Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1891-03-11
Congress Adjourned-For This Relief
Much Thanks.

MuCn InankS.
The Fifty-frst Congress has expired
The only good thing it did was to die.
It resembles none of its predecessors, and
succeeding Congresses will only look upon
it as precedent to be avoided.
1t has been scrupulously faithful to the
republican party and unscrupulously indif
ferent to the welfare of the people.
Politics, not political economy, have fur
nished the motive and the supreme pur-
pose of its legislation. The national well
fare has been subordinated, the greatest
good of the greatest number has been ig-
nored and partisan ambition has been its
chief characteristic. Its adjournment,
therefore. is unregretted and unlamented.
The effrontery of its pension appropria-
tions has startled the country and caused
the most conservative among even the re-
publicans to recoi.
This vast and reckless expenditure will
leave nothing but the bare walls of the
Treasury standing. Those empty vaults,
once filed with surplus, are confession
of corruption. They are at once an ar
raigpment and condemnation of the party
in power.
Republicans desire to express nations
gratitude toward the noble veterans who
fought for the flag and saved the Union :?
That is pure buncOmbe. 1t is hypocrisy in
the guise of patriotism.
If the purpose is to repay the wounded
for their noble service, to smooth the
rough pathway of tha disabled to the gravs,
why pension the wounded and the able
bodied alike? Why open the door 60 wide
that perjury can steal what good desert
cannot obtain? 1t is estimated that forty
seven per cent of the names on the pension
list aie fraudulent, and tens of millions OF
the peoples money is being paid to men
who have no just claim whatever.
To the deserving give all that is needful;
to bounty Jumpers, deserters and trumped
up cases backed by false oaths and pushed
ny lobbying attorneys, not dime-that is
the rule of square and compass.
Within twice twelve months we shall pay
more to an army that was disbauded twenty
five years ago than the standing forces of
France and England combined will cost.
Such pensions are clearly huge bribery
fund under cover of law. This sole pur-
pose is to purchase the vote of the recipient
for the party which made the appropria-
tomas ignoble motive as ever drove a
party from power, or reused the indignation
of hard working, wage-earning people.
Then the Force bill, the Bayonet bill,
from which even Blaine shrank in disap-
proval, but which Harrison advocated with
the selfish instinct Of small mind, was at
once CHASTITY and infamous.
1t was an outrage so uncalled for and 30
insulting and oppressive that its passage
was impossible without gag rule as pre-
liminary. 1t was necessary to shut off de-
bate, lest the country should discover the
concealed object and demand its withdraw
u rrH h.
star chamber methods.
Hoar was the champion of the bill IN the
Senate and Lodge its defender in the House.
Two men from Massachusetts I! The old
Bay State hung its head in shame. went to
the polls and elected democratic Governor.
That election was the apology which Mas
sachusetts made to the Republic for the un-
pardonable folly of the poor creatures who
misrepresented her in Washington.
The Mckinley bill is another of the nota-
BILE achievements of this Congress. 1t rep
resents the policy of protection with de-
lirium tremens. 1t delivers all consumers
into the hands of syndicates and combines,
lessons the demand for our products, there.
by lowering the wages of producers; de-
prives us of the power to earn money, and
yet charges US a higher price for the ne
cessaries of life.
The country has pronounced it's verdict
and in November last threw out the repub-
licans who had betrayed their trust and in
vited the democrats to take charge. It was
grand popular uprising against legislation
for class protest against the creation of
money ed aristocracy, solemn revelation
of the peoples power in an emergency
Nothing could be more conclusive or de-
cisive. The masses were enraged at the
recreancy of their servants and summarily
dismissed them.
So far as the House was concerned, these
infamous measures we're impossible with
out Speaker lost to all sense of honor. A
man was needed who could rule without
principle, man ''weighing three hundred
pounds, all backbone" who would whistle
lis honor down the wind. count quorum
when no quorum was present and convert
heretofore deliberative body into political
machine.
The desperate circumstances needed
tool as tho burglar does jimmy. 1t was
found in the person of Thomas Bracket
Reed. With willing subserviency he lent
himself to the plot, and privately hoped by
the excess and success of bis infamy to win
a nomination for the Presidency.
He has gone and will never return. His
obituary may be written in few words =
"He was found out and therefore rejected"
He played the people for fools and is politi-
cally dead. If he serves any purpose it
must be as warning.
Our Washington correspondent gives us
a lurid view of the work done by this Con-
gress.
One Thousand million dollars in new and
appropriations
He ca-efully estimates that the deficiency
iu the national Treasury in July, 1892, will
be something over sixiy-eight million dol
airs.
That is the record of the republican
party, record on which it will be beaten
out of sight in 1899 IN. Y. Herald.