The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-06-09
The Last Scenes I'm Congress-Thc
Folly OF the Politicians.

The scenes enacted in Congress in its clos
ing hours will not serve to raise the reputation
of that body either for craftsmanship honesty
or decency. The politicians in the Senate and
House, who profess to be the supporters of
the administration, are certainly taking very
election; and if General Grants
strength did not rest with the people, indie
pendent Of party, he would have to pray with
earnestness to be protected from his friends.
The country is now at peace and the South is
behaving well, and only asking to be allowed
to pursue her way quietly and to redeem
her fallen fortunes. There is no more necessity
for extending military law over the Southern
States than over the New England States. But
the narrow minded Washington politicians
have taken it into their heads that 1t may be-
come necessary in case Of Greeley's endorse
ment by the democrats to carry the South at
the point Of federal bayonets, and hence they
have resolved to pass what is known as the
Ku Klux law-an extreme measure, that would
give the President the power to place all the
Southern States under martial law, to suspend
the Habeas Corpus act and surround the polls
with federal troops. Their efforts to secure the
passage of the bill on it's merits have repeat
eddy failed, and so, when the Sundry Civil
Appropriation bill, in which q number Of per-
SONS are interested, and which is needed to
carry on the government, was before the Sen
ate on Friday, they added on to 1t, as an
amendment the previously rejected Ku Klux
bill. BY this trick they seek to force the objec-
tionable measure through, in contravention of
the deliberate judgment Of Congress, or by
defeating the Appropriation bill to compel an
extra session of Congress. The opposition
resolved to interpose every parliamentary OBJ
stacle within their reach to prevent the success
of this policy, and hence for two nights a
scene of disgraceful filibustering has been
enacted, first in the Senate and then in the
House, to the obstruction Of necessary business
and the scandal of the nation.
There are two points to be considered in
connection with the action Of the majority
first if General Grant could not be reelected
without the aid of martial law and bayonets in
a third Of the States Of the Union he ought
not to be elected at all; second, if he can be
elected without such anti-republican MEANS
and if the law thus pressed by the majority is
not needed, then their action in endeavoring
to force it through Congress in an illegitimate
manner is seriously damaging to his pros
poets and a piece of inexecusable political
folly. The system of "logrolling' by
which an improper or undesirable law
has sometimes been enacted through lacking it
on to a necessary and just law and thus COM
both, has passed into disuse. 1t is one of the
most dangerous and infamous resorts Of cor
rupt legislation. 1t violates the spirit if not
the letter Of the constitution, breaks down all
protection against Legislative rascality and
destroys the independence of both Houses of
Congress. majority in the Senate could at
any time under such policy, force an objec-
tionable measure through the House or block
the wheels Of government, and majority
in the House could do the same
Klux law, which has been fastened
on to the Sundry Civil Appropriation bill is
entirely foreign to the subject Of the original
measure The President of the Senate, on the
occasion of the consideration of other bills,
has ruled that no foreign matter can be moved
as an amendment to the original question, and
has been sustained by the majority of the Sem
ate. Both the presiding officer and the Sena-
tors now stultify themselves by reversing their
action in the instance Of the Ku Klux law.
They do worse than that; they prove that to
accomplish political purpose they are ready
to violate their oaths and do an act they know
TO be IN violation of the spirit of the constitu-
ton and OF the rules and practice OF their own
body, ,... ,.,~....
General Grant is in need Of no arbitrary
powers or extraordinary legislation to secure