Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1885-02-16
WAsElNoT0N.
xhat Is llsw Said q N Extra g.
,iea.
RAISING HusO's QussT,os
As To the Competency Of the Seaste
To Originate Appopdatiea
Bills.
WHAT raeceoesr SAYS.
Sesa, y ne ss,sxr.

WASHINGTON, February ls.-Theq questiee
of an extra session Of Congress ws in.
formally discussed in the Senate yesterday.
and leading Republican, as well - leading
Democrats expressed the hope and belief
that ii would be avoided. Messrs. ingalls,
and Allison took occasion to lay the re-
sponsibIy for the existing danger Of a
extra session ON the Democratic manage.
ment in the House Of Representatives Il
was conslusively shown that the Repubicas
Senate was we'll along in its business and
was only waiting for the House 10 send over
appropriation bills to be acted upon.
No Real Danger.
Senator Beck said there was no real dan
ger Of an extra session II Congress wouh
only attend strictly to business during the
time now lef. He believed this world be
done. That the pending evil would Be
averted. This was the sentiment Of nearly
all the Democratic me nbers Of the Senate
and II is to be hoped that they know some
thing more than the people at large do about
the inscrutahlc principle on which their fet
low Democrats in the House have besa
working for the past ak weeks, or In tact
since the session began.
Senator Morgan undertook to raise the
question which was brought up Frank
lIurd in the House OF Representatives
about three weeks ago, whether the senate
had the right to originate appropriation
bills. He held that the Senate was comPs-
tent .nnder the constitution OF the Unitet
States to originate appropriation bills and
its action in Introducing and considering .
River and Harbor bill Of It's own was In 90
cordance with all the customs Of the past.
No vote was taken but Il was perfectly cvi.
dent that the majority Of the Senators
agreed with this view Of the subject which
was substantially the same a. that tAkeu
BY the House when Hurd brought up his
question Of privilege"
A Severe Fight
Il is evident that the River and Harbor
bill produced by the House Coumitlee Y
going to meet with severe 6ghl in spite Of
ihe fact that the committee has rcceded
from some Of its more absurd and more ost-
raReous provisions The principle on which
the bill was ostensibly gotten up, 10 ono Of
which Legislators Of alleged capacity ought
10 be ashamed. II rests on the idea thss
the Government engineers arc not 10 be
trusted in any way, and the committee has
deliberately decided 10 grant just twenty.
Eve per cent Of the amount asked Tor 70
continue each river and harbor improve.
ment, not by popular or BY Congressional
clamor, but by the engineers In charge. IN
other words, the committee grants jaA
enough money, in most cases, 20 that ih
work may fairly be expected to be wiped out
before another appropriation can Be
made, by the action OF wind and vsve
and current. This sort oi thing has been
done time and time again 10 the great
waste Of public funds, always resulting In
the same way. Il would be far better ~ .
matter Of public policy, to give oil that u
needed for half dozen objects and let The
others 20 rather than pursue the slipshod
method Of giving only one quarter Of vhs.
is necessary for each one OF The rivss. nd
harbor named. But the Governmsot y nss
20 poor that il is necessary 10 slight say O.
sirable internal Improvement, except Tor
the purpose Of making for the mon
bers III the River and Harboe coa-
mittee an evsncscent reputstioa
Cor penny wise and pound foolish
economy. This is the principal leasos hat
Cougressmen act as they do, and u 70 sup
plemeu,ed by Q Jealousy Of the Executive
department Of the government, which !. ~
absurd AZ Il il incomprehen.ibls, bat has
always existed. no mattsr whether the Pres
ident was in political harmony Or In polit'
ical discord with the majority of tbs popala<
branch Of the National Legislature.
Washington people smile derisivsly ovss
the news or the star chsmbes aIsageassts
vhich are expected 70 protect The Bisish
Parliament from the dynsmitefA They ssy
that in country where the spirit Of demec-
racy really prevailed il would be impossibls
% make every witness Of the proceedings
OF the Legislature prove his record 10 ths
rogues gallery Of police stsiou, eves ~.
der the influence Of most insane ses Of
public panic. ). d.