The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1892-08-10
A Congress That Failed.

Inc HrSJ SeSSlOu Oh lle L lily -SecOnu
congress has closed its record and
passed into history. 1t will be chiefly
noted as the first Democratic Congress
that ever appropriated $500, 900, 600 at a
single session. Nothing else that it ac-
complished parallels this achievement.
But this was just what it started out
not to do. AT the opening of the
session there was loud Boosting of the
economy that was to be exercised, and
of the rebuke that was to be admins
tered to the "billion dollar congress. !"
Bumcombe resolutions were passed de-
filming the policy of economy. What is
the record? Appropriations of S5O7,
100000 as against S463, 900, 900 for the
corresponding session of the preceding
congress.
At the same time that this congress
was increasing the expenditures of the
government it was attempting to carry
out policy of reducing the revenues
by series of free trade bills. Five of
these bills were passed through single
house. They are of value as indicating
the party policy of the Democrats in
dealing with the tariff. They are proof
of the destructive tendencies of that
party, but from the standpoint of tariff
reform they areludicrously inadequate.
When the Springer policy of attacking
tha A1ot inl II TO at
was announced it was given out that
the senate would be likely to pass
several of the bills then produced, and
that possibly the President himself
would not object to them. This child
ish idea of getting Republican support
for free trade measures proved an utter
ed leadership of the chairman of the
ways and means committee. The
Democrats have little to brag of in their
tariff record. They started out with
the most malignant hatred of the Nc
Kinley law, and yet they dared. not
repeal it. Out of the several thousand
items in the Mckinley law they have
attacked but score of two, and that
in most clumsy manner. But what
they have done is more than the people
of this country want.
On the silver question the Democrat
congress has a negative record. 1t was
cowardice and party exigency, however,
that prevented the passage of free
coinage bill and the wreckage of the
finances of the country. The temper
of the Democrats is Enthusiastically for
free coinage, and with the election out
of the way they would have done the
country an irreparable damage. They
have proved themselves unworthy of
trust in the matter of financial legisla
ton.
Few important legislative measures
outside of the appropriation bills be-
came law. The anti-option bill passed
the house, but got no further. This
was one of the most radical bills under
discussion. 1t was opposed to every
bCllOCldIlC IhCOlJ VI SoNcl hihCutb du't
yet it passed the house by Democratic
votes. 1t should be remarked that the
Farmers Alliance members of congress
were of small account. They exercised
no perceptible influence on the course
of legislation, and had to confne them
selves to introducing crank measures,
which were uniformly squelched in
committee.
The Democratic congress has failed
to commend itself to the country either
by what it did OF by what it did not do.
1t proved itself capable of mischief and
was only prevented from mischief by
the Republican senate and the active
and ably-managed minority in the
house. If the people want their in
terests truly protected they must turn
out the rascals of the Fifty-second con-
gress.-DetroH Tribune.