San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-07-26
THE CALAMITY CONGRESS.

| Jn6 JuuRn euI Oh It's own party ~ le
more conspicuous for what it has not
done than for what it has accom-
plished. Starting out with the old
democratic slogan "retrenchment and
reform" it pledged itself to rebuke
the wastefulness of its republican
predecessor, and give to the country
a sample Of the beneficent results of
democratic legislation, its immense
democratic majority placing it COM
pletely outside the trammels of re-
publican interference. Declaring that
the republican congress had wasted
the public revenue and recklessly
lsvished appropriations, it called
down on that body the condemnation
of the nation, dubbed 1t the "billion
dollar congress" and. covensnted to
reduce the expenses of the govern
ment at least hundred million. Not
only so, they ansthematized the tariff
bill of that republican congress and
pledged themselves to its repeal
were booked to destroy trusts, give
the people pure food bill, greatly
encourage interstate commerce and in
one short session bring in a political
millennium. Instead of this they have
been the most reckless congress that
has legislated tor the country. They
have spent SSO,OOO,OOO in excess OF
the billion dollar congress and 80
injudicious have been the appro-
priations that in several instances
they have greatly EN- barrassed
the public service. They have bag
gled over the appropriations, as jew
pedlars haggle over bargain. made
legislation tiresome by their futile
objections and then finished their |
work by granting all that vas origin
ally set down in the estimates as re-
quired. They did not have the cour-
age of their party declarations on
tariff reform, and attempted to restore
to the free list a few articles that |
would disasterously affect certain re-
publican localities without endapger-
ing any democratic constituency. |
They endeavored to break up the new
tin industry that is so rapidly devel.
oping in this country, by placing tin |
on the free list, and hit the farmers |
a slap in the face by protecting wool |
manufactures while placing the wool |
Of the American flock masters In |
tree competition with the cheap wool |
of Australia and other foreign coun-
tries. They abolished the business |
rules of the preceding congress, be-
cause they were repu blican, and |
in their stead a code that |
renders it possible TO retard the |
public business at any point, by the
objection of member to have himself
counted as present while sitting In
his seat. This session has been re-
markable for the number of its mem
bers who have habituslly absented
themselves from the house, this utter
inattention to the public business
having again and again been com.
mented on in that body as well as in
the public press of the country. This
democratic congress stands convicted
by it's own criticism of every evil
charged by the democracy, on the
stump and in campaign documents,
against the republicans, without any
Of the redeeming features In the way
Of downright work that was perform
sd In the Fifty-first. AS predicted at
at the time it took its seat, its over
whelming democratic ajority booked
1t to run such race of par tisan reck-
lessness as to forever condemn it in
the Judgment of the country and pre-
vent the possibility of it's return to
power. This fall will see hundreds
Of the members of the reckless and.
impotent Fifty-second returned to the
obscurity from which they emerged.
The one distinction of this congress is
that of having an overwhelming
democratic majority without the
ability to use it for the accomplish
ment of single party or public good
THE political status of the Hoggites
and the Clarkites in the state cam
paign remains unchanged. The later
figures d not change the outlook as
in the LIGHT of one
week since.
A CONTEMPORARY warns against |
the uncomplimentary phrase "cheap