Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1874-02-06
Washington Correspondence n. Y. Herald.
'IE,e E'roscTipsiyc aad tEac CoEsEeGe-
rate Elements iss the Composition
of

'" +>iiiiiSs OH Sot4 iI-'i-eciIjS L
'EE.e EroscGipsiyc and thc Gos.Eetse-
rate Elements sn the Composition
of Congress.
Your correspondent attention was
invited during late conversation with
u prominent man IN public life, and as
4 marked feature of Mr.. Casling's I'M
successful race fer the Chief Justice
ship, to the manifest revival of q pros
criptiVe spirit III Congress to ward those
who took the wrong side III the late
war, as we'll IS those who We're tardy
in cutting loose from the leaders OF
secession before the outbreak OF hos
tilities. This gentleman takes the
ground that, though the opposition to
MI. Cushlng's nomination began. and
was protracbe1 in basencss and treach-
cry, it was the letter to Jefferson Davis
that secured lis actual overthrow, by
calling up bitter feeling Of partisan
ship, or aff'ording pretext or it, on
the part Of Senators who otherwise
would ii2Ee voluntarily, Or III fear of
Presidential ,-ispleasnre, voted for
confirmation and SO have made Mr.
Cushing The Chief Justice. IN the
course OF the same interview reference
was made to The iil-concealeti disfavor
with which the Confederate delegation
in Congress are looked upon by their
fellow members Of the more radical
type, and to the stage vhisperings III
Cong ressional circles Of calamity 10
| the nation, the party, and the freedmen,
if the rebel army element III Congress
! is to go on increasing in tire WAY it
! threatens to do. Two remarks OF Sen
ator Gordon in his late speech on the
reduction of salaries were mentioned
/ as having been the theme OF much I)ri-
vate comment about the Capitol; the
| first, his complaint that late adtcrcnt
I OF the Confederacv IN Congress was in
danger Of having lis rebellion reccl q
thrown into his face aS often as he
/ took issue in matters OF public policy
! with any whose loyalty was Of the iron
/ Ct I'd sort and the other, that If the
! settlement of the war had been left to
| the men who confronted each other on
| the battle field for the four years Of ITS
continuance the country would
have been spared the misf'runes
that have since oyertaken the South
/ These tsSo chance remarks have been
| applied 10 the composition fthc present
( Congress, wherein are thirty members.
| in both houses, with rebellion record
! available for use against their present
fealty whenever il shall so please the
irOn-clad members to stop yilelr mouths
or break the force Of their arguments
F. against pending legislation, while !i9n
! thirty are confronted bv sixty uinc Of
/ the zen whom Senator Gordon be-
! lieves could have made an honorable
| f.0d prosperous restoration e the
| Union at APPROXIMATION Court House. It
| Is 10 he noticed, however, th.t5 while
| til" Confederate army element has
! grown stronger The Union army eio-
ment has been largely replaced By naer,
who took no direct part IL the war,
and this very Fact IS suggested as a
| partial explanation Of the reap3caraloe
| Of the Old spi:lt OF prescription thai
/ Immediately followed the war, and was
! first renewed when Andrew johnson $
rupture with his party set the North
| and South at variance again. It is
| manifest, however, that the President
! has 30 share in the sInouldering hos
salts Of reconstruct 3n, ana is, from all
appearances, better pleased with the
advent Of real representatives Of the
Southern people, whatever their poll
tics, than grieyed at the thinning ont
-! Oh .llc cifpGt"DaSSSfS, 1Of WnGll THIS
! present administration has no further
use nor affection. The conservative
tendencies lately attributed to the
President are not much regarded by
the better informed class Of politicians.
who discern clearer evidences Of q ten
dency among the radicals to get up
snothe~ rallying cry of danger to the
constitutional amendments and the re-
suits of the war for service in the next
Presidential campaign. It is an opin-
ion very freely expressed here, in
quarters entitled 20 attentive hearing,
! that the republican party, as now CON
stituted, will have nothing on which to
go before the country in 1876, except Il
third term for Grant OF afresh crusade
against the ''lost cause" The third
term has az unlikely look since the
events OF the present session, and as
the alternative suggested may be the
only one two years hence, and has
been lately strengthened by indiscreet
utterances in some parts Of the South,
1t looks as il 1t were to be kept before
the country against the day OF need