The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1864-02-16


circles by the rise 10 gold bas the holders Of merchan.
disc generally manifested Increased hrmness 10 their
business negotiations Groceries wore held very Grm.
Cotton was about aeady. Petroleum very Grm for
standard Oil. On Change the downward tendency OF
dour and wheat noticed duriog the closing part OF last
week was arrested by tho upward turn OF gold, and
shipping grades OF aour tribe better Ccrn which
has TO be the shuttecock OF specuaor improve.
Sc. &C Hog products maintained their arm ..s,. and
sellers had the advantage Whiskey ,rro,u,o,
but rather armer. Ffeghts were shade easisr with
moro doing At the concession
me Vps'osittOa I'm Congress-What It IL
and What IL Might Be.
The opposition party in Congress is weak
and contemplate, when it might be strong in
influence and respected for its strength The
materials OF which it Is composed, destitute OF
| any bond or element Of cohesion. are discord-
ant and clashing, when, upon the common basis
of great principles they might be united and
harmonious They are cropping about among
the rubbish Of the old democratic party for the
materials Of . platform. when that party is dead
and decomposed, and poisons the air with its
noxious exhalations. The would-be leaders Of
| this opposition party, in pushing their blind
hostility to the adminismat alton to the extremity
Of apologists and adherents OF the rebellion
bave become objects Of public derision, when,
by wiser course, they might have commanded o
powerful measure Of public confidence. In en-
deavoring to cripple our armies and suspend
the war, in order to break down the admins.
| tration. they have themselves been broken
down. when, by periodically supporting the
war, and vigorously exposing the blunders and
shortcomings Of the administration, their way
was open to the next Presidency,
In the matter OF statesmen and statesmanship
the Congress Of the United States has sadly
degenerated ia these latter days. Since poor
| Pierce came in our statesmen have gone out,
until they have been completely superseded by
noisy, sballow-brained and inscriptions poll
ticians. But II the counsels and the policy of the
administration are guided by a miserable class
Of such men, the opposition fragments are di-
reoted BY housing politicians Of still smaller
calibre Take, for instance, the delegation ia
the House from tbi, imperial city. Was there
evc, from the bargains Of Tammanv and Mo-
| Fart, such deplorable set OF. small potatoes
| Fernando Wood towers like o giant among
them. and yet he in his Quaker garments Of
| peace, appears only in the character of a most
| unfortunate budoon Ben Wood is seldom In
his place, even to vote being, perhaps, too
busy with some lottery policy to attend to any.
thing connected With the policy Of the govern
mont Jane, Brooks is indeed melancholy
man, and 6t only to represent the New York
Express. As for Chanler, it would appear that
he is utterly ignorant evea Of the rules Of the
House; for when be rises to speak it il only to
be called to order IL it possible that this
groat city can do 90 better than this Let our
fellow citizens ponder upoa this question ia
view Of the next Congress
| AT present, 10 order 10 exhibit in bold relief
the paltry, blupderiog aud despicable chsrac.
ter Of the course pursued by the opposition
ctiques In Congress. We have only TO contrast it
| with the broad, sound aud sagacicus policy
| pursued by the opposition 10 the FRENCH Legis-
lature to some OF the leading measures Of Louis
Napoleon. Take. for example, the late speech
| Of M. Theirs il the Chamber OF Deputies against
the Mexican enterprise Of the Emperor. Dr.
| Theirs. like great statesman as he is accepts
| the empire as dxed fact recognizes Napoleon
| as the Legitimate head Of bis government, but,
| with unanswerable facts aud reasons. stands
boldly forth 10 opposition to this imperial Next
| can adventure. Thus single man. with truth,
| iastice and sound policy on his side. has won
for the little opposition party ia the French
Legislature the admiration OF the civilized
world. and response from the public sent-
meot Of France which cannot be safely disre-
garded by Napoleon eveo with his obedent
army Of half o million Of men at bis back. But
suppose N. Theirs bad denounced Napoleon az
. Usurper, and declared the Orleanist refugees
the only rishtful claimants to the throne Of
France, what would have followed Monsieur
Theirs wsuld have been DENOUNCED by oil par
ties in France as az IDIOT or a. o dangerous dis
organizer, unfit to represent any branch Of The
opposition element Ia the legislative councils
Of the nation. And yet this idiotic and disor.
ganzing course Of hostility to the existing
Legitimate administration OF our government 10
the very course which tue opposition elements
ct Washington have adopted and are blindly
pursuing in order to wrcst from President Lin
coin and bis party the reins Of power.
Wo would admonish these stupid politicians
to study tho instructions delivered from their
constituents 10 the elections OF 1868 throughout.
the loyal States and to compare them with the
issues and the results OF the elections OF 1862,
The Northern democracy, upon thclr platform
Of vigorous pcosecplion or The war, and with
their earnest rcmoostraocea against Tho foIIies
and bIvndcsa Of INC adinIoistrstiob IL M con