Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1875-02-05

Clayton presented petition from Joseph
Brooks asking that Congress would restore
him to the Governorship of Arkansas.
House bill to authorize the Seneca Indians
to lease certain lands was then taken up
and occupied the rest of the day, with the
exception of an executive session.
/ The House met after its recess at 10 A.
NJ, Tuesday morning. The galleries were
crowded and the attendance of the mem
bers was larger than has been known for
several years. Immediately on being call
ed to order, the matter of adopting the
new rule was taken up, and after much
preliminary discussion and amid great
excitement.-it was adopted.-Mhen th-
House adjourned.
The old rules, under which Congress
has been so long acting, were adopted in
times of calmness and after due considera-
ton. The object was to prevent a MAORI
ty from domineering over the minority
This was accomplished by the power held
by the minority to make motions for delay
and calling the ayes and noes on them
A vote of two-thirds could always suspend
the rules and thus authorize majority to
pass any measure. But unless these rules
were first suspended by this vote no mea
sure could be passed without a compliance
with the rules. 1t will thus be seen how
necessary and important tor the right of
the minority and to prevent hasty and eX-
IRENE legislation such rule was. 1t was
not likely that any damage could result to
the country by the power thus lodged
with the minority, because any measure of
general benefit or utility would always be
certain to command two thirds vote. In
! fact at no time since the rule has been in
force has its aid ever been invoked except
to prevent or check legislation of parti
san or partial character. 1t is an absurdi-
ty to say the rule is unrerubican because
it does not give to the majority absolute
power. Our government is not one of
pure majorities, but one of constitutional
Limitations, an which the rights of minori-
ties are sought to be protected from the
expressions of majorities. In thus strik-
ing down the rights of the mnorities, the
new or unusual for them. Whenever any
thing has stood in the path Of their pur-
pose, they have not hesitated To remove it
by force even tho to so do involved the
violation of the laws or traditions Of the
country. The Constitution itself has only
been barrier to be removed by them i'm
the recklessness Of their career. There l.
scarcely section of il, that at some time
Tor other has not been ruthlessly violated
by their lust for place and power. When
Andrew Johnson, as President. used his
constitutional power of veto. they sought
to impeach him and relied upon the parti-
san votes of Senators to carry out their
objects on the mos, fiimsy prstext. When
the Supreme Court did not please them
they packed it with minions OF their own,
who would subserve their purpose. And
now. when they have but few more days
/ of power left. and they find that the Demo
cratic minority avail themselves of the
usual means to prevent them from carry
/ ing their malignant measures, which have
been passed upon and condemned by the
people, they audaciously have recourse TO
trick to wipe out what slight protection
the minority possessed. And then the
impudence of their talk about the rights
of maiorities Who does Ben Butler re-
present Where is his constituency Why
the people of the Essex district of Massa-
chuset,s, said last fall by an overwhelming
majority, of how many thousand we forget,
that one Mr.. Thompson was their repre-
sentative. And by the same majority they
elected Benjamin to stay home The same
may be said Of four fifths of those who
voted with the redoubtable hero of Fort
Fisher. SO far from representing a ma
ljority or anything like it, they represent
nobody. In school-boy phrase, they are
1.-The last class OF nothing and head of no.
where" But few days and they will
have departed, and the places that knew
{ them once will know them no more forever.
They have left their mark however. They
have adopted this rule, to tie hand and
foot the present Democratic minority. but
at the end of a month it will come back
to plague the Republican minority who
. will succeed this arrogant majority.
''Thns doth this even handed justice
: Commend the poison dchalice to our own lips.
1t seems as though the Republicans
themselves are not so sure whether they
r have gained victory or suffered defeat
inasmuch as after the passage of the new
rule, they adjourned without further ac-
ton. 1t is not generally believed that
: the Civil Rights bill will be passed. at
least, not in the form in which it came
{ from the Senate. But it is much feared
that some new enforcement law, more vim
, dictive and virulent in character, will
now be forced through to crafty the clam
or of the carpet-bag representation of the
South. 1t is feared that the Army Appro-
f priation bill will be SO changed as to pro-
vide for its support for two years to come,
instead of one year, as has always been
done heretofore. This would allow the
President to use the military at his within
IL