Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-09-19

considering that It costs the national treasury
ABOUT SIX thousand dollars q day. exclusive OF the
ekuAr yearly expenses TO keep Congress running.
the length OF session Is not wholly A matter Of
lndinerence to the public session az which
plenty Oh WORK IL done Is an ample Justification of
US o"n existence, no matter how long it Lasts:
anu inoeed, the longer the better In that case.
1.".s Ssion IN which nothing is done has no
ue,ense' ana either party that Is responsible for
u deserves reprobation. In the nftieth Congress
.ne blame must be equally divided. In the
Mouse no general work worth speaking
Can De done because the friends OF
one or two special measures antagonize
everything else In the hope OF forcing the House 10
/. recognition OF their claims In the Senate,
SSsnooSn nine months have passed since that
oaAmoer met, and plenty OF opportunities have
ouereo themselves for taking some action on the
ssaiu question II any were desired the business OF
the whole country u blocked because the nnance
committee cannot make up its mind what percent
age, II any, should be Knocked on OF the duties on
sugar, lumber and wool. And what Is the cause
Oh THIS deiayf 1t Is not a doubt whether one rate
OF another would ultimately make for the best
6ooo OF the country, but whether one or the other
would win the more votes for certain presidential
ucket Yet while scores OF important matters are
hanging nre, and neither manufacturers nor i'm
porSesknow what 10 expect In their business for
tine next SIX months, both houses find time to rail-
roao through an electiOneering measure ike the
Cninese exclusion bill, which, so far from benefit
ing the country In any way. Is liable TO lead IL into
grave International complications. They can spare
noors and energy enough, moreover, TO sQuabble
ABOUT PHRASES In matter so important as that of
reclamation against Canada for the sake OF getting
tneir nerce speeches printed In the Record and
going before the country In the coming campaign as
champions outyieing each other In patriotic zeal
The democratic caucus OF last evening furnisheia
conspicuous illustration OF the way things are 60
ing. There was nothing extraordinary, or censur-
aoie, In the discussion OF a proposal 70 adjourn
congress, seeing that a pass had been reached
where the members were doing nothing but vast
Ing their time. But the spirit which pervaded the
debate was significant. The question before the
meeting was not whether the welfare OF the repub-
lie demanded that the session should come to an
thus appear 70 be running away from" the repub-
ncans OF the Senate; not whether public business
could be expedited By having a recess now and
giving the lawmakers a needed rest but whether
the recess would. or would not, be welcomed
by the republicans as relief from
some Of the perplexities OF the situation. This Is
not patriotism IL is not statesnanship. II has
not even the virtue OF cheap insta alton OF either
IL Is the purest and baldest form OF partisan SELF
seeking; and the people whose interests are thus
neglected for the sake OF making little capital
nrst for one side and then for the other ought to
let themselves be heard from wnen their represen-
tatives come home TO appeal again for their sur
frages