The Portland daily press., 1886-08-06
THE po-NoTHINc HOUSE.
Congressman Reed Reviews the
Present Session.
washington Corr. NewYork World.

Washington Corr. Network World
The Worlds correspondent at Washington
says: "There is no better talker in the
House than Reed of Maine, the unquestioned
leader of the Republican side. Seated in
his library and study last evening, Mr.. Reed
talked freely about the course of the Demo-
cratic majority in the House. AS his talk
outlines the sharpest criticism that will be
made by the Republicans, it will be read
with interest. He said The House of Rep
resentatives of the Forty-ninth Congress,
Democratic by forty majority, has had the
best opportunity there could be to signalize
its usefulness to its country and party. For
the first time in twenty-five years a Demo-
cratic House has had Democratic admins
tration to sustain it and Democratic adj
miniStration to provide for. They have had
full chance to run and be glorifed.
When the House was organized and the
committee of ways and means appointed it
could be seen at glance that the free trade
element were alone represented on the DEM
ocratic side. Then commenced their series
of man9uvres in favor of various Morrison
bills, which called halt to the industries of
bhO SOuhOAJ, oiOh Juoo OOSilliAii6 W ohOW
signs of revival. This free trade reconnoi-
sance in force ended in defeat, 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 100000 American citizens,
has been denied admittance into the Union.
Washington and Montana have received like
treatment, though the cases are not so flag
rant 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. Ac-
cordingly the Senate passed another and
more efficacious bill After long delay in the
judiciary. committee, the bill was reported
back with amendments which deserve COM
mendation, but that measure has never been
called up. 1t sleeps way down the commit
tee list. There is no excuse for this.
During the last two or three weeks there
seems to have come over the majority a re-
alizing sense that something must be done.
Hence Mr.. 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 a
measure, suddenly threw it in the way of the
consideration of the pension bills vetoed ty
the President.
On the Northern Pacific land forfeiture,
lllSbtdu VI dQOpGlllS Lu6 C0ldb0 Ulll. WHICH
would have forfeited lands about which
there could be and would be no legal dispute,
and which expressly reserved further right
of forfeiture, they have insisted upon tack
ing on forfeiture which would have led to
another legal embodiment to which the Des
Moines river trouble, which has engaged
Congress so long and the just settlement of
which the President has vetoed, would have
been but mole hill to mountain.
During the last campaign the Democratic
oro fnrc xrod uof xyIfh
ton that there were 100000 locked up
in the treasury which would flow all over
the country in fructifying streams If the
Democratic party were to come into power
The first thing, the administration did was
to change the form of the treasury accounts
to show that there was only an 100000 sur
plus, and the next thing they did was to in
crease that surplus to $40, 100000 The coun-
try has long since decided that 1t needs
navy. The committee on naval affairs pre-
regard this as extravagant 1t even seems
trifling when compared with our needs. But
even that small amount Mr.. Herbert found
his leaders unwilling to consent to, and al.
all the Republicans, himself voted for three
millions and half only. He had to confess
on the floor that he was forced by the Demo-
cratic leaders to cut his bill in two,
The country also needs fortid feat ms;
party for the neglect of that. Mr. Randall
has offered to appropriate about 100000 for
Notifications, and for guns too. What a
sum for such purpose. 1t wouldn't fortify
one block in Chicago against the Anarchists.
Whoever carefully examines even the few
instances have thus enumerated will see
one line of policy running all through the
whole series. That policy is to pass bills.
which by reason of the delay, the lateness of
the passage or their unreasonable nature
will not become law, and then to proclaim
what great ithings would have been done
had it not been for the wicked partner.