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DESPATCH OF BUSINESS AT WASHINGTON. the Uirited States
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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We already mortgaged to the Bank for eight millions , so that in fact the scheme would do little more than shift the debt from one direction to another ; but it would place in the hands of the Court money enough to commence a fresh war on a large scale . The Austrian Government appears to place immense reliance on the success of the Jesuit intrigues against the Emperor of the French , and also calculates upon being assisted by Bavaria and the whole of South Germany . To English eyes all this looks
so foolish , that it would be incredible , if one single action could be discovered that indicated a just perception of the difficulties of the Austrian Empire , and an intention of meeting them by fair and reasonable means . Eussia will object , strongly to the operations in Hungary , which are sure to be the result of a new conflict with France . But the Czar has not yet got over his difficulties in emancipating the serfs , and before that is accomplished any important military enterprise would be extremely hazardous . determined not
There can be no doubt that Count Cavour is to rest satisfied with an indefensible frontier , and the alarming presence of an immense mass of Austrian troops in Mantua , Verona , and Yenetia ; but he will assuredly use every exertion to throw the onus of renewing the struggle upon the Austrians and make them the first parties to break the unsatisfactory peace established by the Treaty of Zurich . The French Government may be " desirous of peace , but it cannot allow the Jesuit conspiracy to run its evil course unchecked ; and it had better incur the expense of three months' more victory over the Austrians , than tolerate the prolongation of the inquietude which must exist uiitil the Italian question is definitely .-settled ; , or , at least , finaUy handed over to the Italians themselves , with security against the intervention of any foreign power .
The South German potentates are exceedingly jealous of Prussia , and find a zealous leader in the King of Bavaria , who cordially hates his more powerful rival , and dreads the plain tendency of events to depress Austria and her adherents , and make Prussia ' the acknowledged head of Germany . It is * no doubt , a portion of the Austro-Jesuit scheme , to force Prussia and North Germany into a war with France on behalf of Francis Joseph and the pope ; but the German confederation doesnot bind one state to defend another , if that other plunges recklessly and without the sanction of the Diet into war ; and unless the Prussian Court loses its wits it will find means of protecting its own interests , without obstructing any military operations which would become necessary for France if a fresh war should occur ; provided always that the French Emperor should neither in Savoy , nor elsewhere , manifest a desire to enlarge liis territories at the
expense of European interests . We can easily imagine that Austria will receive the strongest recommendations from every power not in the hands of Jesuits , to retrace her suicidal career ; bat we saw last year , in the invasi on of Sardinia , how hopeless it is to offer good counsel to an infatuated despotism , and it seems the determination of the Court of Vienna to play the paffc of a ruined gamester , and stake its existence upon one mad and desperate throw .
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TH E regular session ot U uongress commences on the first Monday in December , terminates every second year in the first week of March , and in the other , or first of its existence , whensoever it pleases tlie two houses to adjourn . It is seldom prolonged beyond the end of May , notwithstanding the inducement which the " compensation" offers to the needier members , on nccoiint of the absolute necessity imposed upon them of devoting some months to party work at homo . If , however , the system adopted by the thirty-sixth Congress is to be regarded as a precedent , the session must be lengthened , or the Federal attributes lessened . That Congress met . as usual , * * . * ' ^ ^ . _ . _
in the beginning of December , 1859 , and its most important branch had not commenced business on the 31 st of January , 1800 . Two months put of the five this year allowed it for lawmaking and money-voting have been consumed by tho House of Representatives in what is facetiously termed organisation . This painful labour is represented by the last advices as approaching 1 its termination ; and it is not improbable that by the time these lines are in the hands of our readers , wo shall have learned that
some time in the first week of February a Speaker and Clerk were elected , and that the House has settled down to such necessary preliminary business ns the examination of contested returns . Assuming ' that these expectations are not disappointed , less than three months will remain for the accomplishment of the work , which generally ocoupies about twice that time * How it will bo done , if done ut all , cannot be doubtful . If the members have had their fill of oratory , and ore disposed to get over the < Uy business ns quickly as possible , they will necessarily do it in on imperfect and perfunctory manner j but the probability is that they
