The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-03-26
C0NGR ESSIONAL NOTES.
epubliean Programme for the Rest of
the session-Cheap ransportation-
The House Night Debates-prcpariE
for Il Grea; Revolution OF Parties.
IN. Y. Herald


The House Night rin 9
ne for u Great Revolution OF Parties.
n. Y. Herald
A. The House OF Representatives having by
- resolution. formally declared that in the
ofpoWer to regulate commerce ''among the
al States" Congress has the power to regulate
4 the railroads OF the country, in their freights
+ and fares from one State to another; and the
u committee on the subject having reported
"a Diil to regulate commerce by railroads in
i the several States" and the members
y Of the great West. with an eye to the
sHterlngs,. the Demands and the eX-
pectatons Of their constituents, de
string 70 place themselves right upon the
record, and tie daylight deliberations OF the
House being devoted 10 other matters. the
bright idea Of il night s,-ss on o AN houi or
two mas been adoptc, tor the discussion OF
cheap transportation Thus the members
charged With statistics Of Western wheat
and corn, ana tie eXtortions Of rAiwa sF in
the transportation Of corn and wheat to The
scabnard are furnished the opportunity for
lla delivery Of their speeches. and for their
publication in tAe Congressional Rec0rd, and
thence i'll tile local papers which circulate
directly among their constituents.
TILE GRANGER INFLUENCE.
These night Sessions, therefore, apart from
any design or expectation OF passing the bill
| "to regulate commerce by railroad in the
several States" serve the immediate pur
pose of placing these Western InenlDars
right upon the record before the Grangers
These Changers will require in the coming
fail. when the elections for the next Con
grpSS Will be The crucial test. Il strict account
on cheap transportation from every member
OF the House dependent upon their SURFACES.
And, if the gentleman from Des M0nes, for
instance, when called to the book can
produce or refer 10 Il speech which
he delivered in March, April or May
in the House, setting forth the har,l.llips, the
! cXtortlons ana losses imposed on the WeS-
tern farmers through the despotsm of the
railway combinations upon which they are
dependent for the carrying Of their crops to
market, ant demanding the intervention of
/ Congress, the gentleman from D.S MOlneS
will pass the grangers inspection and his re-
! election VIII he assured. He knows there is
no prospect for the passage of the pending
| bill this session, unless the grangers bring IL
powerful lobby to bear directly upon the
two houses he knows that the grangers have
not, as yet, - got the hang OF the lobby" but
! he knows that they expect him to agitate
and yentilate this matter of cheap transpor-
! tation, and he knows, too that III the line of
his duty lies the road to preierntnt. Hence
! these night sessions.
| AN EXHAUSTIVE DISCUSSION To BE HAD
But there is much more in them than
speeches for buncombe. They are the
breaking of the ground upon a new and
| difficult question of the grandeSt proper
tions-a question which the Herald several
years ago foresaw would before long become
a leading political question. Every great
revolution or reform in human affairs is pre-
coded by season OF agitation, sometimes
short, sharp and deCisive,' and sometimes
protracted and prosecuted till pushed to a
conflict of arms. Every advance made in
our political history, from the constitution
of 1889 to the fifteenth amendment, is
marked by its period Of agitation, though
most conspicuous upon our calendar stands
the slavery agitation, ended at last only
in delnge of blood and fire. This new,
gigantic and embarrassing question of
cheap transportation, in its turn, can be
settled only through thorough and genera
agitation-an exhaustive discussion III Con-
gress, by the press and among the people.
This is understood III the House, and these
night sessions on the subject mark, at least
the regular opening of this exhaustive dis
cuSSlOn.
\ REVOLUTION OF PARTIES.
TIE power of Congress over the railroads
of the country is alrmed but how and how
of State rights is already interpo,ed against
the bill before the House, limited as ii is in
its regulations Of railways and thclf COM |
MERGE among the states. There are Signs
of influences ar work for the 81 ganiZation Of
a powerful railway coalition against this
bill The old U"itel States Bank, which i'll
its conflict with Gener;ti dickson required
all his force of character, teuaclty OF
purpose aud great popularity to put
Ii a.,
with the stupcndous moneyed power of ii
combination of even two three OF our
present monster railway corporations. There
are perhaps, appliances of this stnpendous
power. awaiting the development of this
conflict between the railway kings and the
people before which the Credit Mobilier
Transactions will sink into general contempt.
The conflict on State rights threatens dis
ruption OF the Democratic party: and, first,
the decentralization, and next the reconstruc
ton Of the Republican party; but from
present indications, the bill fol the regula
ton of the railways will not disturb either
party in this Congress until after the coming
fall elections for next Congress.
THE REPUBLICAN PROGRAMME
The Republican programme for the present
session embraces IL compromise on banking
and currency, which may serve rs Tub to
the whale; a cutting down Of the appropr-
alton bills to the saving of $50, 100000 and
10000 900 OF S50.0O0,O00 of additional taxa
lion, to exc out the needtul supplies for the
Treasury: some incidental ciIsronl-house re-
forms, and the Posrponement to December
next of the bill tor he regulation OF rail-
ways. But the speeches at these night SEES
sions may be compared to the skrInsh line
OF an army advancing to feel the eneIny's /
position. and the main battle viii be opened
in the fail elections.
The Pieaisci.
The Prince Imperial has shown that
shrewdness which, either by himself or by
aid of others. he would be pretty certain to |
display, in offering to trust his fortunes to a
plebscitum. A plebiscitnm is gracefully |
supposed to be an appeal to the people.
Such an appeal i'll favor of the Napoleon
dynasty. with the sentiment of the Marshal
ate in its favor would not be unlikely to |
lift the Young Louis to the throne. This. /