Year: 1872


Senate. Moran's hastily -sketched picture OF the
Yellowstone, now set apart as national park has
been hung over the stairway close by the reception
room. The room OF the Committee on Foreign
Relations has had painted on Its walls limitations
Of bronze medallion heads Of Senators Clay Allen,
Sumner and Cameron-four of its charmen.
The great iron dome Of the building rising 2ls
feet above the roof with diameter OF nearly one
hundred aAd thirty-six feet has been repainted,
and there are inhdels In high art who affect to re-
gret that couple Of coats Of paint were not 1t
OF Freedom, which, surmounting In its natural
hue the brilliant white dome, gives the latter
somewhat depressed and unfinished aspect


UnGnished Business Before COngress-


Work OF the Session.


No last session Of any Congress OF late years has
had such on unimportant mass OF unfinished busi-
ness before 1t. There are over three thousand
pending bills, Of which not as many hundreds are
founded on legislative sense and reason, not
hundred passabe in any form, and not twenty,
perhaps essential to the wellbeing OF the country.
Many are private claims, which are Oftener than
not private steals or naked gratuities. few are
attempts under specious and misleading titles,
to get some few thousand outlying acres Of public
lands here and there for the railroads that have
grabbed all the rest In the localities. Some-such
as the French spolati0n claims-are founded on
equity, but burdened with legal technicalities of
great retarding force. There are bills to give
bounttes TO slaves who were enlisted, instead OF
to the presumably loyal masters, who were paid In
part till Congress put an estoppel on further
payments at the instance OF Secretary Stanton,
and to enable discharged soldiers and sailors and
orphans Of the late war to acquire homesteads on
special conditions Of favor. Legislation granting
pensions, bounties, rewards and privileges OF
kirdo for arUfcn in Ia IN war
from ended, and reference to the statute books
will show that hitherto such legislation
has continued through the period between
one war and another all the way down from
the war OF tn, Revolution TO that with Mexico. In
the line OF monopoly and subsidy bills come the
Postal Telegraph Company's bill OF Mr.. Palmer, OF
Iowa, the proposed ocean and Gulf steam lines and
the construction Of steam soops-0f-war at private
yards. Opposed to these are such bills as those de-
signed to reserve what is left Of the public
domain for actual settlers. or mixed
character are the bills designed to use
the means OF the government to connect
and improve the inland water routes, the immc-
date advocates having private interests mainly In
view, and making the best use OF the undcniable


public benefits involved in the utilization Of all pos


sible means OF water transportation as against the
| railroads. There are bills to codiy and amend the
coinage laws, to retire mutilated and worn bank
notes and to have exemplary Investigations
into all steamb0ller explosions. These will
be followed by bills to assist in funding the re-
mainder OF the debt and to restore foreign car
rying trade. The most important OF pending bills
is tnat to establish reciprocity with Canada in the
fisheries and canals, as provided in the Washington
treaty. Mr.. Haldeman's bill to cover the treeless
praires with timber growth is in situation
to come up for action, but Congress is yet
supine on the subject and 1t will probably remain
for some future legislator to harvest what he has
sown The bill to establish territorial govern
ment for the late nomadic tribes now concen-
trated on adjacent reservations is likely to be-
come q law. The Civil Rights bil in
some form or other, stands good
chance OF going on the statute book, and
will make but little noise abroad when
it finally gets there sort OF companion bin, ex
tending the Presidents power Of suspension Of the
Habeas Corpus act In Ku Klux haunted regions


will in all probability die OF neglect In the present
posture or Southern AFFAIRS The iniatory move
ment toward relieving the Supreme Court Judges
OF their routine burden will be taken, but
the measure will be handled deliberately
and cannot be looked upon as one OF the
coming laws OF the third session OF the
Forty-second Congress- Some new members In
tend to signaze their entrance into Congressional
life by presenting nchoate schemes OF enactments,





an eye to the time when a chance may come
around for q return; but those who are good for
another term certain, and for terms ahead in pos
siblity, may be expected to follow middle course,
be sparing Of new legislative projects and cautious
about those already on the table,


The Important Business Of the Session.


What Will They Do With Its-Fenton


Asked TO Commit Hari-Kari.


The only point which members Of Congress
now in the city agree is that 1t viii be impossible
to dispose OF all the important business to be pre-
sented at the coming session. 1t is proposed to
amend the rules In the House in such particulars
as may facilitate legislation There is some talk of
changing the rule giving conference committees
unlimited power; but the older members are OF
opinion that arbitrary the rule Is it is the only
sale one to abide by. Amendments to the civil
service code and the Postal Telegraph bill are the
two important matters likely to consume the most
time. Nothing has yet been decided upon respect
ing the legislation necessary for the distribution OF
the Geneva award. An impression prevails that
Congress will refer the claimants to the
Court OF Claims, with some restrictions
as to the class OF claims which
may be paid. The award Of the British American
Claims Commission will also be specallyprovided for
The Committee on Appropriations has made rapid
progress since the estimates were placed in their
hands. The Executive, Legislative and judicial and
the Indian and Pension Appropriation bills will be
reported tomorrow. An appropriation for build
ing the ten soops Of war, which was fayorably re
ported by the Committee Naval Affairs last
session, will be recommended though IL Is not
certain that it can be got through, as there are
conflicting interests which will revive the whole
subject OF American commerce and receive opposi-
tion from western members. At the hotels to-
night the principal topic is the death Of Mr. Greeley
and the political fate Of the members Of Congress
who supported him during the campaign. For
General Banks there is considerable sympathy. 1t
is understood that the friends OF Senator Fenton
have urged him to retire from the Senate, as he
will longer be OF any service to New York, while
1t would be more digni1ed for him to tender his
resignation than to remain with the minority unit,