Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1859-03-26

influence in deciding the President against an
extra session Of Congressf For Congress to
be Unexpectedly assembled, and catch any
department of the Government in the "fx''
in which the Post Office Department is now
shown and admitted to be, would have been
ugly business, and most damaging to the
party. But, if before the meeting of Con-
gress, and between now and December, the
unnecessary expenditures" of the public
money, which have hitherto been practised,
can be done away with, and the abuses which
have hitherto existed can be in great
measure reformed, why, then the Democratic
organs, one and all, can cry out, that, If this
waste of the public money, and these abuses
,rsre practiced by Demoerats for a number of
years, they were reformed hy Democrats before
they were brought to the knowledge of Con-
gress, and without any Opposition help what
ever "
While it was yet in doubt whether there
would he called session or not, the Wash
ington correspondent of the Charleston Our
ier wrote as follows:
six of the Cabinet are srenuously opposed
TO calling an extra session. and some of them
threw out the idea that they would not re-
main. in office if the extra session should be
called. They have the opinion that the
Democtatic party will be greatly injured by
the measure, and that it will certainly ensure
n Black Republican organization of the
House for the whoietcr of the next Con-
gross. They are probably right in their con-
yictiun But, even if Congress does not
meet till the usual time-the first Monday in
Decemb, r the Opposition will probably have
a majority in the House, and effect its organ
ization with an Opposition Speaker, Clerk,
Committees, DC" -
Why, if the President had called an extra
session, could there not, and would there not.
have been special elections held in all the
States which have not yet elected their re-
representatives.? In 1871, Congress, under
call from the President, was convened in May,
and there was no difficulty about the matter
special elections, as in former cases, having
been held in all the States where they were
necessary. What was there to prevent the
same thing from being done now? Nothing!
The idea, therefore, that called session to
commence within ninety days, or even less
time, after the call was made, would have
necessarily caused any States to be unrepre-
scented at it, save only those of California and
Oregon must have been Ster prete1se, put
forward to cover up and conceal the real
motives which actuated the "six members OF
the Cabinet" in opposing the measure so vehe-
mrntIy. and which finally determined the
President against it. The damage" which
those opposing members of the Cabinet
thought the measure would do to "the party"
could not have been merely an apprehended
Republican organization of the House of
Representatives. 1t was the damage" no
doubt, which they knew would result to their
party" from further Investigations by the
House of Representatives, whether under
an Opposition or Democratic organization.
and especially under the former, should such
Investigations be entered into at an early day,
and before they had time to cut down some of
those unnecessary expenditures" and to re-
form some of those abuses, which it is now
admit, d have been practiscd. That, in our
opinion, is the secret of the strong and per-
sstent opposition to the measure by the "six
members of the Cabinet" and of the final de-
cision OF the President against it,