The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1868-12-16
THE MEETING OF CONGRESS-.

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The last session of the 10th Congress
assembled according to law onathe I'll
inst. Within q very siort time its la
bors will have ended and a! new Con
gress installedin its place.
Theless than three nontlls which
shall 'elapse before the present Con
gross expires, though very short, il
long enough to enable it to inflict al
immense amount of damage upon the
country. The present Congress has
already made itself famous by a great.
er amount of unjust and tyrannical leg
islation than has marked the career Of
any of its many predecessors. 1T would
seem that it had already rendered it.
self sufficiently notorious, and that il
could afford to redeem itself from any
further odium either by. more 7lenient
legislation in the next three months, OF
else by suffering the time to pass by
without any decided action of any kind
whatsoever. But we happen to under
stand the aims Of the Radical party
too we'll to expect anything either good
or harmless from its action. Having
started ont with the idea ofproceedine
against the South as ifit were already
under sentence Of outlawry,s the pres
ent Congress will not cease its tyranni-
cal legislation against the Southern
people until the last moment of its ex-
istence rs q Legislative body. They
are in too good position to neglect
anything that promises any beneficial
results to the Radical party. With
more than two thirds majority in each
branch of Congress, and Radical legis-
latures in more than two thirds Of the
States, they will leave nothing undone
to secure Radical ascendency in the
Union, as far as such a result can be
accomplished by Congressional legisla-
ton. It is true the Radicals have a
majority in the next Congress, and that
they have already determined to eject
n sufficient number of Democratic
members to give them a two-thirds
majority. Bnt then Grant, whom Sc
many Of them dislike, may prsovesunru-
-ly, and Grant may be popular enough
to take away from the two-thirds ma
jority which may be required to make
the next Congress as iniquitous as the
present one. Hence it will not do to
put off the pet Radical measures for a
moro convenient season. They must
be carried now, and they will be car
ried before the 18th day of March next.
What they are. remains to be SEEM
Of course Radical ingenuity will be
brought into requisition to devise the
means of further oppression, and Radi-
cal powerlwill be on hand to promptly
execute the proper measures. We are
already told that the Constitution of
the United States is to be amended SO
as to give universal negro suffrage, and
thus to force it on those Northern
States which have repudiated it by
such large majorities. Other measures
Of like nature nature may be expect
ed.
We, shall look upon the proceedings
of the dying Congress with tho most
serene indifference. We find an album
bant consolation in the. reflection that
the South can he injured but little be-
yond what she has already suffered
We are also Indifferent as to when this
Congress shall end and the next begins.
Perhaps each will vie with the other in
covering its name with eternal infamy.
If there is any quarrel row with the
Radical majority it must be settled by
those dear Northern friends of ours
who have been promising so long to
seeall pur wrongs rectifed. gs 2 -
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Farragut,