Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1886-03-25
HOW TIME IS WASTED IN THE
HOUSE.
Bills and Resolutions Which Have Been
Introduced.

bills and Resolutions Which Have Been
Introduced.
WASHINGTON, March 2~1.-Congress has
been in session three and a half months.
When it assembled promises that it was
to be a working body" were profuse
and apparently sincere. To facilitate leg
iIatiOn and wrest the control of business
from the hands of the Appropriations
Committee the appropriation bills were
scattered and a special morning hour
was established for the consideration in
regular order of bills reported by COM
mittees. Although the committees, with
two or three exceptions, have been indus
trious and the calendar has rapidly in
creased in volume. the amount of work
accomplished is far below the average of
preceding Congresses and the prospect of
better things is not apparent. No House
has ever been so prolific as this one in the
production of bills. 1t has fairly distanc-
ed the last Congress, in which were Of
fered as many bills and joint resolutions,
lacking 147, rs were introduced into Con-
gress during the first fifty years after the
adoption of the Constitution. Already in
the XLIXth Congress in the House alone
the number of bills and Joint resolutions
exceeds 1000, and still they come at the
rate of 300 or 400 a week. The commit
tnao ara fotr1,r aYropnNnl and thn nn1nn1o,
of the House will be soon in a condition
of hopclessness 50 far as all measures
aside from appropriation and revenue
bills and a few others of a privileged nat
ure are concerned.
The fact is the House dwadles when it
is in session and adjourns upon the
slightest of excuses. When there was
criticism upon the weekly adjournment
from Friday to Monday, Saturdays were
set apart for general debate on 'the state
of the Union"-in a vain hope possibly
that the stream of talk would run dry. A
contrary result took place. Representa-
tives at once began to prepare set speech
es. Men who never spoke before entered
the lists TO reinforce men who are ready
TO talk whenever a chance is offered; and
men who did not care to speak to empty
seats and galleries quietly stayed away.
On yesterday, when several good speech
es on the Silver bill were delivered, NJ
more than fifty members were in their
seats. But even when the House is in
business session it trifles. For example,
the Indian Appropriation bill was taken
up on March o, and the bill is still in
Committee of the Whole, its considera
ton having been so interrupted that only
two days were given to it last week.
There are now four other general APP
preparation bills on the calendar, three of
whith-the Post Office, Consular and
Diplomatic and Army bills-will provoke
much discussion and necessarily consume
a good deal of time.
The Regular Appropriations Commit
no prospect that the Naval Committee
will be ready before May or June with its
appropriation bill. The urgent" def
ciencies caused by the parsimony and neg
lect Of the preceding Democratic House
will be provided for this week, and then
probably several hundred laboring men,
who depend upon the Washington Navy
Yard for employment, and who have
been idle for a month, will be given
work. The only general a preparation
bill which has passed the House thus far
is the Pension bill, over which the Dem
ocrats haggled so long and managed TO
stir up a partisan debate.