The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-03-11
The Grand Performances Of Con-
gress Do Not Appear on
the Record.
hut tho People We're Not Triclsed by
Specious Promises and Overthrow
the Pretenders.

bedecked documents and glance along the
column of fifteen great things alleged to
have been done by the q. o. p, they will
find, by comparing it with the record of
what congress has accomplished, that it
has done very little.
As the documents were prepared under
the direction of Mr.. Reed and of Mr.. Car
ter, of Montana, his first lieutenant, and
for the purpose largely of RlorifyinR Reed.
they were assumed to be official. Persons
who will now ascertain how much truth
there was in the careful suggestions made
by Mr.. Reed about the grand performances
of his congress will see that they were in
danger in October of being tricked by COL
ored posters. The Clarkson-Reed show
bills set forth that the record of the Fifty
first congress made in nine months was this:
I. A federal election law (killed).
2. A protective tariff law.
B. Silver restored (humbug).
4. Obstruction knocked out (no).
5. A just pension law.
6. Contract labor forbidden (killed).
Z. Convict labor forbidden (killed).
8. An effective eight-hour law (killed).
8. The American hog vindicated (nol.
10. A uniform bankruptcy law (killed).
II. Two more new states.
Ii. Harbor Notifications (not much).
IA. Supreme court relieved.
10. Shipping bills (postal pay billy.
This WAS the bait for the voters. When
il was dropped it was known to be decep-
tion. Just look at the result. The force
bill was lost. Silver was not restored - ac-
cording to the intention of those documents
that were sent to Montana. Nothing was
l-.n Ax~ osI-n lrk 1,nn IL l~,
done to and with it for several years. OBJ
structlon was not "knocked out" There
have been few congresses in which OBJ
struction was 80 constant and 80 perpetu-
ally encouraged and 90 provoked as in the
conQreS4s0ver which Mr.. Reed presided, and
wajsh mKs G mpesaibIs nu1ss 'Rysnt'd by him to
cpntraot~ convict labor bills failed,
and of course thasrepublioans, who are in a
large majority in the senate, where they
were killed. wih be responsible for their
failuFe,.as they will for the killing, in spite
of the protests of the late Senator Blair of
Mr.. Clarksons pretty redwhite- -and-blue
prospectuses.
There was but feeble attempt made to
vindicate the American hog. There was a
good deal of talk about it, and bill for
vindication was sent from the house to the
senate, where it died, along with the oon-
last moment Mr.. Hoar, with q sort of des-
peration, stimulated by the reflection
that he had not done his whole duty
by his country, moved to drop
everything and vindioate the American hog,
but the senate was indifferent to hogs at
that time, as it was to economy.
The senate also buried the bankruptcy
bill in that capacious tomb in which it has
hidden away nearly all of the attractions
set forth in Clarkson's campaign show bills.
The republicans did help to get in two
more new states, which went back" on
their preceptors when the force bill came
question. The harbor fortifcations will
not be much more formidable for what
they will get from this congress than they
were year before Reed thought of becom-
ing speaker. The only shipping bill that
has got through was one to distribute
"boodle" among lot of shipowners, who
have been at the expense OF maintaining
lobby here for several winters, and who will
now try and recover through the postotfice
department at the expense OF the people
who pay the taxes Of the country. The
eiQht-hcur law was beaten in the senate
The Reed rules provoked spirit of op-
position that led to demands for roll calls,
SO many that, in the first session, there were
400, and in this session there were perhaps
more than 200. The republicans forced this
waste of time by adopting the plan of in
creasing their majority in the house by
electing men who had been induced to
prosecute contests when it was apparent
that they had not been elected by the peo-
pie.
Ii was their hope before the failure of the
force bill, and before the people crushed
them in the last election, that the federal
officers at the polls would relieve the next
house of much of the trouble to which the
house was put under Reed, by electing these
minority candidate before they reached the
city of Washington.
The record of bills passed that will bo
beneficial to everybody was small. As
Speaker Reed said, the record of the house
was political. No one will overlook the
fact that the tariff bill proved to be politi-
cal, and that the force bill was wicked
political bill, although Mr.. John l. Daven-
port, who is "business" man, was the
putstlve father of 80 much of it as was not
attributable to Mr.. Lodge or Mr.. Hoar OF
Mr.. Rowell. all politicians.
The appropriation bills were political.
They have appropriated 30 much that re-
puhlicans of serious minds say that it is
startling to consider the possible aggregate.
Until the clerks of the appropriations COM
mittees of the two houses have had a
chance to collect the figures it will not be
safe to say exactly how much has been ap-
propriated. But it is safe to say that the
$75,OOO,OOO more than tho estimated
revt nues for the year. Even Mr..
Cannon ard his associates on the appropri-
ations committee talk about deficit of
$5O, ,OOO.OOO. The revenues for the year were
expected to be $450, 100000. Yhoy may
slightly exceed this, and SO will the pension
expenditures exceed those estimated, al
though that would not be uncommon. Tho
pension Office never could estimate SO as to
leave the country with balance to its cred
it in that office.
The large appropriations were plainly
rolitical. The democrats will find out that
they will not be able to make large appro-
priations next winter. There will be no
bill should persist in being failure and
the importation of goods should increase
amazingly. The programme OF the repub-
Iicans has been to SO use up the money that
the democrats will be unRbla to move to