Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1863-12-12
From the New York World. Dec. sth.l

nv Oh6ou'AubiOh VI thO llOueeo
The House of Representatives organized
yesterday With but little delay, by the election
Of Mr.. Colfax. To-day Congress will doubt
less receive the Presidents ANIMAL message,
and Tomorrow proceed 10 business.
II is the settled purpose OF the Abolition ma.
lignants to cover with odium every public man
who Is too independent to wear their collar and
come at their whistle. Hon. Emerson Etheridge
the clerk of the last House, had the repidiIy
some time laet summer, to write letter iI
which he handled the hypocrltiosl emancipa-
tionists with diytr!iug but pitlless ridicule.-
They will, OF course, never forgive him. The
Washington dispatches 10 their newspapers have
seemed, for the last few days, with indignant
surmises and opened charges that Mr.. Etheridge
had planned, and was about to perpe!rate, q
fraud for excluding Republican members from
their seats, and giving the organ Ii tion Of the
House to their opponents. Congress saw Rt,
in March last, to pass an act purportiug to Sc
cure more exact attention TO the authentca-
tion of the credentials OF members on the meet
Ing CT new Congress, and imposed upon the
clerk Of the expiring Congress the duty of car
rylng out their intention.
The covert purpose Of that act Is 80 apparen,
upon its face. The radical members then fear.
ed thai the result of the coming elections
would be sgainsv them, and thai they might
lose co1trol of the House. Fearing, too, that
as our armies p;ogr essed and restored TO the
Union parts of States, the electors of this OF
that congressional district might hold elections
and send Uuion men to Congres, who we're mol
Aoolitionlsts, they passed the law under which
Mr. Etheridge has acted, which law requires
that the credentials OF members shall have the
aushentication Of the State eficers and be 10
accordance with State lave. By thus making
the admission of representative depend upon
State authority, which Of ooutse would be oon-
trolled, in the case of any recovered State
from Washington, the radicals hoped at or 90 iC
keep control Of majority In the House, II the
elections showed that il was necessary to have
representatives from Sout1efn States, and al
the came time to remove ell impediments to the
State suicide doctrine, If that should be their
only hope. The pit which these men digged
for their enemies inconveniently yawned under
their own feet yesterday.
Mr.. E!heridge, of course, whatever the real
or secret purpose Of the act, had to make oul
the roll Of members 10 ctr ct acc rdance with
Its provisions. IL is this act Of fidelity which
has furnished the pretext for the hullab aloe o.
the last few days II the blind partisan legis
lation OF the last Congress overshot the mark
that was no fault OF his. No course was oper
TO him but to follow the Obvious Interpretation
Of the law, his action being subject TO revision
BY the assembled members. Nothing could be
more fair and reasonable In itself, or could
evince more delicate confederation for The
Houss, than to leave points where the sricl
letter of the law might require more liberal
construction, for the decision OF the body whose
rights and dignity were affected. This is whal
Mr.. Etherldge actually did, and every reader
OF the preliminary proceedings yesterday mus
bear witness to the Difference with which b,
treated the decision OF the House. So thi.
Abolition mares nest turns out to be as emp.,
as most Of tie cslumnies ooncocted BY thea
apostles Of "great moral ideas"
The opposition evinced both fairness and %
gacity IN taking no advantage of the act IL
question. IL would have been party misfor.
tune II by doing 20 the real minority could hav,
been charged plausioly with the Legislation o
an irresponsible majority. The opposition
though In minority, 10 large enough 70 accom-
plish every thing except Of affirmative legislatiou
IL oouli have accomplished poIhing more If |
had obtained the organic zion Of the House. II
junction Will be 20 check the worst legi slatio
and expose the rseklng oorrnptiols ., frauds, an
wasteiul expenditures Of the Administration
Such exposures the possession VI the organic,
sion will enable ths majority to hinder, bus nc
Psosene -a nHF .UH .l