Democratic Sentinel, Volume 15, Number 8, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 March 1891 — A PARTISAN CONGRESS. [ARTICLE]

A PARTISAN CONGRESS.

In a recent interview Hon. Benton McMillen, of Tennessee, thus rehearsed s few of the iniquities of the late partisan aud proflgate Congress : It is the most remarkable in the history of the Oovernment. It overrode every precedent of congressional parliamentary law* Its practices were as bad as its prin ci ties. The Speaker exeroised authority never claimed to exist or exercised by any of his predecessors. When a quorum did not see tit to vote, he counted a quorum. Thus laws were enacted without the participation of those on whose votes they depended. In this way many of the most important measures were pat through. Instead of reducing the tariff they raised it. True fifty odd millions was taken off sugar, but sixty odd put on other things. The tariff is made prohibitory on m ny things. The average per cent, was raised from forty odd to more than sixty per oent. Enormous duties were added to tbe neoessarios of life and less to the luxuries.— But the repeal of the tax on sugar was aooompauied by a bounty paid directly out of he treasury to the producers of sugar. Bounties or subsidies are also provided for certain vessels carrying our mails. “The direct tax colleeted more than & quarter of a century ago was returned, amounting to some $17,000,000. Many of those who paid it when the States did not assume it are dead or can never be found. As well attempt to find tho several pints of water in the Gnlf of Mexico which flowed out of the Ohio in 1861-65. Much of the money returned goes to agents mrthering these claims. Such wanton extravagance was never before seen in any Congress as has characterized this. The prodigal son was parsimonious when compared to the Fifty-first Congress. As near as can be ascertained at this time, without a careful investigation of all the bills passed, the expenditures of the last session of this Congress amounts to $547, 000,000. Of course this includes the per m rnent appropriations. The expenditures of the Fifty-first Congress, when Republicans held the House, will aggiegate $150,000,0tt0 more than those of the Fiftieth Congress, when Democrats had the Hoase. A Democratic administration left a hundred millions surpms after making immense purchases of bonds. The Republicans have squandered the surplus and brought the country face to i ace with a deficiency. Nor Is hisiall, nor the worst. What was done was nothing when compared with what was attempted. “For a hundred years the people had elected their own Representatives in Congress according to their own 1 aws. An effor was made to ohange this; to take the election of congressmen from the people and State officers and turn it over to the Federal oouits and Federal power. Through the force bill it was proposed to turn the legislative branch of the Government over to the judicial. The elections were to be taken away from the people and placed in the hands of officers appointed for life; so that if the people complained they could not make their complaints pot nt. With the law in foroe the people might curse or cry, whichever suited their temper best, but they could get no relief. A bayonet placed behind every ballot was the boast of the advocates of force. But by the most magnificent battle ever fought in a 1 gislative body in this country the force bill was beaten and the tools of oppression were told that the bayonet was hot wanted at the ballot- ' box. ”