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will pay no attention whatever to any proposals for iiew laws which may be made to them , and will concentrate their attention upon the appropriation bills . Poor Mr . Buciianax will find his recommendations even more contemptuously disregarded than they were last year . He . " will not obtain the law authorising him "to employ a sufficient military foi-ce to enter Mexico , for the purpose of obtaining indemnity for the past and security for the future . " Nor will he get the power for which he pleads so strongly , of employing the navarforces of the State , according to his own pleasure , in the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific . He will not even Obtain the recognition by Congress of the expediency of purchasing Cuba ; and it is very questionable whether he will get what is practically much . more important—the payment of his own salary—for to such a pretty pass haye matters come in this land of sharp business-men , that the public servants , and the public creditors , against whose claims no party raises an objection , cannot get the money due to them . - The House of Representatives , like our Lower House , has the privilege of initiating money bills . It is a sort of equivalent for the power possessed by the Senate of ratifying or cancelling treaties with foreign powers and diplomatic . appointments ; . Up to within a veiy recent period , the House of Representatives has shown alacrity , rather than tardiness * in this particular matter . It lias voted money away in a very extravagant manner ; but last year , for some reason or other , it did not pass the usual act making appropriations for the service of the post-office . The post-office of the United States , we should observe , does not yield any revenue ; on . "the . ' contrary , it is a lieavy tax on the Federal income—thje deficiency to be supplied from that source being , for the year ending 30 th June ; 1859 ; just seven million dollars ; whilst for the current year it is estimated iit about six millions . The consequences of this failure to supply the funds required by this important department may be readily conceived . The authorities of the post-office managed , by means of balances in their hands , and the patience of the mail contractors , to tide round to December , expecting then to obtain an appropriation for the past year from tlie new Congress ; but this expectation has been , of course , disappointed , and the embarrassment of the officials is represented as extreme ; whilst several of the persons to whom irioney is due on contracts are suffering very , severely . The other appropriation bills , for the army , navy , judiciary , &c . were duly passed in that session ; but how will it be in the present ? The House has barely three months in which to take up the old post-office appropriation and the new one , together with those for tlie army and navy—the latter generally exciting considerable discussion—the judiciary , and Federal government . These bills must also pass through the Senate , which has for the last two months been sitting in solemn idleness , its own special business not being sufficient to take up its time ; and its members , although great contributors to the immense stock of Buncombe orations , which enriches the literature of the United States , are not sufficient in mere respect of numbers to keep up lively debates upon points of order . We do not see any possibility of this absolutely necessary business being got over by the end of Hay . Should such be the case , the President must call an extra session—a step peculiar reasons prevented him from taking last year ; and as the members are not paid for t heir attendance at an extra session called for such a purpose , the number present will be small , and the business hurried over in a , slovenly manner . . In any case , no new legislation , however urgent niay be the necessity for it , can be . expected . This is not a very pleasant picture of democratic institutions ; but the evil is , after all , not so bad as , it seems . It is . discreditable to a great nation to have its central legislature the sdenc of a contemptible struggle for place , to which all the interests of the nation are sacrificed . It is disgraceful to-it that this struggle should be marked by incidents to be only expected in a pot-house or penny concert-rooni , and that the men who are nominally selected by their fellow-citizens for their pre-eminent ability and high character should display less courtesy , consideration and iutelligence tlinn might bo eolculated upon from an assembly of London costdrmongers . It must bo exceedingly embarrassing to all the Federal servants and creditors to be kept out of' their salaries and claims , and the general interests of the whole people nmst suffer , so fur os Federal misgavcrnment cam affect thorn . Fortunately , however , the powers of the Federal Government arc comparatively limited in their influence upon the homo concerns of the people . Bach state still retains perfect control over its own citrous , makes its own laws , and manages its own business . The Fodoml Government is tho representative of the nation to other powers ; but beyond its action in this respect , its power of peace and war , its control over tho army and navy , its regulation of tho tariff , and its right to govern tho territories , it is nothing , and coch separate state is nil in all to itself , Tho ( rumors of the constitution , and tho great American statesmen who amondod
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154 The Leader mid Saturday Analyst . [ Feb . 18 , 1860 .
Despatch Of Business At Washington. The Uirited States
the intett states DESPATCH OF BUSINESS AT WASHINGTON . M WP » V rt " ¦ TT T * * A f * i i A _ ' ^^* l - - - ~ - _ . _ -. _ -.- ~* -L *
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), Feb. 18, 1860, page 154, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2334/page/6/
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