The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1894-10-12
WORK or CONGRESS.
WHAT HAS esEN ACCOMPLISHED THE
PAST YEAR.

Repeal Of the Election laws Deathblow
10 Partisan Legislation--Publio Doinaisi
RESTORED = Expenses Reduced Iioneass
secured to tile Country.
What is officially known al the sec-
ond session Of the Fifty third congress
hns been mainly devoted to tariff leB
islation, but there have been many 9TH
or matters, not appreciated because Of
the absorption of public attention by
tho tariff, that are Of real and lasting
interest. This congress has given the
deathblow to the last remnant Of that
violent partisan legislation by which
the Republican leaders, under the guise
of extraordinary loyalty, sought to per
petuate the hold of their party upon the
federal government. It seems like an
cient history now to speak Of federal
election laws, but ii was only by this
congress that they were repealed. They
had lost most Of their terrors because
they had for the most part become
mere excuse for the maintenance Of a
large body Of ofiiceholders whose sal
aries and perquisites repaid political
services, but who did little or nothing
toward the vigorous enforcement OF tho
law. 1t had been freely predicted by the
Republican organs that the Democratic
party, if it should gain power, would
never throw away so rich d "blockf Of
patronage, but would rather extend II
into those Republican states whore II
had not previously existed. II is to tho
credit of the Democrats that their first
work was to abolish both the power and
the patronage conferred by the law. Its
repeal leaves no substantial trace OF what
may be called the partisan legislation
of the war upon the statute books.
Another important measure much dis
cussed in recent years has been passed
by tho house, though not considered BY
the senate 1t was the bill restoring to
the public domain over b4, 900, 600 acres
of land heretofore granted to railroad
companies, but by them unearned. This
is in itself territory moro than four
iifths largo as tho kingdom Of Italy
and nine tenthB as large as Denmark
proper. 1t was measure which o few
years since would have been OF domi-
nant Importance.
The Fiftysthird congress has enacted
a series of extremely careful and well
considered measures reported by the
Joint commission for the investigation
Of the executive departments, among
them ono revising tho money order sys-
tenn and reducing th5 cost Of money or
ders and ono reorganizing tho account
ing system Of tho treasury department
reducing expenditure and greatly in
creasing efficiency
On thewhole, the present congress has
been fairly saving IL has not been 80
much so as it could have been and
ought to havo been, but ii has done
much better than its predecessors. The
total approximations for each session OF
the last two congresses and for the pres
ent one TO dato aro Us follows
For S4vt t1'l
For 1872. bal,2J,b W
For lsMl, eveOv,lcS
For 1894. Dly,gQtis9
For ,.,,,,,,.t.,.,,t,t',,..,' WD,u0o,o'V
It will thus bo seen that tho reduction
this year, as compared with 1891, is
81, 787, S78; with 1902, 500, 555, ,40li
with 1898, $40, 93l, 8l8, and with 1894,
S2S, 885, 900. IL may be added that Of
the $500, 900, 600 appropriated for the
year 1906 by this congress over s0b,-
600, 600 must be charged to permanent
appropriations imposed by the Fifty
first congress, which has passed into hiss
tory as the "billion dollar congress I"
1t would not be fair to say that al this
oonld haYo been saved had congress
been FREQ to act upon it, bnt very nlueh
Of IL could have been and would have
been saved. Nor must it be forgotten
that in tho five years covered by the
above table there has been q steady
growth Of population and q steady cor
responding increase in the necessary and
legitimate expenditures Of the govern
ment Tho fact that the total has been
reduced shows that moro work is done
for less money--an obviously fair test
of actual economy
We do not propose here to review the
chief work Of tho session, tho tariff Leg
islation. That our readers are already
familiar with Ia its main features and
they will be kept informed OF its opera
tion as it develops with time, Weallude
to it now as marking ono Of the two
great changes in federal Legislation Of
fected by this congress, each extremely
important and together as we FIRMLY
believe, marking a new era In the his
tory Of tho country. Ono 10 the change
from increasing thrift protection toward
tariff rednetiop; the other Is the change
from expenditure for partisan political
advantage 10 expenditure under legit-
imato party responsibility for the pub
lie advantage. Whatever have been the
defects Of tariff legislation, no one
doubts that its character has been radi'
cally and permanently changed. MORGAN
any reasonable observer doubt that W.
have seen tho last congress capable q
doing what, the Fifty-iirst congress did
Throwing away $50, 600, 600 Of reye-
nue. and sqBaoderng &l00. 900, 600 ~
order to enrich trusts and monopolies
and TO prevent tbe reduction Of tariff
taxation. We shali haye ey!is and viccs
oF legislation ID plenty no doubt, bnt
never again win tho republic SEQ SC
IHonstrous a conspiracy against the pub
n lie welfare so reckiessiy aud ipsolenti5
carried ont. New York Times.
nsnest Repubiicap opIulsp.
Senator Davis Of Minnesota, good Re