The morning call., 1891-03-04
TIVE rTTrY.T1Rsr CONGRESS.

Il
rho pif.r-frst Congress will expire
=. a.. Il will have sat for the as
'o-u%s' Of business more working days
- most Congresses, though it was not
the longest Congress on record. us w ,Ui
can be summed up under few heauS' NC
measure with which it will be most genet
ally identified is the Mckinley tariff "h'eh
occupied more time than all other measures
mt toqetber and which must be regarded
o. fine matuped EXPRESSION OF the hepuoh-
c., nartv on fiscal policy. Whether 1t VIII
! remain on the statute-oo0k, Win Su0"
- amendments as experience may sug-
cast or whether it Will be repealed and tol-
| loved nv a tariff framed on opposite prlncl-
| niles. will largely depend on its WORKING our
in5 the remainder of the current calendar
| vear No c0ucealment Of the purpose VI
| the Democrats to repeal 1t III the flfty-Sec-
! ond Congress has been attempted. But
| men of both parties will be largely guided
! in dealing with it by the manner in which
! If works. They will likewise be ioiiuenced
by the general condition of trade and IN
dustry Ii in December next the country Is
| fairly prosperous, and labor eomin3hHs
equitable remuneration, Congress VIII ~
slower to meddle W tn the iarih tliah !. " -
be if adversely presses on any h i.'- u.s.,
body of the people, and the h"'"
ascribed to the tariff. .;roa
The Fifty-first Is the first ConEfeSs slieo
+,,a Eortv-secood which has undertaken 10
foster oar merchant marine by means ol
subsidies. For several wears before ihe
civil var ,ha policy of encouraging llhes Vi
ocean steamers by grants Of money, either
in payment for carrying tue MANS OF DIS d
naked era,uity, was sustained by pubic
opinion. Unhappily for the shipping inler-
ests these grants proved a source OF cor
ruption: in the case of the Collins Com
panv and of the Pacific Mail the use OF
money to secure votes for the subsidies was
generally believed. The result was vio
lent reaction against subsidies, and from
this cause our ocean steamers have MAD u
struggle for twenty years. against the SUD-
sdized fleets OF Great Britain, France, Ger
many and Italy. For fear that men shonl'
reap lll-gOttrn gains, we have compeiled ouI
saa-pajur steamers to maintain an unequa
contest for maritime supremacy. The re
suit has been the substantial disappearance
Of American steamers from foreign sea
ports. It is TO the credit of the flfty-hrs
Congress that it has taken an, initial step
toward repairing this wrong Inc posta
subsidy Is not - large as it should be. I'm
der ii a vessel OF the size of the Rio Janeir'
will get 5000 for carrying perhaps hun
dred mail bags, in a specially closed AM
guarded mail-roam, from San Francisco t
Valparaiso, and nothing from our Govern
/ | ment for bringing them back. That Is Ger
/ tainiy not muniGcent pay. But 1t Will d.
4 as a starter. Ii tie passage of the subsid
v act leads to the baiIJing of new steamers
/ and to the establishment of maritime inter
4 / RI ,5p19
I wholly or mainly on European vessels fo
| their communication with the oatsid
. world, the Flfty-second Congress will ne ap
to follow in the track of the Fifty-tirSt, an
TO better its example.
Another piece of work which stands to tn
credit of the Filty-irst Congress is III
amendment of the rules which facilitate
7 iibuSterism. Under The new rules the nj
jority can use its power for the discharge {
business without hindrance from the minO
ity. Constructive absence by members ha
2 been abolished. If a member is present
2 the House he must bs counted, whether Il
. VIII or no. II he abSents himself Wlifull
in order 10 break a quorum a call of ii
House may be ordered and he may be con
PEELED by the SeTEeant-9t-Arms to take tn
seat which he has been chosen to fill. This
reform which c0mmends itself to common
sense. 1t is no abridgment Of free speech {
free action 60 deny 10 members the right
hamper the transaction of business By IT
fuSing to perform the duty with which the
we're entrusted by their constituents. The
. rights are limited to voting nay on measure
which they condemn
Tue act requiring the Treasury to bu
hoo O9O ounces OF silver each month, whic
was PASSED by the Fifty-first Congress, is
work upon which q better opinion can b
formed next December than now. 1t he
certainly thus far failed in the purpos
which it was intended t. accomplish.
has nit hr-,''T,t silver and gold Ialt"n =.
I together, and it LOOKS now though III
g two metals might be as far apart when tn
t Fifty-second Congress assemblies a the
o were when the Silver Bill was introduces
II an ATTEMPT is made TO amend it, il ma
be found that the wild and selfish man
euvers OF the silver men this winter nav
stripped them of any influence they migt
otherwise have exercised in shaping til
l amendment.