Baltimore daily commercial. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1865-1867, 1866-03-08
CONGRESS-THE PRACTICAL AND THE
REVERSE,

REVERSE.
The British Parliament is at present deeply
engaged with plans to stop that immediate,
substantial evil, the "cattle plague;n our Con
gresS, less practical and considerable, with
schemes to prevent, if possible, party ascen-
dancy from escaping its grasp-quite differ
ence. The peculiar supporters Of Congress
in all this seem to think it quite hard that that
body, in all its course. cannot be more readily
and fully endorsed, when through the best
part of session they have neglected the most
pressing calls for needed legislation, to discuss
distractions calculated only to unsettle public
sentiment and still further divide the nation
Had they initiated the practical people across
the water-we repeat-where Parliament less
exercised over the Fenan troubles-great as
they are-than the devastations of the erin
DEEPEST" celebrates concerning means to
cure the latter because it menaces their means
of living, they would have hit it; but no. neg
lecting the weightier matters first, the great
financial, mercantile and manufacturing inter
ests, matters as vital to our people at the close
of a great war as the food question in England,
they are once more instead, as much exercised
over their own chances of rule. and the re-
motely contingent wrongs of the colored race,
as they have been similarly in every Congress
for twenty years past; devoting their invaluable
time almost exclusively to the negro, and
recklessly careless of the wants and remon-
strances of thirty millions of white people.
We are tired of contemplating all this, of see
u, ! al
for any single class. And yet, when Congress
shows itself so derelict, its supporters are
found wondering that those whose every in
terest is left to suffer, do not applaud and sus-
tain that body for such gross and continued
neglect and wrong doing. And TO show that
as Unionists we are not alone in the belief
that the leaders at Washington deserve severe
censure for their continued political agitation.
their gross neglect of the public interests, we
would commend to the attention of our readers
a paragraph from the Philadelphia North
American, hitherto recognized as one Of the
staunchest and ablest Of the Republican or
gans. 1t says:
This agitation has already arrested COM
'pletely the splendid prosperity of the country
(which had set in upon the close of the war,
''and the stagnation must grow worse in It's
Consequences the longer the crisis shall be
s'protracted. The public mind is becoming
"mGch excited on the subject, the general
''pacifc disposition following the close OF The
F'war has been. disturbed, and progress Of
''business comp lletely arrested. In the inter
"ests of all who To-! for subsistence, Of all
"who manufacture. or .rade, or buy, or sell.
cor transport, we earnestly appeal to the
DEMONSTRATION Committee to close up its
"labors, perfect it's whole programme, and
"endeayor to present some plan Of arrange
''ment that shall be satisfactory to the country"
These are wcighty suggestions in the interests
of peace and harmony, but who supposes that
Congress will at all heed them; who does not
see from what has transpired within the pas
two or three days, that the radical leaders are
as memorable as ever, and that the troubles
existing are by their proposed action to he
aggravated.
We cannot believe we are wrong in taking
the same view Of ihe case with that Of our
contemporary, as quoted, and it is the duty OF
the press never to cease calling the attention
of the people to these misdoings at Washing
ton, until the country is by the voice of the
masses, rescued from the paralyzng influence
Of men so recklessy selfish in their treatment
of public affairs.
The journal l,arn a"nf~A tho. Natl
Ameracan-ls not less decided in its condemna-
ton OF that trifling with Tennessee which has
been exhibited on the application of loyal
men from that State for admission into Con
gress. 1t says:
ut seems to US unwise to ignore the record
''of such men lStokes and Maynard and
''turn aside to pick out the troublesome Ian
''guage of some wayside newspaper, of little
Influence and less sense; or the vehement
''maEgnancy Of some chagrined rebel, vet
''smartlng under his own losses. If we pur-
''sue such a policy, reconstruction must be-
come an impossibility. We cannot, under
ANY circumstances have more favorable
ease presented to us than that of Tennessee.
land II we cannot readmit State with such
"a record, we may as well make up our minds
Ito permanent fight, in Congress and out Of
lit on this question of reconstruction. If we
''want the rebel States loyalized, here is one
''of them done to hand for us better than it
''could be by any new process, and it is our
'duty to acceptit it,
This is the right sort Of counsel, and il only
needs right movement on the part of the
people to bring these trifers with the dearest
interests of the nation to their proper senses.
So confident are the American people in their
ultimate power to correct public evils, when
worst comes to worst, that they are far too
prone to neglect their own duty in the premises.
Too deeply engaged with private matters for
gotten or neglected whilst the war lasted. to
watch as they should do the actions of their
public servants, they are prone to trust them
too deeply, to conclude that somehow without
their individual aid, matters will 60 along well
enough
But the proof is apparent that at last they
are beginning to realize the injustice done
them, and that they are determined to express
their sense of it. All over the land public
meetings are being held, which directly sus-
tanning the President, implicitly rebuke the
Congressional leaders,
MEETING TO SUSTAIN THE PRESIDENT.
Correspondence Of the Commercial.l
OAKLAND, ALLEGANY COUNTY, MD,
March ID, 1861