South-eastern Independent. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1871-1871, 1871-11-24
The Coming Session of Con-
gress.

SreSS.
The President and Cabinet Off
GERS are busy preparing their annu-
al reports for Congress, and in about
two weeks that body will convene
for its annual SESSION. We have
seen the statement that the present
will be a brief session, but can see
no reason for it. 1t will not be any
necessary limitation, while the num-
Der of bills which will burden the
calender will be unusually large.
The ~perplexitles of Congressional
legislation are growing 10 be as
great relatively as that OF State leg
islatures. Rings ire formed-com>
binations made. and every means
employed to influence the action of
Congress on certain questions
Bills embracing questionable legIs-
latIon are frequently slipped through
in the hurry of the closing hours OF
the session. Worst of al Is the
growth in the volume of private
bIlls,-and the absorption of the
time Of Congress in considering
projects Which are purely private
and designed to promote individual
interests. liz this State, one feature
of the proposed Constitutional
Amendment is that which provides
for limiting the Legislature 10 pure
ly public questions and measures.
We are persuaded that it will pay
for q political party to propose the
same kind Of amendment to the
National Constitution. II Congress
were ::limited to public bills, and If
private measures were provided fer
by some general feature of the Con-
siitution,-lt might be better for
the country at large. OF course,
this thought. as applied to national
legislation, would need TO be ellbo-
rated with exceeding care,-but this
done and the burden of Congress
sIonal business would be greatly
relieved.
The next session of Congress will
be, very largely a political one.
The coming Presidential contest
will be thought of, and inspire near
" all tie legislation of public ma
ture. The general policy Of the two
politica! organizations, so far ns
they can be controlled by high ofic.
Ials, will be d determined at Washing
ton within the next three or four
months. Both political organlza-
tIohs will carefully arrange their
Legislative programme in view of
the political needs of next year.
We do not pretend TO prognostIcate
the future in this respect. What
particular measures will be elabora.
ted by either party, IN view of the
necessity of making up q record for
the canvass for President. we do not
guess. But We can easily see what
will probably be the course of the
two parties in regard to questions
a.ready pending.
The prominent topics will be those
IF The ku Klux, or amnesty, and
the finances of the country. The
great effort Of the Democracy will
he to show that o liberal and for
giving policy should prevail toward
the South,-that Ku- Klux outrages
either have not occurred, or have
been greatly ~overrated, and that,
consequently. the Presidents course
IN declaring martial law was arbi-
trary and wrong. We are free to
admit that this Is an exceedingly
delicate question for the Republican
party. 1t will be necessary to
show, with perfect conclusiveness.
that the outrages charged actually
occurred,-and that martial law
was necessary and beneficial in the
counties in which it was declared.
We fully believe this can be done.
If so 1t ought TO be clearly and
plainly. But when thus 10 done.
there remains the difficulty arising
from the fact that the Republican
party Is disposed 10 lberaiIty while
it is compelled to severity. 1T is
inclined to amnesty, but it fears it
cannot do 1t justly, in view of its
duty to protect uIioni Is South.
Hence all the argument on general
principles in favor of amnesty must
be accepted, and the only reply TO
be made is that special circumstan-
ces prevent the application of the
policy. In other words, the Re2ub
lican element will be on the defen-
sive as to the principle of amnesty,
and can only argue ~aggressively on
IFS Impollcy. The other question
is that of finances. Here the lines
may be clearly drawn. While it is
true that that there are free-trade
Republicans and tariff Democrats,
1t still is true that the controlling
clement in the two parties is radi-
cally divided. The Republican par
~, as a party, favors a protective
tariff, as a means of paying off the
national debt. On the other hand,
The Democracy favor free trade.
This issue will come before Congress
and the policy of the Two parties
will be more sharply defined. Other
questions may and doubtless will
come up. Altogether, the session
promises to be an exciting one.
Statement of Field Crop OF
Corn raised by John L. Gil.
Iespfe,. Of Malta Township,