Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-07-30


for few millions aud in short time
The money spent in such work will not
be begrudged by the people.
--------un--
THE FORTY-NLNTH CONGRESS-.
Congress is on the point Of adjourn
ment, after long session of eight months,
and the query is made What has It donoP
The answer is satisfactory or unsatls-
factory, as one may view the acts passed.
Two things engaged the attention Of
the country last December when congress
convened that have been discussed aud
set aside for future settlement. They
were the silver question and that OF rev.
enue reform. The first was considered
and disposed of by compromise. The
enemies of silver could not prevail to sus-
pend It's coinage, nor could It's friends
obtain the passage Of law relaxing
present restrictions The law was left as
1t was, and very few are found to COM
plain of It The tariff was treated in the
same way. Mr.. Morrisou's bill, his second
effort to reduce the tariff, was defeated
by high-tariff Democrats and Repub-
leans, and the tariff tax remains un-
changed, In spite Of the solemn pledge of
both parties in their platforms that it
should be adjusted and reduced
notable feature of the legislation of
this congress was the passage Of the Fitz
John Porter bill, which, after long years
OF frultless effort, was brought to aual
and successful vote, aud, being sigued
by the president, became law, and re-
stored to gallant soldier his rightiul
station in the army,
Perhaps, though, the most remarkable
thing in all the record of the doiugs Of
congress was the extraordinary contest
between the president and the senate,
The arrogant declaration Of the Re-
publican majority In that body
that the president must give sat
isfactory reasons to them before remov-
ing 40 oGice-holder, and that no removal
could be made without their consent, was
combated by the president and the Demo
cratic minority; aud although the Repub-
Leans solemnly resolved that they were
In the right, and the president and every.
body else in the wrong, IL was barren
work, for the substantial victory was with
the president He kept on in the even
tenor Of his way, removing incompetent
and unsatisfactory Republicans aud I'LL
ing theirplaces by good Democrats, and The
Republican senators, forgetting their late
resolution, tacitly admitted the wrongful
ness Of their position by confirming al
most every one of his appointees,
Another extraordinary part of the
record of this congress is the fight made
by the Bell Telephone company, through
Republican members, upon the Demo
cratic administration. This cannot, in
deed, be connected with the legislation o
congress, but 1t is so intimately blended
with the proceedings of that body tina
one cannot consider them apart. IL wal
sought to drive two Of the chiefs of de
p,ntments from the cabinet because they
in the discharge of their plain duty, ad
vised the bringing of suit against tn,
Bell company TO test the validity of thei
monopoly patent, The work OF tn
plotters amounted to nothing, but it wa
so savage and vindotlve that peopl
wondered no longer why public men hes
itated to do right when that would brin
them under the vengeance of powerful
corporations.
Taking II as whole, the record OF tn
Forly.nlnth congress has been ba
enough, but perhaps We should ceugratu
late ourselves that 1t is no worse. Their
was great deal OF power Tor evil in tina
body, and a great many men in Il willtn
to use that power for It's worse, but fol
tunately there were also some who, wit
better principles, had the strength
overcome and to neutralize, II not destroy
the mlsohievous work Of the others, an
TO these we owe our escape from man
/ E..l I.sa