New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-08-15
ANOTHER CoNGREssIoNAL JOE.

the WIDE distinction between preoept ana
practice we should be amazed to find the
''party of great moral ideas SO extremely I'M
moral in its acts, In the same way, Ii we
did not know the Republican party to be
lIineally descended from the Puritans of New
| England we should be surprised to discover
THAT the ''party Of liberty perpetrates more
acts of despotism than all other parties COM
bined, and that the party of philanthropy
Iexhibits sanguinary vindictiveness which
would not have diseredited Caligula. Philip
IL asserted himself to be d monarch tele-
ment mild and debopndire," when he ordered
all the people of the Netherlands to be
burned at the stake Titus Oates proclaimed
himself genuine patriot when he fabricated
libels upon his countrymen and Fauquie1
Tinyille declared himself to be an amiable
and benevolent official when he handed
over his hundred victims per day tc
the public executioner. To judge from its
course there would be no great difficulty in
imagining that the Republican party had
studied closely the example of Philip II
There is q good deal of analogy between the
complaisancy with which the Spanish king
directed the roasting of all the Netherlanders,
and the GOODNESS with which the radicals de-
vote the Southern people to punishment and
destruction. The general theory is the same
in both cases. As with Philip, heretics were
born only to be broiled, for the deleotation of
their royal master and the greater glory of
God so, with the radicals, 'rebels" have no
rights which sloyal" men are bound to re-
spect. But, after all, there was something
grand about the character of Philip. If he
was tyrant he was sincere tyrant If he
was monster, he was an earnest monster.
But nothing of these redeeming qualities is to
be discovered in the character of the radicals.
They present the unique instance in history
of party which might be composed of Titus
0ateses and Fauquier TinvilIes, for to all the
meanness of the one, they add all the ferocity
of the other.
Such is f'the party of great moral ideas.
If anything more were needed to intensity the
odium which its vindictiveness and its tyranny
have brought upon ii, the unparalleled corrup-
ton which signalized its course at the last
session of Congress, would be sufficient for
the purpose. Of this we have already given
some illustrations. Another one is furnished
by the remarkable case of the so-called terri
tory Of Montana Some weeks ago the Presi-
dent had occasion to send to Congress mes
sage Yetoing a..bill entitled ';an act to enable
the New York and Montana iron mining and
company to purchase certain
amount of the public lands not now in mar
ket The objections to this BILL recited by
the President in his veto message, were CON
sidered undeniabIy sufficient. They exposed
the fact that it was an attempt to carve out of
the public domain an immense estate for the |
benefit Of private corporation, and that this
was proposed to be done almost without cost to
the spectators concerned, and in manner
that is without precedent contrary to all the
land laws, and discriminating unjEstly in
favor Of SPECTATORS against actual settlers and
pioneers seeking homes in our western terrific
ries.
It might have been supposed that the char
acter Of these objections would open the eyes
Of congressman to the enormity of the
swindle attempted, and would have precluded
not only the passage, but even the considera-
ion second time of this outrageous PROPOSE
ion The exposure of this job by the ex-
'cutiye was so whitening that no attempt was
made to obtain the two-thirds vote necessary
9 pass the bill notwithstanding the veto.
But the job was not to be so easily aban-
loned. A few days afterwards it was re-
lived and reyamped and repassed by Con-
ress, under the title Of San act erecting the
sIritory Of Montana into a surveying dis
riot and for other purposes These other
imposes, which formed in fact, the whole
list Of the bill, were almost literal copy of
he vetoed Montana bill, comforting exclusive,
MUST and unlawful privileges upon this
rivate company. There was no need that
[ontana should be made q new surveying
istFict. It is already included in one suffi-
ent for the wants of the territory. The only
urpose Of the proposition to appoint sur
eyors and receivers and registers there was
} introduce secoud time the odious Job
ready vetoed by the President, and to make
lese public officers, with salaries from the !
'deral government simply the favored agents |
q company Of private spectators
This artiice did not escape the vigilance Of
resident johnson II was promptly met by
lother veto. By great stretch of charity, e
Us the National Intelligeneer, it might be !
opposed that the true character Of the first !
4 was not discovered by senators and men, |,
rs Of Congress until exposed by the Presi-
nt's message but its passage second
ne, under a different title, is proof Of the
liberate persistence of Congress in an at
npt, with full knowledge Of its outrageous :
IS, to consummate foul wrong and infa- =
JUS fraud. The enormity Of this corrupt =
nsaction cannot be excused or palIiated. Z
cannot be commended that it happened
'ough any ignorance or inadYertence. The :,
ord Of Congress itself furnishes the proof "
1t 1t was done knowingly and deliberately 7
tn fraudulent intent and purpose This I
only one instance of the shameless corrup- =
a and the barefaced impudenee Of this
ngress in the reckless preparation Of out c,
yes upon the government, the laws, and the n
ople. IA
The vicksburg Herald of the 18th says there 81
s not been a single case of cholera in that F.
,, and that the general health was never i
tier. Il