Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1886-08-16
DEMOCRATS I'm POWER

The house of representatives of
the Forty ninth congress, democratic
by forty majority, has had the hest
opportunity there could be to signal
ize its usefulness to it's country and
its party. For the first time in
twenty-five years democratic house
has had a democratic administration
to sustain it and a democratic adj
ministration to provide for. They
have had full chance to run aud be
glorifed.
When the house WAS oryauiz ID
and the committee of WAYS and
means appointed it could be seen at
a glance that the free trade element
were alone represented on the dem
ocratlc side. Then commenced
their series of maneuvers in favor
of various Morrison bills which
called halt to the industries of the
country, then just beginning TO show
signs of revival. The free trade re-
connoisance in force ended in de-
feat, but it lasted long enough to
make every manufacturer timid and
to discourage the employment of
labOrers and skilled workmen. For
the rest, The house has been chiefly
remarkable for what it has not done.
The great territory of Dakota with
500, 200 American citizens, has been
denied admission into the Union.
Washington and Montana have re-
ceived like treatment, though the
cases are not so fragrant as that of
Dakota. In the territory of Utah,
the partial success of the first Ed
munds bill paved the way to the
complete overthrow of the Mormon
hierarchy. Accordingly the senate
passed another and more efficacious
bill. After long delay in the ju-
dietary committee. the bill was re-
ported back with amendments which
deserve commentator, but that
measure has never been called up. 1t
sleeps way down the committee list.
There is no excuse for this.
During the last two or three weeks
there seems to have come over the
majority a realizing sense that some.
thing must be done. Hence MI.
Reagan, after announcing to his
own committee that the interstate
commerce bill his own invention,
must go over because there was no
time to discuss so important meas
ure, suddenly thrown in the way of
the consideration of the pension bills
vetoed by the president.
On the Northern Pacific land for
feiture, instead of accepting the
senate bill, which would have for
feited lands about which there could
be and would be no legal dispute,
and which expressly reserved further
right of forfeiture, they have insisted
upon lacking on a forfeiture which
would have led to another legal en-
broilment to which the Des Moines
river trouble, which has engaged
congress so long and the just settle.
ment of which the president has We.
toed, would have been but mole
hill TO mountain.
During the last campaign the dem.
ocratic orators moved many a vote
with the declaration that there were
$500, 900 locked up in the treas
ury which would flow all over tn,
country i'll fructifylng streams if tn,
democatic party were to come int
power. The first thing the admins
tration did was to change the forn
: of the treasury accounts 10 SHOW
that there was only 100000 surplus
and the next thing they did was t
increase that surplus to SIC, O00,0 900
The country has long since decide,
{ that it needs navy. The commit
: tee on naval affairs presented bill
f for Sc, 100000 Nobody could re
, gard this as extravaganza. 1t evel
: seems tritiing when compared wit
our needs. But even that small
amount Mr.. Herbert found his lead
ers unwilling to consent to, and al
: though he was promised the supper
' of all the republicans, himself vote,
e for three millions and half only
: He had to confess on the floor tina
4 he was forced by the Democrat
b, leaders to cut his bill in two.
!; The country also needs fortified
: tons. Even Mr.. Tilden implicitly re
: preached his party for the neglect Q
= that. Mr.. Randall has offered t
3 appropriate about 100000 for fol
n tifications, and for guns, too. VIVA
+ sum for such purpose! ]
e wouldn't fortify one block in Chics
d go against the Anarchists.
d Whoever carefully examines tn
}. few instances | have enumerated wi
e see one line of policy running a
d through the whole series. That pc
y icy is to pass bills, which by reaso
h of the delay, the lateness of the pas
h sage or their unreasonable nature wi
=, not become law, and then to proclai
what great things would have bee
/. done had it not been for the wicke