Year: 1879

The Forty-ffth Congress which expired by
constitutional Limitation Tuesday deserve
10 be known as the Congress of great under
takings aud small accomplishments. The
number of important acts which became laws
may be numbered on the fingers, while the
number of measures proposed but which
failed, can be counted by thousands. The
first session began at a time when the coun-
try was all at sea on the subject of finance.
The most absurd theories we're being ped
died by demagogues whose only knowledge
OF the subject was evolved from their own
weak brains. Men who knew better gave
countenance to these delusions in hope of
riding into prominence and power on the
crest OF what seemed to be great popular
wave. The silver excitement was at white
heat and iD obedience to what was believed
to be great popular demand one of the first
acts OF our national legislators was to legal
ize the 412 graia silver dollar. This per-
haps was the most conspicuous act of the
Forty-fth Congress. Indeed, about the
only other measures of much national impor-
tance passed at the first session were the re-
peal of the bankrupt law and the funding
law governing Pacific railroads. Happily
between the first aud second sessions the
quackery of the soft money teachers was thor
oughly exposed by the Republican press, re-
sumption was made certain of accomplishment
and the fall elections indicated upmistakably
that reason had returned to the people and
that Greenback doctrines had lost much of
their popularity. Our legislators returned a
more conservative body. Mr.. Ewing's at
tempt to repeal part of the resumption
act found very little support and there was
manifest on both sides of the House dis
position not to attempt to obstruct the opera
tion Of natural laws by fat legislation.
Consequently at the second session no
financial measures of Importance were en-
acted


The number of measures intr oduced
was enormous. Nearly seven thousand bills
were printed and placed op file OF the House
of Representatives by its members; and the
Senate was even more liberal in proportion
to its nun bers in proposing laws. Very few
of these bills were ever enacted, The sugar
bill failed as the tariff bill had failed the pre-
vious session. The army reorganization bill
was killed in the Senate. The Geneva award
bill failed to become law. The patent bill
was stifed in the House, though passed by
the Senate. The Democratic House de-
feated the bill for counting the electoral
votes-a measure which the presidential con-
test of 1876 showed it was dangerous to the
saf,ty OF the country to neglect-and which
it is exceedingly disgraceful TO the House that
it did neglect. The Interstate commerce
and the steamboat bills did not get through
the Senate. The anti Chinese bill died from
presidential veto. All the important egis-
lation which the second session produced was
one or two acts for the refundiDg OF the pub
lie debt, the areas of pensions bill aud a law
reducing the tax on tobacco, diminishing the
revenues tea millions of dollars. Two of the
appropriation bills failed owing to the dis
graceful attempts of the Democrats to tack
on partisan amendments, which were not
necessary, even at this time, 10 accomplish
their own partisan ends, for the repeal of the
law providing for supervisors of elections will
effect nothing this year because there are no
congressional elections except in California.
On the Democrats clearly rests the response
biliiy of the extra session which bids fair to
be quite long and to take some millions from
the Treasury.