The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-07-23
Congress onaI Proceedings.

adjourn in few days, but on account OF the
danger that Andrew Johnson may attempt
some of the extraordinary demonstrations for
which he is famous, If he is allowed to exer-
else unrestricted power, it seems probable that
provision will be made for another session, In
September. The failure of impeachment has
apparently not yet been attended with any
very serious results, but the capa-
city and disposition Of the President
to jeopaIdize the peace and welfare Of the
nation, can only be tested in the absence of
the legislative guardians of the republic from
the capital. Experience has shown that his
conduct can be measured by no ordinary rules,
and that he may at any moment confOund both
friends and enemies by policy peculiarly his
own. If Congress, however, reserves the
power to reassemble before the Presidential
election, there will be comparatively little
danger that the nation will be startled by dan
gerOus usurpations.
One gratifying feature of the proceedings of
the present Congress is the care which has
been taken to perfect, as far as possible, all
important legislation before the confusion
which usually marks the closing hours has
begun to prevail. This is especially true in
regard to the appropriation bills. Creditabls
efforts have been made to eOnfine the expendi-
lures of the Government to the smallest posi-
BILE limits, and they have been so far successful
Is to elicit the commentators of that
Vigiant watchdog of the Treasury, Mr..
Washburne, of Illinois. He announced in the
House on Tuesday that, exclusive of the ap
propriations for interest and bounties, the
current expenditures authorized would only
slightly exceed one hundred millions of dollars
in greenbacks, while during Mr.. Bu-
chanan's administration, with a smaller
population and fewer pressing necessities,
more than seventy millions in gold was re.
quired for similar purposes. General Grant
set the example of economy by the estimates
he made while acting as Secretary of War,
and Congress has wisely made an enormous
reduction i'll the estimates submitted by Mr..
Johnson's extravagant Cabinet officers. The
Republican party can therefore present in the
Presidential campaign practical evidence of
its disposition to reduce the national expendi-
lures.
One of the other important fruits of the ses-
sion is the law passed sOme months ago, ar
resting the progress of contraction of the cur
rency. Great changes have also been made in
the Internal Revenue law, by reducing the
taxes on manufactures, and to a considerable
extent remodellipg the whole system.
singular state of uncertainty existed yesterday
in official circles at Washington, as to whether
the President had or had not signed the new
tax bill. On the one hand, Speaker Colfax
announced that the Private Secretary of the
President had officially announced to the House
Of Representatives that the bill had
been signed, together with forty-two other
recent enactments and on the other the Com
missioner of Internal Revenue was informed
by ths President that he had not signed the
bill. The latest news telegraphed last night
was that there was some mistake in the official
announcement to the House, and special tele
grams state that the President declares it was
not signed with any authority from him, and
that he does not intend to sign it. 1t is diff
cult to reconcile these conflicting statements
by any other supposition than that the White
House contains an ad interim Executive.
The lost important and exciting subjects
are those which directly relate to the coming
Presidential election. The Democracy ara
endeavofipg to surround this subject with
doubt and uncertainty Notwithstanding the au-
thority given by the Constitution, to determine
all matters relating to the Electoral College.
As several States remain unreconstructed on
account of the hostility of their Rebel inhabi-
tants to the conditions prescribed by Congress,
they will be excluded from legal partioipationin
the Presidential election as they were in 1864.
The Democracy are not only inclined to en-
courage the revolutionary proceeding of iu-
sisting that the votes thus excluded shall be
counted, but they woHld like to hold elections
in all the Rebel States under the Provisional
Governments galvanized by Johnson, rather
than under those which have been established
by proper authority. The law passed some
days ago in spite of the veto will efectually
dispose of this question, unless the
President cOntrives some dangerous and
revolutionary method OF re-openlng it while
Congress is not in session. The proposal to
distribute arms to the new loyal State Govern
ments is also connected, to a considerable ex-
tent, with this subject. II the rebels see that
they can have no rational prospect of holding
elections, under the defeated Johnson pro.
gramme, they may attempt to carry the recon
struoted States by force and terrorism. Some
of them do not attempt to conceal their dispo.
sition to regain political ascendancy by violent