The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-12-06
THE MEETING OF CONGRESS.

Tomorrow the last session of the Forty
Third Congress viii! ASSEMBLE and rems lin in
session uu:il the 4th OF March, 1875. 1t will
meet under very peculiar circum stances
When it adjourned On the Sd of July last, the
Republican party was in entire possession Of
the Government, and the members thereof
telt quite confident tina. their lease of power
would be renewed by the people at the ballot.
box. Such contingency as an overwhelming
defeat and whitening rebuke to the Admins.
tration of the General Government. as repre-.
sented by the Executive and Legislative de-
partments, was not for moment contemplated,
and formed no part of the programme pursued
in their course of legislation.
They vii! meet thee, on Monday, with the
unpleasant fact confronting them of the utter
route Of the Republican party in q majority of
the States of the Union. The leaders, who
have welded such power and influence in the
land and brought the party to that degree OF
supremacy, as to make its position appear i'm
,pregnabie, and SO firmly established as to be
beyond the reach Of danger, find the rselves
suddenly stripped OF all their strength and
greatness, and left without hope for the future
and without any position among those who
are hereafter to direc. and control the political
destinies of the county.
Not like Marius who contemplated with
pleasure the sight OF the venerable ruins Of
Carthage, q once powerful city, which, like
himself, had been exposed to calamity, and
felt the cruel virissitude OF fortune, will the
Republican chiettains gaze Upon the 6issolu-
ton, the dismemberment, and the dissspa-
ton OF their once grand and invincib:e party.
But more like Rachel, who wept because her
children were not, viii they bemoan the de-
parture of the grandeur, the lost power and
the Wanted prestige Of their proud and arro-
gint political organic .tien.
With ruin and disas er staring them
in the face, what viii be the policy of that
party which is about to pass out of authority
and to transfer its political responsibilities of
government to other hands? How will the
few remaining days O. power be spent, and
what will be the conduct o. those IL embers of
Congress whose official conduct has been re-
pudiated ty their constituents? These are
questions that are now exciting public atten-
ton. viii they be driven by desperation and
vlndictivenesS to acts OF legislation that will
render them more obnoxious and more rep
rehensible in the estimation Of the peo-
pie, or will they rather, by wise, temperate
and honest conduct, strive to assuage the
feelings Of hostility that have been engen-
dercd, and labor to mitigate, in q measure
the great ctfenses OF which they stand ac-
.cused before the whole country?
The Louisiana que stion is one which will
engage the earliest attention Of Congress, and
AS this important measure is disposed Of so
will We know the determination of the Repub-
aican party in the policy which is to govern its
Legislative conduct in the last session in which
it will have controlling influence
We await with much curiosity the porcced-
sngs Of Congress, and are anxious to know if
the members will act like statesmen, or crown
their defeat by ignominy and imbecilty