Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1886-08-06
THE FAILURES OF CONGRESS.

All the "didn't tell you so' journals
OF the country, conducted in the interest
OF Republican bosses, will now proceed
TO ring the changes on the work oi Con-
gress Just closed, and TO split hairs and |
inject innuendo into otherwise weak |
kneed arguments, all trying to show that |
this Congress, because it contained ma
iority of Democrats in the House, was
remiss in its duty to the country. Our
Republican contemporary trills out fee
BILE "tootle toote" on the subject this
morning, showing plainly the whichness
OF the who, and the muchness OF the
when, combined with the multiformity
of the whyfoie, under the promising head
line "The Failures OF Congress" and
in the course OF the string OF
vapid innuendos il contains is
found the wonderful statement that
the failure OF Congress 10 pass more
legislation was due to the lack of good
feeling between Congress and the Ex-
ccutive The average Republican reader
will understand this to mean between
the Democrats and the President, when
the truth is, that in all the querulous leg
isation which occurred on private PEN
sion bills, the fighters and INSTRUCTORS
we're Republicans, both in the Senate
and House, who aimed TO bulldoze the
President and failed. Of course, our
contemporary was forced TO say some-
thing on the subject, and this quarrel be-
tween Congress and the President was
the only point 1t deemed tenable. The
magnitude of the quarrel can be noted in
our contemporary telegraphic columns,
where it is set forth, that of all the bills
for private pensions vetoed by the Presi'
dent, and on which the Republicans
made such hard fight against him
only two were passed over the veto, ou'
of total OF more than hundred. The
assertion that "not one bill was passed
which the Nation was looking to SEE
passed" u another case of the muchnes'
OF the whyfore, inasmuch as that the
same telegraphic columns contain lis
of l,101 bills passed, among which arr
the following: The Presidential success
sion bill to increase the navy; to hell
settlers; forfeit OF railroad lands; to rais
the pension of widows and dependent
of deceased soldiers from $S to $l2 pei
month, adding more than $6,000,000 pc
annum to the Pension roll ;and a hundred
others of more or less national importanc
and significance. 1t is admitte'
h.,n tan, fhuf a Hp,I1lfifnd
OF unimportant laws have passed,
and yet it is claimed that Congress ha
done nothing. And so our neighbor jog
along, beating the bush of facts with tn
whip OF inuendo, until it stumbles upo
the startling proposition that the lat
Congress was overloaded with legislatio
and some relief is necessary. The Demo
GRAFT published an editorial calling atten
tion to this fact at the time Republican
Congressman were deluging the Commit
tee on Invalid Pensions with WORTHLESS
claims, solely as a cause TO breed disser
sion and create party capital, and OF
contemporary WAS then as dumb as a
oyster. However, we are pleased TO b
able to agree with our neighbor this
relief is needed in that direction, but "
cannot agree with its suggestion tina
special congresses OF special interest
shall crystalizc legislation for Cor
gress, just as concentrate
treats ore for the smelter Thel
is small modicum of intelligence anon
Congress which has boasted OF imam
noble man there" and they woul
make pronounced kick against beir
used as tools for such partisan end
The whole article proves an abnormi
condition OF the bile in our contemporary
and that owing to the continuation OF sol
titial heat, its funny bone is out OF lin
To our readers We commend the recapitr
lation OF the work OF the last Congress
published in our telegraphic column
and assure them, that with the drag
the Republican obstructionists consi'
cred, the Forty-ninth Congress conpar
favorably, for its work, with any OF i
predecessors