawyer but only man
Of business in order toextract profitable
opportunities from what had always
been thought q committee Of much
honor but II few commercial chances
Reed contrivei to hare the question Of
che forfeiture q the land grants 20 the
Northern Pacific Railroad referred 70
his committee. and 20 prevent for two
sessions any legislation looking towards
= forfeiture. Without saying that Reed
was bribcd. We may see that Reeds re-
ports and Reeds action were worth m
enormous sum Of money to the corpor-
alton in question. and that any man.
lawyer or layman. who would father
those reports and take that action with
ont being hired 10 take il would be =
very great fool.
Of the measures jobbcd and log
rolled through the first session by these
men the River and Harb0r bill excited
the most intense indignation. But il
owed that distinction 70 chance rather
than to any supremacy Of demer;t- IL
took great amount d money out Of
the Treasury At single haul. it was
pushed through Congress In thc face Of
ontspcken public disapproval and il en-
countered the Presidents veto. But Il
was no worse Or more prolligate than
the lavish appropriations for public
buildings. or than dozen other acts
for which il became the scapegoat. In
fact. the palm for impudcnt rascality
probably belongs to the treatment 81
fne Northern Pacific question By the
majority Of Reeds committee. who,
with the help of Keller. has prevented
the question from coming before che
House al all. The solemn sham Of the
Tariff Commission was also among The
efficient causes Of the public indigna-
ton. but for this the President must u
least share the responsibility with Con
gresz. He might have appointed I
Commission which would n0(havc beer
> sham
Whatever the causes, TIE fact remain
that the Forty-scyenfh Congress met fol
is second session under : burden d
popular disgust such - 10 prcvioui
Congress has ever had 70 carry. and
which had already changed ~ elIicien1
majority into weak minority Of IN
Eorty-eighth Congress. The second
session has done nothing whatever h
relieve the odium the Republican part]
sustained from the acts q Ire first. ami
che last oct Of Congress was iilly cnougl
che helpless adoption q : tariff Q
which not one d IL advocates pro
rfcsscd 70 Be able 70 f0rctell TIE result
either upon revenue o. upon business
~ y. World.
-~De &
An Amsterdam IN. ~ merchan