The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1886-03-03
WASHINGTON.
From Our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, D. c.,

(From Our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, D. c.,
Feb. q, 1885.
Twelve weeks of the Forty-ninth
Congress have gone. Not one ap-
preparation has been passed, not
one law of Importance has been en-
acted, and not one of the great pub
lie questions, which pressed for set
Element, has been considered.
There is safe Republican majority
in the Senate, and that body has
done what it could.
AS soon as the Session began, the
Senate quietly addressed itself to
business. 1t has continued to work
with a degree of industry and an
appreciation of its responsibilities
worthy of itself. An inspection Of
the Congressional Record and of
the Senate calendar proves that this
body has performed a great deal of
work and that the public business,
SO far as it depends on the Senate, is
in an advanced state. The Repub.
lican party may truly point with
pride to the Senate as an example of
Republican methods of doing pub
lie business. Not one of the great
objects of public concern has been
neglected in that end of the Capi.
toll.
And then the Senate has shown
as much oflofty patriotism and as
little of merely partisan spirit in its
proceedings as has ever been dis
played since political organization
appeared on the national stage. It
has promptly surrendered party adj
vantages in the hope of promoting
the public good. The majority has
only drawn the party line when a
failure to DIS 80 would have been a
surrender ofprinciple.
The contrast between the two
Houses of Congress is suggestive
and, indeed, instructive. What has
the House of Representatives been
doing all these weeks? 1t has an
overwhelming Democratic major
ity, due largely to fraudulent dis
reimbursement of Republican dis
tricts. Where are the great public
m easures to which the House was
to give consideration as soon as its
new setof rules were adopted? OF
course the House was justifiable in
devoting good deal of time to the
framing ofits new rules, and no &C.
count is taken of the weeks thus ex.
pended. But what has it done since
to merit approval or disarm GEMS
ure?
From present indications there
can be no hope that the House of
Representatives will meet the just
dem ands ofthe people at all. 1t is
likely to 60 on in a slip.shod sort of
way, with its work in a chaotic
state until past midsummer. Then
conferees will arrange appropria-
ton bills, and the mob will melt
away, few members knowing what
has been appropriated and most of
them too much Disguised to care.
In the issue between the Presi-
dent and Senate, touching the right
ofthe latter to examine public pa
pers on which removals or suspen-
sions are based, the Senate's posi-
ton is impregnable. 1t simply asks
for those documents without which
1t cannot possibly discharge its du-
ties. 1t does not ask for them with
the purpose Of reviewing the acts
Of the President, but to guide its
own acts. There is nothing of a
partisan character in the demand
for these papers. The Presidents
right ofselection is not questioned,
nor his reasons asked for.
fla President starts out with the
declaration that he will not remove
except for cause and then does re-
move, and refuses to explain why,
the discharged official and his
friends naturally have ground for
complaint. Changes were expect
ed, and had they been made square,
~, with no attempt to run the spoil
syste m under false pretenses, no
trouble would have arisen.
But when good men are put out
of places they have filled honestly
and capably, to make room for
spoils hunting politicians, and when
such removals are held out to be
for the good Of the service-"turn
ing the rascals QUIT Is not