Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1886-05-27
sUHJsors Fom 1BeIsLArIox.
Matters of Pressing Importance Com
gress Is In Danger of Negiecting.
Nau, ynrf, uaraI5

gress Is In Danger of Negtecting.
New York Herald.
Can Congress adjourn in six weeks2
That seems to be the belief of number
of representatives and senators who set
the lst of July as the day of adjournment.
| But in that case good deal of i'm
| portant business which the present Con-
gress onght TO do, and which cannot he
doneat the next session because that lasts
only 80 days, will have to be left undone.
This business is not of n partisan char
acter. II is required for the general well
fare of the country, and to neglect it will
bring just blame on the party in power.
There is, for instance
First-Legislation very much needed to
relieve the pressure of business in the
Federal courts. About this the President
said in his message
The condition of business In the courts OF
the United States is such that there seems
to be an imperative necessity for remedial
legislation on the subject Some OF these
courts are so over burdened with pending
causes that the delays In determining liti-
cation amount often to denial of Justice.
Among the plans suggested for relief is one
submitted by the Attorney General. Its
main features are: The transfer of all the
original Jurisdiction of the circuit courts to i
the district courtsaud an increase of judges
for the latter where necessary; an addition
of judges to the circuit courts and consti-
tuting them exclusively courts of appeal,
and reasonably limiting appeals thereto
further restrictions of the right to remove
causes from the state to Federal courts y;
permitting appeals to the Supreme Court
from the courts Of the District OF Columbia
and the territories only In the same cases MS |
they are allowed from the state courts, and
guarding against an unnecessary number of
appeals from the circuit courts. approve |
the plan thus outlined, and recommend the |
legislation necessary for its application to |
our judicial system.
Second-Legislatio to determine |
method of counting the electoral vote |
and declaring President. The Senate |
has passed bill for this purpose, which, |
it seems, the House committee does not |
think very we'll of, for it proposes to re-
port different one. This matter ought |
to be settled ut the present session, while |
yet the next Presidential election is far |
enough off to enable men to discuss the |
counting of the vote without party bias. |
Third-Legislatio for the reorganiza- |
tion of the navy department, without |
which it would be folly to authorize the |
building of more new ships.
Fourth-Legislatio opening to SETTLE
ment under the Homestead law Oklahoma |
and the Cherokee and Texas land strips
q vast area of fertile lands now vacant of |
people but unlawfully filled with cattle.
The Oklahoma bill now before the House |
ought to become q law, for it is absurd |
and wicked to use the army, at q heavy |
expense, to keep farmers of these lands, /
in @nlah til, re- has been a pressure for /
sunie years, and yet allow them to be
made cattle ranges contrary to law. In 1
1T a,t three Years il has probably cost |
NJ less than 100000 year to keep
settlers off these lands, which are part
# the public domain.
Fifth--Legislntio looking to better
settlement of the indians, the purchase
by the government from Indian tribes of |
the surplus lands of reservations and the |
consolidation of Indian tribes on smaller |
areas and in fewer places. Such legisla-
tion is strongly urged by the best friends
of the Indians as absolutely necessary to
their advance in civilization.
Sixth Legislation for the improvement |
of army discipline. The report of the |
Judge advocate general shows that about |
half the army has been tried by court |
martial during the past year. Certainly |
something needs mending, and the Presi- |
dents remark on the subject in his mes |
sage-that "if some of the proceedings of |
courts martial which l have occasion to |
examine present the ideas of justice which |
generally prevail in these tribunals / am |
satisfied that they should be much re-
formed if the honor and honesty of the |
army and navy are by their instrument |
tality to be vindicated and protected"-l
also points to tho need of Improvement. |
Seyenth-Legislatio authorizing coast |
and harbor defepces, at least for some of |
our most important and most exposed |
ports.
Eighth-Most important of all, legisla- |
ton repeating the Presumption, Timber |
Culture end Desert Land acts, regulating |
homestead settlement so as to compel set |
tiers to remain on their homesteads fol at |
least three years before getting full title. |
Also LEGISLATION to reclaim to the public |
domain all unearned and lapsed corpora |
ton land grants, and to secure settle |
lnent, through commission, of the |
proper bounds of all Mexican grants in |
New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado. Bills |
for all these purposes have been reported |
by the proper committees of the House, |
but have not been acted on by both |
houses. They ought not to be delayed. |
Unless this necessary business is COM |
pleted at the present session, everybody |
knows it will go over for two, and per- |
haps even for four years. The next session |
lasts but three months, with Christmas |
holiday to come out of that, and no i'm |
portant business will be done at it, be- |
cause the appropriation bills and the gen |
eral political wrangle will take up the |
whole time. The tariff bill ought also to |
be debated, for it is a meritorious bill, and |
its friends will make mistake if they do |
not present it fairly to the House and to |
the country.
For a good many years past it has been |
the practice of the minority of the House, |
whether Republican or Democratic, to |
obstruct and repeal legislation as much as |
possible. This is the purpose now of the |
Republicans who have been SO far ex-
tremely successful at the present session |
in preventing the Democrats from doing |
things that ought to be done. OF course,
if the Democrats, with their majority of |
AZ, chose to act together, and to act on a |
defined line of policy, they could still
easily pass all laws necessary on the sub
iects above mentioned. But they could
not in that case adjourn by the LIST of
July. They need not remain much later
if they would determine in caucus upon
set of measures to be passed.
But it is curious fact that the admin
istration party controlling the House by
large majority have not met in caucus
to consider legislation during the present
session,