Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1885-02-18
DAILY PosT.IETHLIGENcEFI


Ihs days Of che Forty Eighth Coz
oyasa ara almost spent. Bat essvea pn's
mi. working days remain to il. and II
Ia act 20 be believed that 10 50 short a
time Il viii DO anything Ekieh vii -
move tie stain from its reputation
For insonpeteuce, inactivity aud sx
pensivs woEthlssslIess, this Congress ~
aurivalIsd IN our histoxJ. Other Coo
aremes have done bad tbiags. SoGs
have accomplished much that u good
This one, however. stands aioEs N nav
inn done nothing. ID has parsed zoe
necessary appropriation bills OF most
Of them and nth that s1esp'5ou, the
Comeyssssona! Record might a. yell have
baes. made up Of blank pages, - Tar a.
.hs interests of tie general psbiie are
eoussrnsd. Tbs Oregon Central foF
ssisars bill sas passed in an uBsatisfas-
sory form. bat IL sogld be difisnis 20
name any other Ensssass Of bsEshs 70
she people. any worthy Of Sord OF
praise, any thst Dan be eallsi either
pasfiotie OF philanthrspis, - tie result
Of ,As months Of mental labor asd ear
mesa elaboration, which our lawmakers
have spsnt under ths DONE Of the Cap
itol.
There 10 sometinR 10 admire, even
Aooata really bad Congrsse- Wicked
mesa means action, and action means
change. Il requires certain snoant
Of ensFRy 10 be bad, and In shs display
Of that energy something is hoaDd to
DO accomplished that will eventually
prove 70 be desirable. Thus it happsns
that the most corrupt and eKtrsSaRsnt
Congresses have In many instances been
shoss which handled the pablo business
in the most expeditions and satisfactory
manner, and inangurated measnEes Of
the most far reaching nature. The
pressnt body, however. does not seem tn
have had the energy 10 inaagurate any
Measure, good OF bad. Many bills have
been introduced and discussed, whose
passage would have been extremely
sreditable; bat In every case, II they
passed one house. II WAS only TO be de-
faaisd In the other. or 10 pass In med
lied form aud thus be strangied by the
muraefous hands Of one Of those Law
killers known a. Committees Of Confer
snos. Every good measure proposed
hss met its death 10 some way. During
the fifst session Congress could not
act. because she ooantry vas on the eve
Of Presidential election, and neither
party wished 10 make record. During
tbs second, ~ q change Of administra-
ti0n 10 soon 10 take place. it has been
shoueht best 10 continne the policy Of
doing nothing.
TIE contrast between what has been
done, and what In all reason and joe
tioe, should have been done. Is painfully
startling. There 10 much legislation
that the country needs, and needs bad
ly. A visitation of the cholera Is ex-
psoted by scientific men before the end
Of the present year. The people looked
20 Congress to provide means fer pre-
Venting the Introduction Of the disease
o. for resisting i.s spread. Whist has
been doneI A dossn bills for the for
FIXTURE Of unearned land grants are
pending, and the people demand de-
cisien OF all such questions, one way or
the other. What has been donel IL IL
needed on every hand that the Ma
tonal Government should take ssme
stsps for the regulations Of inter State
commerce.. What has been donel The
navy needs prompt and eifectual re
baiidinRi our Notifications are in con
dition Of antiquAted and dilapsdated
sselessness; the lAws governing the
electoral count remain in frE0htfally
unsatisfactory condition; tho Oklahama
land question Ia unsettled; the Mexican
treaty awaits legislation 20 make II
effective. There IL, Ia fact no ead to
the good and wise things that this Con.
gress might have dsns. There Is 20 end
10 the liss of questions demanding set
element.
but the Fcrty-Riahth Congress has
avoided lia york. has refused to attack
the probi"ms Of legislation. I. mus.
10 down In history NJ Legislative body
without stasesmanahip snoagh 10 do
whai % ahould have done. and wiihsnt
enssRs saoagh 10 do what 10 should no,
have done. In short 40 negative
failure.