The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1859-03-26
The Congressional Minority-A banning Ac'


hardly seem rs though Democratic organs
could with any show of reason find any cause
of complaint against those in the minority,
for the " defeat Of measures recommended
by the Administration" But all expecta-
tons based on Democratic fairness, we are
forced to say, end in dc!usion. The latest
instance Of an attempt to hold the minority
of the last Congress responsible for the
delinquencies of the majority, We find in the
Des Moines Journal. Our readers will rec
oIlect that the Democratic Senate of the
las. Congress passed an Appropriation BIZ
for tue benefit of the Post Office Depart
ment, coupled with such odious alterations
of the system, that the House, (also Demo-
cratic) could not, and would not give it Vi
tally, aud both Houses adjourned without
voting any supplies for the postal service.
For this " criminal neglect Of the pubic
interests for this defeat Of g measures
recommended by the administration '-tor
this s. national calamity p for this " de-
featins (of } an appropriation which is 'ndls-
pensible to the operations of government, p
the Des Moincs Journal very coolly and
graveIv informs its readers, the Republican
party is responsible, and that the journals
Of the two Houses of Congress will soon
vict the Republican party of as damn'ns an
act of treachery as any recorded in h:story.'
Now, while we do not wish to find fault
with our Capitol contemporary, for wishing
to chastise the deinqucnts for failing to
provide supplies for the postal service, yet,
we must object to his endcnvorng to shift
the responsibility from the majority to the
minority partlzans of the last House-from
the Democrats to the Republicans. The
failure to provide for the postal service, is
chargabe to the Democratic majority OF
Congress, and not to the Republican minori
ty, and, while we are pleased to see Demo
Gratis ashamed Of the acts of their brethren
at Washington, we object to their ventin.
their anathemas upon the heads of the Re-
publicans. The Journal is 1ioht in the
measure of its denunciatlons, but ,rrong
ia the application Of the same to the Repub-
Iican party. Apply the party lash to the
backs of the Democratic majority the
source from whence, Democratic organs
and orators have often assured Us, all
wholesome legislation has ever been derived
and YOU vii! be doing the country some
service.
But, that there may be no further qucs-
ton IS to where the responsibility belongs,
we publish the following irrcfutable facts
from the N. Y. Tribune, in reply to the
Herald. The Washington correspondent
of the Herald pu. forth tho following in
regard to the defeat of the Pos.olfce appro-
priation bill
"Thc misery to which contractors will be
subjected by the failure on the part of the
Government to meet its engagement, is
incaculable, and the damages which they
will be entitled to will amount to millions.
All this can be charged to Mr.. Grows
movement in the House on Friday night, in
sending an insulting message to the Senate,
and, doubtless, with view to forcing an
extra session. Grow is II prominent Repub-
lican candidate for Speaker
To which statement the Tribune replies
as follows:
Let us make the truth in opposition to
this statement so plain that no one, hereaf-
ter, can honestly repeat the above, or any
other story which implies that the faul,
WAS with the House, with the Republicans,
or with Mr.. Grow. The following are the
material facts, in the order Of their occur
renee:
!. The Senate, Feb. Goth, passed the
Post Office Appropriation bill.
2. The Senate, at nearly the same time,
passed what is called the Post Route bill.
providing for new Mail Routes. On this
bill the Pro Slavery majority, outvoting tn
Republicans, engraftcd u provision raising
the rates of postage some seventy per cent
on letters, and to Il far greater extent on
newspapers.
3. The House also passed the Post Office
Appropriation bill, with certain unohivc-
tional amendments, which sent the bill back
w tl!C CcDhtc ltl
4. The Pro- Slavery ma ority of the SEN
ate, intent on cocrcing the House into
agreeing to raise the Rates Of Postnge-no-
toriously bitter pill to IL majority Of the
more popular branch-now proceeded to
engrnft the postage raising provision On the
Appropriation as we'll as the Post Route
bill, calculating that, though the House
might be wiling to let the Post-Route bill
fail, it would not venture to defeat the Ap-
preparation bill. The vote Of the Senate hv
which this screw was applied was barely %
to 2S-evcry Republican anon. the Nays,
Of course.
5. The bill was now returned to the
House with this new rider, which WAS in
effect notice from the bnrcst majority Of
the Senate "Rnise the Rates of Postage
or we will defeat the Post 0 flicc Approprip
ton hjll.' The House, thus challenged,
met the issue with becoming spirit. The
Federal Constitution art. |, : y says:
" All bills Tor raising rcvenuc shall originate in lie
House Of Representatives.; but the Senate Nay y.u-
pose or concur with amendments as in other bills"
On the reappearance of this bill, Mr..
Grow of Pa, at once raised the point that
the Senate had exceeded its Constitutional
proroga i've by thus Transforming into bill
to raise Revenue one which originally had
no such purpose or character. If this may
be legally done, the Constitutional inhibition
above quoted becomes a'shcer nul!ity. lie
moved that the bill be returned to the Sem
ate with respectful message setting forth
the objections Of the House to entertain it
in its present form. The Speaker ruled
this proposition in order, and the House
sustained it by the heavy majority of III
to g. So the bill was returned to the Sen
ate, which resolved to adhere to its amend
ment, though it defeated the bill.
6. To avert the loss Of the Post Office
Appropriation bill, conference was propo-
sed and agreed to. The Conference Com
mlttee accordingly met, and decided to re-
port new bill which was the original Ap-
preparation bal cractly as it first passed the
Senate. The House, on motion Of Mr..
Lctcher, suspended its rules and passed this
bill through every stage without opposition
Undoubtedly, a majority of the Senate
would have followed the lead of its conferees
and done the same thing. But Toombs of
Georgia, Bayard Of Delaware, and Mason O
Firglnla-all Slave Observation-Disclosures
and thus brought the bill to q dead halt,
They considered the action Of their confer
ees derogatorv to the dignity of the Senate
The rules of the Senate rendered such