Daily Kennebec journal., 1884-06-04

the taFiH bill actually passed and the one
peeceding The Morrison bill before that un-
happy creation lost its head Amer tso such
pefiods can You wonder q the present condi-
ton Of basiness in this country?
And, after all. they didn't pass their bill /;
With seventy majority they couIdn't get even
the first line Of il read. Do I think they
ought TO be blamed for trying? Certainly |
do. They had no right to infict upon this
country period Of stagnation for nothing.
With . majority of seventy they ought 70
have framed bill that would have passed or
let il alone. Business which involves the
veil being of hundreds Of thousands OF work
ing men and millions Of capital ought not TO
be trined With.
In this utter failure . whole session OF
Congress has been wasted Three mortal
weeks and more we're spent in tariff speeches
which we're vifn a few exceptions, rehAsh
of What has been hashed and rehsshed any
time these 80 years in the Representatives
House Of Congress.
Meantime all the other public business has
been neglected. IL vas only the other day We
we're able TO pass bill extending the life OF
the Alabama Claims Court 70 enable the
cases 20 be decided Shich we're already be-
fore IL IL took Us Eve months and half of
another 20 prevent 5000 claimants with
testimony already before the tribunal from
being turned ont Of court.
What became of the bankrupt bill the
other day7 This bill had passed the senate
and vas earnestly demanded by the whole
mercantile community II had the merit OF
proposing TO distribute among all the credit
ors equitzbly the assets Of failing debtors
instead Of leaving all 10 the nrss one VINO
grabbed, and vet the House refused II the
Il. fnp
time the Senate has passed more than one
hundred and thirty bills to which not even
discussion has been vouchsafed in the House
IL really looks as if the sole fruit of the
4sth Congress will be the appropriation bills.
daughter Even on those the same lack OF
statesmanship would have beer seen but for
the modifying power of the Senate. The
post Office bill as il passed the House had an
appropriation too small to pay the
salaries of postmasters A. allowed by Law. Ii
refused TO provide enough for letter carriers,
for fast mail service and for any improve
ment, and this is q service which pays for
itself, and of which nobody has the benefit
who doesn't pay for il. In the consular and
diplomatic bill they propose to make con-
suls and ministers pay for the postage of
government letters and for kilograms on pub
lie business.
But YOU maven time fOr me 10 eAtenu this
list Of failures. You yourselves have no.
ticed enough to satisfy you that the business
Of this country ought not to be trusted to
such men.
Perhaps you will ask me what the trouble
is with the Democratic party. Why do they
always fail when they get into public service9
Haven't they able men for leaders! Undoubt-
edly they have. But the trouble with De-
mocracy /. that il isn't all made of the same
piece. 1t is like a patchwork quilt. 1t is
made of remnants. A Pennsylvania Demo
crat is a protectionist. A Kentucky Demo-
crat 10 a free trader. An Ohio Democrat
from Toledo will believe in free wool, and
Columbus one in raising the duty. No COM
mon line of belief runs through the party
except the entirely erroneous one that the
Republican party ought to be beaten. This
last carries them TIN ough election, but when
they come to exercise power they cannot
agree. They get into line well enough, but
when the wagon ought to start half the horses
are found kicking across the team, daughter
and applause.) In no such wagon as that
can any country afford to have its valuables
carried. Ii this country were entrusted to
the Democratic party. that party would do as
il has done in the House of Representative
go all to pieces. What n Democratic admin
would do nobody could tell, for
there is no harmony, no common purpose, in
the party.