The Washington critic., 1886-12-23
wAsmNoToN, DECEMBER 23, 1886.
THE HOLIDAY RECESS AS A BAR
TO PUBLIC BUSINESS.

of Congress could be changed from the
last to the first of the year, The pres
ent arrangement is faulty in every re.
spect.
The present session, it must be ad.
mitted, has shown extraordinary and
commendable diligence In the trans.
action Of business since its assembling
on the 9th instant; but as a rule, De.
cemher is apt TO bc difficult aud uu.
profitable month for legislation. be.
cause of the twelve or fourteen days
that are necessarily devoted to holiday
purposes. Wesay necessarily, because
1t Is In the nature of an obligation that
both the Christmas and the New Year
anniversaries should be observed by all
good people, and Congress cannot well
take them both in, with their peculiar
religious aud social festivities only to
be best enjoyed at home, in less than a
fortnight.
The principal disadvantage of the
recess consists in the fact that not in.
frequently some very urgent measures,
that could be much better disposed of
at the beginning than near the end Of
session, are thus subjected TO delays
and delays are always dangerous.
Several bills came over from the last
session, for instance, which Congress
has been in a much more favorable
disposition to act on during the past
two weeks than it is likely to be again
this winter; and the interregnum Is
certain to be busily improved by any
combination that may be interested In
the defeat of those measures. Under
such circumstances postponement is
something by which the opponents of
proposed legislation invariably profit,
while its supporters seldom fail to lose.
A fortnight is not much in itself, but
it is good deal when great interests
are depending on 1t. 1t is about one
sixth of the entire short session. One.
third of the session is therefore gone
already, and when Congress reassem.
bles on the 4th of January it will have
its hands more than full.
To illustrate the Interstate Com.
merce bill, as reported by the Confer.
ence Committee, and as to the passage
of which there is substantial agreement
at both ends of the Capitol, should
have been disposed of by the Senate
prior TO yesterdays adjournment.
There would have been little trouble
in passing it before the 1st of January
had there been no hol day recess. As
the matter now stands the lobby which
antagonizcs the bill has scored its first
point
1t will put in an appearance after the
New Year stronger and more aulacious
than ever. To complcate the progress
of the measure, and, if possible, crowd
ii aside and out of sight, will now be
its chief and active endeavor.
Nobody should be deceived by cur
rent rumors that the big railroad cor.
pora,ions have given up the fight, con.
WINGED that the bill cannot be defeated.
They will cease no effort to compass
their purpose, and stranger things than
their success in so doing have often
happened.
1t will devolve upon both Senate AMI
House to act with vigilant and vigor-
Gus promptness in this matter. The
bill ought to become law before the
middle of January,
In the meantime, Congress having
adopted the Constitutional amendment
necessary to change the day of inaug
uration from the 4th of March to the
Both of April, should also make pro.
vision for so rearranging the date of
its own meeting, that the first month
of its sessions shall not be broken up
by fortnights holiday.
-
A CIRCULAR letter from Mr.. Samuel
N. Ewing of Minneapolis, Mimi, ad-
dressed "To His Fellow. Citizens of the
United States has been received at
this office. 1t announces that Mr..
Ewing will be candidate for "the
Office of President of the United States
for the term beginning April 30, 1885. "
His platform is reform and United
States of North America, Calendar
time, and any other practicable issues
in the interest OF the people," That s
just about the kind Of man We want,
and as he recognizes the great hlstorl
cal fact that the Presidentialyear ought
TO begin on the Both of April instead OF
the 4th Of March, we shall give him oui
hearty support.
SENATOR BECK bill prohibiting Sen.
ators and Members from acting as at.
torneys for railroad and other corpora
tions whose interests are affected by
Congressional legislation should be-
come law. 1t is in the Interests OF
the people and pure government AL
attempts to straugle il or make 1t in
operative by comforting amendment,
will be construed by the people of the
country as In the interest Of the rich
corporations, The country is begil'
ming 10 awaken to a suspicion that Con
gress-especialiy the Senate-is already
too much Of corporation Combine.
THE House Foreign Affairs Com
mittee, having decided to raise the
Chinese mission to a mission of the
flrst-class, the next thing in order will
be some frstc class legislation by Con.
gress on the subject Of our Chinese re-
lations. This interests the public 0
great deal more than the other thing
THE CRITIC is authorized to state
that the paragraph which appeared in
Tho Woshin0ton porrnenon1onon of thf