The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1866-08-02
@ II A r L e S TON.
THURSDAY MORNING, AUGUST 2, 1866.
TIE THIRTYNLNTH CONG REsS

pleased to terminate its session. We cannot
help thinking that if this event had trans
pired about six months ago, it would have
been very much better for the whole country.
This Congress has done very little if any
good, while its influence for evil has been
stupendous; and the American people will
be called upon, for many years to come, to
drain the bitter dregs Of this Congress-
brewing.
Tho world has not witnessed such an ex-
hibition of legislative ineptitude since the
days of the French National Assembly,
before the first NAPOLEON took charge of
those eccentric French gentlemen. In some
respects the "thirty-ninth" surpassed the
French oonclave, owing, doubtless, to the
superior light and knowledge of this present
age. They had blackguards In that BODY,
too, and unscrupulous villains, both as to their
political and private character; but still they
were Frenchmen, and preserved oortain de-
corum in their public sessions. They were
not quite up to the modern approved plan Of
getting rid of troublesome votes con the
left" by lifting them, out of their seats, and
supplying their places with good pliable
material. Nor do we read of affairs like that
between Rousseau and GRINNELL, to say
nothing of the incomparaol ole behaviour of
these "historic" legislators, on the reading of
the Presidents late messages to their body.
The French Assembly also, was decidedly
radical in its sampostion and tendency
not in favor Of moderate reforms, holding on
to what is good of the old institutions, and
improving thereupon. This is the case with
the "Rump" Congress, as some of the North
ern papers habitually call this august body.
They glory in their radical cognomen.
Abolition is the watohword. They are in
favor of changing everything. They have
proven themselves just as malignant and
bloodthirty against those who differ with
them as their revolutionary Parisian proto-
types, and just as reckless in their waste of
the public money. .e
The New York Times, in speaking on this
subject, makes some kind of an apology for
these mon who were elected two years ago to
aid the Administration in adopting energetic
measures for vigorous prosecution of the
war. In other words, it is q War Congress.
When peace was declared, these men were
oil out of their element, and should at once
have resigned. Of; the affairs of civil life
they ore ignorant We have been suspecting
this all along, though We never before saw it
80 clearly.
We knew Mr.. SUMNER was a perfect war
horse, and Mr.. WILSON and Mr.. WADE. In
the other House, we knew of Mr.. BANKS and
his brilliant military record. Mr.. GR1NNELL
we were not before acquainted with, but now
know him as doughty knight. Others we
could name, valiant On the floor, and derisive
to the President, whose feld.oharaoter might
not bear the test of close scrutiny. These
are the heroes of the "thirty-ninth," whose
'fery tempers and hot resentments," says the
Times, $50 we'll adapted to the first of these
great duties [carrying on the warl were in
themselves scarcely conducive to the other
reconstruction, and it is not surprising that
difficulties of q very formidable character
should have revealed themselves during the
progress Of the work" G,FE
~ 0hohieAoto oii LILO einSuibr nnu unpre-
cedented acts of Legislation passed by this
"historio" 39th, would transcend the limits of
this column. We can only advert to few of
them. The President has been reproached
by the friends OF Congress for vetoing 30
many Of their bills Not his fault. No
President before him ever had to deal with
such Congress. Look OF all the Bureaus
established by these pious and provident
M. Cs. The Freedmen's Bureau has been
the special pet of this Congress; then we
have Bureau of Education, aid now at last
also Bureau Of Statistics-all of which
bureaus open vast field of patronage. "Fap
places for all our brothers, sons, cousins,
friends, voters and supporters. Verify, of
them may be said, as DEAN SWIFT said of
the Duke of Marlborough,-they are not
worse than infdels, for they provide faith.
fully for their own households. That they
should have raised their own salaries. also, is
quite in order. For after thus pieusly pro-
viding for all their family, is it not meet and
proper that they themselves should also be
rewarded? @.",
This Congress is thus not only free from