San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1886-01-21
WASHINGTON LETTER.
FROM Our Regular Uorl''E "a ht'
WASHINGTON, Jan. 8, 1886.

From Our Regular CoritsE "a ht'
WASHINGTON, Jan. 8, 1886.
The interest in the Congressiona
committee list led to the virtual as
certainment of the principal assign
ments in advance Of the formal an
nouncement. 1t appears that Mr.
Carlisle has been as conservative Oh
possible in his selections. When
ever it was practicable the old chair
man has been continued; the most
notable exception being in the case
of Mr.. Curtin, who was removed from
the craftsmanship OF the committee
on Foreign affairs.
As was to be expected the House
is organized on western basis. The
Speakers local interests are with
that section, and his chief advisers
come from the west also. Hence it
is not surprising that the commit
tees that are to deal with the tariff
and the coinage should reflect west
ern views.
The task of organizing the House
IS becoming with each Congress a
more delicate and burdensome one,
and it is getting to be a question
whether the duty should be thrown
upon any one man. In the Senate
the committee assignments of new
members are fixed in caucus. A SIM
liar method might not be practicable
or desirable in the House; but the
increase in membership, the multi
plication of committees and their
greater Importance suggest the in
ouiry whether the present arbitrary
system is the best that can be devils
ed.
It is expected that the debate over
the admission of Dakota will be at
once resumed, and it may prove to be
one of the features of the season in
both houses of Congress. The dem
ocrats have not forgotten that the
admission of Colorado, in 1876, gave
the republicans just enough votes to
elect Mr.. Hayes, and they do not
wish to risk similar experiment in
1883. Moreover, to admit Dakota
would seal the Senate to the republi-
cans for four Or six years longer.
Hence, they are disposed to look
askance at the claims of the territory,
and will not yield to them until the
pressure becomes imperative.
Were the inhabitants of the terri
tory more united in their desires the
question of admission would be far
simpler. And doubtless these divis-
ions are more or less melted and en-.
by democrats, who see in
them an excuse to postpone action.
We shall soon have the matter ar
gued shrewdly on both sides. Some
of the hardest battles Congress ever
had were over the admission of new
states.
The Senate is piling up work for
the. House to tackle as soon as it is
1t will probably send |
over the Edmunds Utah bill at once
for concurrent action, after which it
will proceed to pass on several other
measures. Of late years
the Senate has become the business
end of the Capitol.
1t was, perhaps, due to the fact
that year after year Senate bills have
been slaughtered in the House, that
Senator Hoar felt moved Wednesday
to introduce bill to extend the du-
ration of sessions. Whatever the
reason, the move is in the right direc-
tion. It has become apparent to
every one who has had occasion to
watch congressional proceedings that
the legitimate legislative business of
the country cannot be attended to
within the existing limits of sessions.
As now arranged, Congress sits only
ten or eleven months out of the
twenty-four. This may be nice ar
for the members, whose
pay goes on whether they are in ses-
sion or not, but is wicked waste of
time, in view of the notorious fact
that the public business suffers from
neglect The idea that public Office
Is a public trust has not penetrated .
very deeply into the mind and con-
science Of the average Congressman.
In most cases, a man goes to Cong
ress for the personal distinction of
the place, not from a desire to serve
the country, and hence the anxiety
10 get into Congress is only equalled .
BY the eagerness to get out of any
OF cOnfning duties con
nected with the honor.
The sessions Of Congress ought to .
be continued with such occasional
short recesses as other busy men
AXE in their labors- L
The last slave IN this countrT, the
(Ga-l Register asserts. /