What then is to be done to prevent these corruptions of
Congress and the State Legislatures ? One sees at once that
the principle is so to alter the machinery as to let in more light
everywhere, but it is probable that there is no plan which we
can suggest which has not occurred over and over again to the
Americans themselves; — ^plans either for letting in the light
be/ore the members get into these underground burrows of
(yommittee rooms, or when they have got there. In the first
case we would suggest that the bills in question should be
considered in a general way by a large general committee, as
in Fiunce, before being sent to the special committee, so that
when the bill was afterwards reported to the House there
would be a sufficient number of disinterested members with



AMERICA — RECONSTRUCTION. 333

some general knowledge of its character and merits to criticise
it intelligently. This might help a little ; but the natural solu-
tion would be to get rid of the illusion to begin with, that the
members of Congress are engaged in National Legislation in the
proper sense of the term. They are no more engaged in
national legislation than a County Court Judge is; they ai'e
really engaged in the judicial or semi-judicial sifting of
evidence, and in administrative recommendations or sug-
gestions. In order, therefore, to let the light fully in upon
the committee rooms they should be turned into judicial
chambers; and instead of a dozen or more members sitting
around a table admitting or rejecting evidence as they choose,
and giving to it just what weight they choose, let them sit as
a jury to hear the evidence on both sides, presented and argued
by opposing counsel as in any other Court of Law ; — with the
doors open, the Press looking on and reporting the proceedings
or not, as the case may be. This alone would go a long way in
keeping the Report on the bill in a line with the real weight of
the evidence, and for very decency would make members
pause. 