OCR Text |
Show THE LEGISLATIVE - JUDICIAL AP-PHOPHLATION AP-PHOPHLATION STEAL. Deleijato Cannon on Tuesday received re-ceived a letter from Washington informing in-forming him that tho amendment in tho appropriation bill diverting tlie appropriation of $23,000 for the payment pay-ment of the salaries of the otticera nnd mom bora of the territorial legislature of Utah to tho ex-ponsea ex-ponsea of tho territorial courts, which he succeeded in having stricken out in tho committees of bath houses and in four conferenco committees, was finally restored by tho fifth committee com-mittee a short timo before the adjournment, ad-journment, and became- a law. At that lato hour there was no time to oxamino the bill, and no chance to amend it. Indeed tho wholo bill came very near failing between the two. houses, tho senate being ready at one time to let it be defeated, rather than ogreo to some of tho items insisted upon by the house; but tho opposing senators finally succumbed and the bill was passed, containing probably more than one item which economy and good judgment would not havo permitted in the present low state of the treasury and of business. busi-ness. Tho method in vogue ot postponing post-poning tho parage of the general appropriation ap-propriation bills till the hut hours of the session is a disgraceful one, which Bhculd not be tolerated by the public pub-lic and the honest representatives in congress. It shows an utter lack ot business system in the national legislature legis-lature which would bo discreditable to any private commercial establishment. establish-ment. It throws the most important transactions of congress into a state of confusion, and gives combinations of lobbyists and interested rings a for midablo power over the appropria- lions. It throws practically into the hands of the conference committees, sometimes composed of men who have not specially investigated the items to be acted upon, the whole legislative power of congres?, as neither house is willing to tukc the responsibility, at the last hour of a Bession, of defeating a general appropriation appro-priation bill. Ic is to be hoped that the 4-lth congress will institute some new rules in regard to the passage ol : the appropriation bills, whereby the disgraceful proceedings of tho last and previous sessions may bo avoided. It ii stated that few senators or members mem-bers on the last night of me recent session had the slightest idea of the condition of the bills they were voting on; and it has been discovered that several items slipped in surreptitiously without the knowledge of anybody on the iloor. It was in this way that the outrageous Utah legislative-judicial appropriation amendment was re-instated contrary to the vote of both houses, as a printed bill now before us shows. The increase uf the postage post-age on transient newspapers was also smuggled thiough in a similar manner. man-ner. No one knew anything of it until after the adjournment, and Postmaster Jewell was as much surprised sur-prised as any one when he discovered the fact. There is too much of this disgraceful, surreptitious legislation, and it cannot be too speedily stopped. As ft is well known that the 'territorial 'terri-torial legislature has not been in session ses-sion since the passage of the Poland bill, there could have been no default or that body in complying with its provisions, and satisfactory pledges were made to the appr. priation committees com-mittees of congress, that tho legislature legisla-ture at its next action would make the pmper appropriations. As the parlies in interest have, however, weecedtd in diverting the legislative appropriation towards the payment of the judicial expenses, the members of the legislature may feel inclined to let the managers of the courts look to ft aahmgton for their monev, even at the expense of their own diaries. i is Benerally understood that the terri-tonal terri-tonal judiciary, under its loose ex-tTaganimanaKemcnt, ex-tTaganimanaKemcnt, u largely in debt that (he fcouo stolen L:L the legislative appropriation will not : nearly balance Marshal Maxwell's Bueet, auu n is doubtful, nmcr lne ftrict construction of the department Of justice, by which the appropriation la to be dispensed, whether many ol the bills incurred will not bo thrown ut. It is to be hoped, however, that Corn understanding may be reached : between the territorial authorities and I Uw court by which this continued ' r-art to cam purposes and annoying ; Ucidnta may be aroided, eo that the' tfrtso Uw and justice may in 1 fratur be unimpeded. : |