The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-11-14

number OF members IN the House .
Representatives TO about one-half tb
present capacity. 1t is true that in III
| BRITISH HOUSE OF COMMONS
there are over COO members, as com
pared with 3s5 in the America
House of Representatives In tn
House of Commons, however. the pro
cedure of business is very different Z
that of the House of Representatives
The rules which govern the British
Ho Ise are very different TO those which
govern the American House. The cues
lions at issue are altogether different
In the former there Is always som,
gleat question OF foreign policy. TheT.
is generally 4 war aspect in sight which
has either 10 be wiped ont or allowed tC
grow and its consequences met. VIII
the exception of the Irish question, 3
vsrv vexatious one. il is true, the home
policy OF the British government IS q
m { er of easy settlemsnt. In the Ameri
can Congress the business is confined 70
m alters OF a home nature. Occasion
ally. some little question arises in re.
gard to the Canadian fisheries, or TO the
rights of American citizens in Mexico
or somewhere else, but upon the whole
the bulk of the business which comes
before the American Congress pertains
to home policy-to the management OF
the
INTERNAL Oh DOMESTIC AEFAIRs
of the United States. In acountry GOV.
ering such a vast area, and containing
such diversity of people, the questions
that arise before the National Legi,-
ature of this nation necessarily take A
very wide range. The consideration Of
the pension bills alone is enough TO keep
any ordinary legislative body tolerably
busy without anything else The
hundred and one interests OF each
member Of the House, when embodied
10 the shape of sills, 90 70 make up
tremendous volume. and TO require far
more time for consideration than can
ever be allowed. Bye and bye either
the number of members in the House
will have to be reduced. or the rules
governing the House ma er ally altered.
A. it is at present the House Is in con
fusion all the day long. Ii is perfectly
surprising how any business is done a
all. Yet there is considerable business
transacted nevertheless. The oppor-
tunlty for obstructing business, how
ever, is altogether too liberal. Not but
that there ought TO be safegus rds in the
rules to protect the minority, and fTuS-
trate the attempt to pass unwholesome
legislation. but even the rifles in this
respect may 90 too far. Useful legisla-
ton may be stopped By the whims. AMI
mostly or prejudice OF few, or il may
be Of one individual.
TIE BUSINESS OF CONGRESS
Has increased so much Of late years
and it NAY be expected to increase still
more in years to come-that it is now
becoming q question of not what legis-
lstion shall be passed, but Of passing 10
legislation at all, or as little as possible
consistent with the We!l-governing of
coun try. In other words the
introduced every year has becom.
an intolerable nuisance, and the
question 20 be considered (say some
l)ng experienced Congressmen). when
certain legislation IS proposed is, not
why said certain legislation should be
passed, but wny 70 should not be passed,
upon the principle that there is FAR too
much legislation in the country already.
This will be a step in the right direc
ton. The sooner II is taken the better.
In this way useless legislation will be
stonped. As there are at present car
loads of laws on the statute books whicA
are of no earthly use, it Is folly 10 go 90
the file.
The secondsession Of the Forty-ninth
Congress is close at hand. IL will ter
its existence on the 4th of
March, 1857. Very little, il any. i'm
portsut legislation may be expected. As
usual the time will be FILTERED away
until the holidays are over. Very little
work will be done until the first week
in January. Then
THE APPROPRIATIONS BILLS
VIII have to be taken up and consid-
cred, which will consume great deal
Of the limited time. There will be a
lack of interest on the part of members
who have not been reelected, and 1t
is sca-ceiy 20 be expected that
any important legislation will be
The Presidents message,
of course, may contain some new sug
gestions, but 1t is more likely TO be OF
the usual stereotype character-a re-
view of the business of the country. and
an assurance that all is we'll" 1t is to
be hoped that he will make no attempt
to defend his civil service policy. The
result of the recent elections ought to
be lesson to him. As soon as his mes
sage is finished, il is his duty, in re-
Spouse to the demand Of the people of
the country. to remove every Repub-
ican fed. raj official and put Democrats
in their places. IN this respect he has
been too slow for anything. Had he
been otherwise, his chances for renom-
ination were of the rosiest kind. As il
is, he may make up a great deal Of lost
ground. Ii is never too late 70 mend,
In other respects
President CLEVELAND
has shown himself capsule man. If he
will only lay aside his self-Hill. and
listen to the leaders of his party as to
policy that sh I'D ibe pursued for the
best interest OF all concerned, he may
vet create boom, at the proper time,
that viii surprise himself and everybody
else. He should endeayOr 20 ascertain
what would be for the best interests
OF MS party al over the country, and
he ought not to be left in ignorance as
TO the state of affairs IN Idaho. as to
That sc -