New-York tribune., 1874-12-11
THE POLITICAL SITUATION
CONGRESSIONAL SENTIMENT ON POLITICS
AND LEGISLATION.

THEIR PoLICY-AN UNEvENTFUL SESSION tx
PECTRD.
(FRoM SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT or THE TRrBUsgI
WASHINGTON, Dec. 10.-With what different feel
ings the Members Of Congress como back from
those that aniyhated them when they went away six
months ago What ruined hopes and wrecked ON
bitions many bring with them! What new dreams
OF political power Others carry in their thoughts
large majority of the Republicans were drowned
IN the October and November floods but by n curl
GUS regularity of onr governmental structure those
sad ghosts return to the Of their former exis
tence and exercise for three brief months the func-
toDs of living congressman. You can that they
are dead, however. Something Of the agony Of the
drowning struggle when the wave Of popular Opin-
ion overlook them is visible in their conntenances
and their voices have solemn and sepulchra Tone
GRANT DECLARED RESPONSIBLE FOR The DEFEATS.
When asked what was the cause of their nntimey
taking-of. they reply in one portentous monosylla
BILE" Grant" Pressed for further speech. they say
that the third term business was their ruin. The
rottng timbers of tho old Republican ship held To-
gether and she staggered along though sorely buff
feted by the waves until Grant put the dead-weght
of his third term scheme board. and then she
went to pieces. All but tho few men who have
financial hobbies attribute the disaster to this cause
The craZiest Of the infationists believe thit the
craft foundered the rock Of hard money, but
even they curse Grant as the of tho wreck be-
cause he steered her on the rock. thcy say. All
agree, therefore, that the President Is RESPONSE
bic for the disaster, but in such fear are the
poor fellows of the Nan in the White House that
when they denounco him it is with bated
breath and anxious glance around to 500 il
any reporter is lurking to pnt tbcI
words in print The who were accidentally
washed ashore, or saved themselves by tre
mend0us struggles. almost as mCurEful as these
unhappy political ghosts. Another two years lease
OF life is assured them but beyond that the ruturs
is dark. And for those two years the ambitious
plans they had formed are all blasted. Thore will
DO no Chairmanships of Committees for them. M
fat appropriations for their "dcestrcts" no voice
in shaping legislation. Places on the tails of Com
mittees and vain struggles on the floor to catch the
eye of Democratic Speal.er-such is in brief tho
bleak legislative prospect before them. And worst
of all, the Investigations! AYE there's the rubF
What nests of creeping things and sums Of hidden
corruption may be brought to daylight when ths
Democrats begin to thrust their under the
big fiat stones that lie many secrets of legis
lation and administration! No wonder they
woe-begone set, these returning Republican law.
makers.
EMULATION OF TIE DEMOCRATS
Let us turn from this funereal throng and look ia
the other side of the House. All there's jollity for
you! How good they feel, these Democratic MEN,
bers How they slap each other the back as they
rejoice together the friendly "cocktaiI or the
invigoratng Bourbon straight p They laugh
until the tears come recountng their victories anc
making merry over the discontinue of their antago
nists. The small men-intellectually mean. thos,
whose services to their constituents chiefly consist
in answering to tho roll-call, and who arc usually
found over at Sanderson's' when wanted for that
purEose-are loudest in their rejocings. Like tht
fy ON the Wheel they think they have raised tre-
mendous dust. The leading Democrats soon drop from
their tone of jubiation into vein OF serious talk
| They feel a responsibility that they have not fell
before are prudent and reserved in their expressions
as to the future course of their party and seek to
impress their less thoughtful colleagues with the
necessity for exercising great discretion in their
acts and utteranees during the coming session. They
feel that the fight is only half won and that mis-
take now would be fatal to their cause, Two theories
are entertained to the probable OF the Re-
publcans during the session, One is that tho irre
sponsibe majority, whose places will know ,hem no
more after the 4th Of March, will grab and rua,'
putting through all sorts of lobby schemes. scting
foot the deusIve and corrupt projects for employ
ing labor and cheapenng transportation by digging
canals across the country, and in variety OF ways
making free with the public money and the public
credit. The other theory land think it Is the cor
rect one) is that the temptation of the present OPP
portunity to plumber will not induce the Republ
cans to hazard any further the loss in 1876 of that
great prize-tho possession of the National Govern
ment.
RErRENCHMENT THE PROBABLE REPUBLICAN POLICY.
According to this view we shall SEQ much caution
displayed by the Republicans as party in all their
moves together with an unusual economy in apprO-
priations and an insurmountable hostility to jobs.
The leaders will discipline the reckless rank and
file, threatening them with Executive dsfavor. and
promising them appointments II they behave them
selves and do nothing to damage tue party; and tho
President will be appealed to to cooperate lii tho
effort to regain for the Republican organization tho
confidence of the people. This is the programme
laid down by such men as Blaine and Horny Wilson.
and all the old leaders who have recovered SUI
iciently from the stunning blow of the elections to
have any sense on the SUBJ ect indorso it, Will tho
plan work l believe it will as far as the members
of Congress are concerned, but no one can foresee
what the President may do. There is more uneasy
feeling about his future than ever before Is
Is feared that he will be ungrateful enough to try to
complete the wreck of his party if it shows any
overt hostility to his third term ambition Somo
think he will 90 no further than to endeavor to force
q successor upon the Republican Convention when
Obliged to give up his own mad scheme others ap-
prehend that he will Johnsonze" and try to bnild
up party of his own. As to the probable legisa-
ton of the session, everybody is at sea. The
Speaker and the charmen of important committees.
who are usually able to outline the sessions work in
advance pretty accurately, say that it Is impossible
to make any predictions. They expect a quiet and
rather uneventful time on the whole but are by 10
means sure that there will not be just the opposite
of this The fact is they have not taken their bear
ings since they were bufeted about by the political
b,rr;copa and don't knoy inst wi here they