The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1842-06-24
BY THE SOUTHERN MAIL.
Washington.

Proceedings In Congress-Condition OF AZ
fairs-History OF the AppOrtionment BIZ
Position Of the Democrats towards thu
President.
The routine business of the Senate is very rarel
of much public importance, but this morning it wa
more uninteresting than usual. There were peti
tons, memorials, and remonstrances-then came
joint rule respecting the action of Congress on pr
vate bills, and after that the army appropriation b
was taken up and is under discussion.
| In tue House. there was the Virginia bounty lant
bill, and then the tariff The day is excessively hot
and sort of languor has crept over the pollhca
world at the east end of the avenue, well as ovel
| the face of nature.
| The condition Of affairs in Congress is more ex
raordlnary than at any former period since the ac-
| cession of the wing party. The developments are
getting to be more rich and redundant every day
| Washington has become the school for the science
of the philosophy of politics. and shrewd prophet
is but the mere historian OF weeks advance of the
events, so and certain do they follow his pre-
dctions. Time has already brought into full view
what was few days ago sketched as only dimly
seen in the future. The apportionment bill has pre-
cpitated the crisis and almost open war now RACES
among the contending parties The history of that
bill is political curiosity, and of itself reveals and
illustrates the entire story Of the session. the state of
parties here, and the great probabilities Of the f-
| ture.
This bin originated in the House, and as il con-
cerned that body and not the Senate, common
courtesy, not less than sound principle, seemed to
render it one of those matters in which the House
| ought mainly to decide But not so thought the
Senate, which has grown jealous of the House. and
fearing it would be less subservient if enlarged; at
the same time anxious 10 cast from themselves upon
the House that merited odium in the public mind
now existing against Congress, they resolved TO
seize upon this occasion to carry out their purpose
Accordingly, the Senate in the most insulting man.
ner, amend the bill in those very points in which
the House had taken its ground most deliberately
and decidedly. Thus amended, II was returned to
the House, when, in very firm and proper manner
the House asserted its own dignity and rights by
prompt and large rejection Of the offensive amend
ment.
To the ninitiated the affair seemed now at an end
and that the House had only to renew its BILL when
the Senate must and would yield, as a matter of
course. And such would have been the result, had
not the great leaders of this movement found it, OF
thought il, necessary 10 lay aside the mask, and
make a bold demonstration on the public mind -
This done, and in two short days. TO the amaze
ment Of all. The House recede from their homo
rabe position, and ingloriously yield an AFFECT sub
mission to the Senate. Thus admitting themselves
to be, what in the Senate they were charged with
being, an unstable and tumultuous mob, without or
der or the sense of even their own dignity, and who
would only be fitted to FIJI their places by reduc-
ton of their numbers. This performance is one OF
the finest specimens of true political egerdemain on
record. But few here even now understand it, and
nothing can be more amusing than the growing and
indignant amazement Of those honest and pure
members of the House, who find themselves to have
been so grossly deceived and degraded, and YET
unable to comprehend why or how il has been done
Let us try ii we cannot disclose some of the mo-
tlves well as the modus operandi.
IL is necessary to go back to the position of par
ties and their leaders, in order to understand the
motives and ends of this movement and how ii
that cr,dd onduc - hx,v
this most obnoxious apporiionment bill, which nc
one human being likes ii is, and would not like
better in any other form, and whose constitutional
y the soundest men deny, should have become the
House to which II was an insult and reproach,
stigma and shame. Let us see, then, how these
factions and their leaders stand, and what commons
object they could have had in thus combining their
entire and discordant forces, on the sober excep
ions, upon so .odious measure, winch It was
known the President did not approve, and which al
most every Van Buren, man In Congress opposed
If we can discover that this scheme of apportion-
ment is calculated to defeat the nomination of Mr.
Tyler or Mr. Van Buren, as the democratic candi-
date in 1874 and to wea ken their force in that par
% we shall have its true
tons may serve to e!ucidate the mystery.
Ever since. Mr.. Tyler became President, the
Van Buren, democrats, both in and out of Con-
ton with certain degree Of candor and jus
tice In state was there open and honor
able applause bestowed upon his vetoes as the
democratic press and people of New York rendered
on that occasion, from the ocean TO the lakes. The
same feeling pervades the entire mass OF the demo-
cracy of the Union, and would have equally exh
hed itself, had not the other leaders OF that party
been seized with sudden jealousy Of Mr.. Tyler
and suppressed its manifestation as far as possible
The Van Buren, leaders have been more generous
and show an open readiness to cooperate with
the administration whenever the President should
disengage himself from the false embraces of the
wings, while the others have embarrassed its APP
proach to the democratic line, and forced it to main
tain that equvocal and entanglmg alliance with
portion OF the wings, which has so much perplexed
its action, but which events have now made i'm
impracicabe for longer period. In other
words, they had too much sagacity, to say no.
thing of generosity, to oppose Mr.. Tyler
mocratic cause, and he was willing and anxious to
be sustained in his administration by the republican
party, and to carry out their principles rapidly
it could be done with a due regard to the circum-
by his acts, could make himself the best candidate
for the party in 1874 he had perfect right to do So
and they had no right to prevent IL and would not
lend themselves to hinder it.. The other leaders
to urge Mr. Tyler to injure the wings, and then 10
ruin him for they feared his popularity would eclipse
their own, if he became identified with'the party.
And hence, too, these leaders and Mr.. Clay had
Tyler, and preventing junction between the de-
mocracy and his administration. To keep Mr..
Tyler and the democracy asunder has been the mu-
ual aim of Mr.. Clay and a portion of the demo-
cratic leaders, and hence he has been forced for the
last year, by their Joint Vaccinations TO hold false
and bad political position before the country.
This brings us to the consideration of the paricu-
lar attitude and interest Of these factions in this
marvellous apportonment bill. But the history has
already so far extended itself that the remainder
must be deferred until tomorrow.
WASHINGTON, Wednesday evening.
Army Bill-Thc neutrality-suspicious. with
England.