The New York herald., 1869-03-02
General Grant and tho New Congress.

the Fortieth Congress go out and President
Grant, his Cabinet and the Forty-first Con-
gress come in. The final adjournment of the
old Congress will be Immediately followed by
the first meeting of the new one, the first thing
of the kind we shall have had with the incom-
ing of new administration.
This meeting for the first session of new
Congress on the Presidential Inauguration
day is, under the law passed some two years
ago, one Of the numerous measures growing
out of the conflict of the two houses with Andy
johnson. Under the old law the first session
of each Congress began on the first Monday in
December, the two houses being subject to
special call from the President in the interval.
In 1866, month after Lincolns Inauguration
for his second term, he was assassinated, and
Johnson, elected as Vice President, took his
place. The Southern rebellion had just been
put down, the States concerned were in chaos,
and to reconstruct them it was thought at first
by many that President Johnson must and
would issue a call for an extra session of Con-
gress. But it soon appeared that he had re-
solved to undertake the work of reconstruction
on his own responsibility, and that he expected
to finish it by the day of the first regular meet
ing of the two houses in December, having for
seven months and half the whole field in his
possession. ~.,..s ..s-
This initial mistake Of johnson resulted in
conflict with the two houses on their first meet
ing, and from that day to this, with two
thirds vote in each wing Of the Capitol against
him, sthe man at the other end of the avenue"
has had a hard time of it. The main business
of Congress for the last four years, in short has
been to watch johnson, battle him and head him
off at every point, and but for few Independent
republican Senators they would have expelled
him last spring from the White House and sent
him back to Tennessee. From this conflict
with johnson we have, among other things,
this law providing for the first meeting of
new Congress on the 4th Of March, and we
have likewise the Tenure Of Office law, which
makes the Presidents removals and suspen-
sions, as well as his appointments subject to
the ''advice and consent of the Senate"
So the two houses will be on guard from the
first day of Grant as President, and from the
start, between President and Congress, they
must understand each other. The Congress
coming in is substantially the Congress
going out. One hundred of the members of
the House are members reelected, and among
the new ones are but few of any prominence.
Shellabarger, of Ohio, perhaps the very ablest
man in the present House, retires, and Ashley,
the great impeachment pioneer, is succ eeded
by democrat. So, too, has the famous Dom
nelly. of Minnesota, while all the Washburns
are returned. John A. Griswold on running
for Governor of New York gave up his place
but from another New York district we have
John A. Griswold returned, who is democrat,
in place Of a republican. Robinson and
Barnes, OF Brooklyn, have been superseded
each by an another democrat, and so have
Chanler and Stewart of this city-Stewart, by
the way, never claiming to be more than 'arf
and 'arf On the republican side Blaine,
Banks, Butler, Boutwell,, Dawes Genery
Twichell, Kelley, Covode, Schenck, Bing-
ham, Logan and Julian are back with all the
Washburns, as, on the democratic side, are
Niblack, Eldridge, Woodward, Wood, Brooks
and Morrissey, while among their new comers
they have General Slocum, Sunset Cox and
Daniel Voorhees, The republican majority,
including all the members elected, is reduced
to less than q two-thirds vote; but they may
weed out enough to secure it.
The new Senate is almost fom-ffths repub-
lican. The three original Andy Johnson men
Cowan, Doolittle and Dixon-have been ruled
out by radical anti-Johnson men. Henderson,
of Missouri, one Of the ''seven impeachment
traitors is succeeded by Carl Schurz, an
original German radical red republican. Pat
terson, Of Tennessee, son-in-law OF President
Johnson, retires and Parson Brownlow takes
his place. Hamlin, of Maine, first Vice
President to Lincoln, Is returned to the Senate
as some recognition Of the mistake in setting
him aside in 1864 for johnson. Fenton takes
the place of Morgan; Pratt the place of
Hendricks, Of Indiana, the second strongest
man for President in the Tammany Conven-
tion before they took up Seymour; Stockton,
democrat succeeds Frelinghuysen, republi-
can, while Thurman, democrat, comes in the
place Of Old Ben Wade, radical-one Of those
delusive democratic gains of 1867 which led
them of the track in 1868.
With few changes the present leaders in
both branches win be the leaders in the new
Congress. But who will take the place of
Old Thad Stevens in the House ss the recoc-
nized head chief Of the body? Butler has
hoou ar fnr Il.
lawyer, sharp tactcian, and has all the
audacity and Indifference to little scruples and
antecedents needed for pushing politician
on new departure. But there is powerful
radical conspiracy operating against him and
for the purpose Of bottling him up. They tried
to upset him in his district, but he was there
too much for them. Right or wrong, however,