News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1884-03-06
WASHINGTON LETTER.
" ASHINUIVNs u
Feb 25. 1884.

proceeded to elect MIR. Carlisle SPEAK
er, and the Country was informed that
now it would have an opportunity to
see the difference between Republican
and Democratic methods that no time
was to be lost or FILTERED away, but
wise and wholesome legislation would
be had; abuses would be corrected ;
lands donated to heartless monopolies
would be restored to the public domain,
and the business so wisely and ex-
peditiously done, that all would Won
der how the country had so quietly in
the past permitted the procrastinating
policy of the Republican party to OBJ
tain.
After the induction of Mr.. Carlisle,
into office, delay of three weeks was
had that he might arrange his commit
tees, so that there would be no hitch
in the brilliant programme, and then
many of the statesmen wanted to take
run home to consult some long-head-
ed constituents, tell their friends just
what grand things were to be done,
and a recess for holidays was taken
until January five weeks from the
date of assembling. And now being
sure they were good and ready, spit
on their hands and went in. Morrison
and the Ways and Means Committee
were to have tariff and revenue bills
ready in a week Randall and the APP
preparations Committee were to have
the appropriation bills ready in ten
DAYS; Cobb and the Public Lands
Committee were to restore 2, ZOO, 00O,-
600 acres of land to the public domain
inside of a month; and no scheme,
however plausible, was to be listened
to until all general legislation had
been disposed of. Seven weeks have
elapsed since then, twelve since the
assembling of Congress and not sin
gle promise has been redeemed, and
never before in the history of legisla-
ton has so little been done. No tariff
measure has been matured no appro-
priation bill has been framed, and not
a single acre of land has been restored
to the public domain that any body
has ever set up the pretense of claim
to. In fact if we didn't know that all
members of Congress were above
schmeing fer brides it would look as
though the outcry about public lands
was intended TO have certain large
corporations ''come down" handsome
ly to some one for preventing what
was never intended to have been done.
In fact about the only things that
have been done by this rushing bust
ness-like House has been to attempt
to cripple the navy, and permit little
special legislation in the interest of
the men who owe to the government
SIS, 200, 900 tax on whiskey.
Clearly has the House demonstrat-
ed the inability of Democrats to leg
islate for the country. Twelve weeks
of the session gone and nothing done,
while the prospect for the future looks |
dark indeed. Democrats out of Con-
gress are writing their representatives,
t@for Gods sake do something" The
rural press is taking up the refrain,
and the papers of the larger cities are
joining in pleading terms, asking that
something be done, while few Of the
leading metropolitan journals are call
ing things by their right names. |
The Post, the Democratic Organ, yes
terday addressed an exhortation to
the democratic House" for Sabbath
meditations, in which appears the fol-
lowing:
''If Democratic success in the pen
ding campaign were to-day as certain
as anything in the future can be, the
bright and cheering prospect might be
utterly destroyed by bad management
in the Democratic House of Repre-
sentatives.
II is not desirable that the House
should be run as part of the cam
paign machine. 1t is not necessary
that the political affect of acts should
be seriously considered. But it is
necessary that wise craftsmanship
should be in the ascendant. 1t is
necessary that the Democratic House
should raise no doubt as to the gov
erning capacity of the Democratic
party
The true policy is for the majority
in the House to have done with tri-
fling and address itself to business
without buster or bombast-to do its
work in spirit of comprehensive pat
riotism, not in any narrow, bigoted,
partisan spirit"
Hutchins might shout himself
hoarse telling the House ''to have
done with trifling and address itself to
business )" it would have no effect.
What the house needs is brains, and
men of iron will and nerve, and these
essentials are not to be found in
'|The Democratic House"
With the hating, hesitating, do
nothing policy of the House, its en-
tire disregard of ''the eternal fitness
of things" the apparent want of har-
mony on any measure Of national i'm
portance, the country is getting heart
lily sick and tired; while the people of
every shade of politics are concluding
that the worst that the Republican
party can do or has done is better
than the best that the Democratic
party can offer. This is causing a
healing of differences and
obliteration of discussions and caus- !
ing oneness of spirit to prevail {
within the Republican ranks. 1t is t
true, a little coterie recently assem- :
bled in New York, to attempt to do z
as they have always heretofore done, s
set themselves up as the II am more I
holy than thou" element, but the ear
marks are too plain, their power for
harm is exhausted. The little game :!
of parcelling out the offices to them as
the price of their fealty only creates
a laugh of derision. The game of I
1876 cannot be played again, and I
these parties should be made to know |
it. !
Nearly every member Of the Chica-
go delegation to Washington to Sc
cure the meeting of the National Dem
ocratic convention in the former city, !
appeared in the rotunda of Wizards
hotel, on Saturday evening, topped
put in a new tall silk hat. The ''bea- :
Ters" were, most of them, purchased +.
md paid for in Washington; and it is
,aid that the members Of the st. !
louis delegation, being careful bust
less men, generally took the hatters
cceipt when they bought the goods.
The Chicago "boys" left for home
night, happy as clans at t
Ugh tide. c
Several Democratic members of o