The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1895-03-19

[From our ReguIar correspoaaent.l

1S95.-Hurried legislation is sell
dom good legislation, and the
rest of the neutrality-suspicious.
ly appropriation bills-of this
session will necessarily have to
be hurried. The time will come,
and it ought to come soon, when
it will be considered disgraceful
for a congress to delay action
upon the great appropriation
bills until the last hours of a
closing session. But that time
will not come until a fact now
well known to a few shall be
known to the entire country
that these bills are purposely
delayed by men in congress, in
order that amendments may be
manipulated in conference and
legislation secured which could
never be obtained when there
was time for investigation and
calm deliberation. It is a popu-
lar delusion that congressional
legislation is shaped by four
hundred and forty odd men, but
that which goes through the
conference mill, and it nearly all
does, is shaped by less than q
dozen men when action is delay
ed until timid directors can be
frightened in silence by the use
of the extra session bugaboo.
This applies particularly to the
Legislation now pending, which
includes the most important of
the appropriation bills and vari-
Gus more or less important finan-
cial amendments thereto.
The killing of the railroad
pooling bill can be credited to
the much abused senate rules.
The lobby had it all fixed to hold
a Sunday session and pass the
bill, but when an attempt was
made On Saturday to carry out
the program Senator Pettigrew,
| Allen. Chandler and Vest gave
notice of their intention to exer-
else their privilege under the
rules to talk during the remain
der OF the session, il necessary
to prevent a vote being taken
That broke up the program ane
!, the senate by a vote of 10 to 2
decided not to take up the pool
ing bill. The lobby has no
, abandoned hope Of getting til'
bill through during the closing
hours Of the session, and it:
friends are among the shrewdes
parliamentarians in the senate
they viii do so if given an oppor
tnnity.
Senator Mills is in dead earn
t est about repeating the law un
I der which s162, 900, 600 of bond
; have been issued by the presen
administration. When he frs
gave notice of his intention t
offer such an amendment to tn
; Sundry Civil Appropriation bill
it was thought that he did S
while mad and that he coul
easily be persuaded not to offe
the amendment. Not so, how
ever. His mind was fully mad
up from the first that the la
should be repealed, and hi
amendment-s'And all laws whic
authorize the Secretary of th
Treasury to sell bonds of th
United States for any purpos
are hereby repealed''-has bee
formally presented, and he d.
clares his intention to have
: voted upon, if possible; and e2
presses the opinion that it wi
pass the senate. But others q
n not share that opinion.
r There is at least one retirin
y congressman who can joke abo'
/ his demise. When a friend sal
y to Representative Pigott,
4 Conn, "Shall we never see 70
1T in Washington again p he +
,r piled mournfully: Il am afrai
+ not" "Why?" Because" sai
. Mr.. P, with twinkle in b
eye, 1.-the people of ConnecticI
'S ~, on ,,o,,ob q ftool1ad To mo fh.