Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1875-03-12

administering the National Government on an
economical basis. Had it done this, or even
attempted to do it, the people would have been
satisfied and given it new lease of power.
The opportunity was then afforded for it to vim
dictate itself from the aSpersions of It's enemies
and prove elfworhy of the trust rcposed in it.
/ 1t was after this evidence of unhounded trust
| funesS had been displayed towards The Repub
| lican party, that the Forty-Second Congress,
composed also largely of Republicans, came to-
gether in It's last session. That body instead
of approaching in its true light The result of the
elections Of 1872, seemed to assume that it
meant simply that thepeopc had 2ivenit license
| to do with impunity whatever it might choose
to undertake. We all recollect the reckless
| legislation of those three months, until it cul-
minated in the grand salary-glab out of the
Treasury whereby each member pocketed some
! s., 900. and SlOO 600 was handed over to Gen.
Grant as his share of the steal After this per-
/ Torrance, this body stepped down and out.
The strong expressions of popular Indignation
which went up all over the land at this crown
/ ing infamy, during the months which elapsed
before the meeting of the new Congress, seemed
at first to impress the leaders with a faint Sus-
picion that their party had lost ground some
what by this salary steal. So, in order 10 re-
gain confidence It's first step was to repeal the
law. But even in this spasm of virtue it SEEM
ed to be afraid of offending the mighty man at
the other end of the avenue. For no effort was
made TO repeal that portion of the law relating
to his share of Hthe swag, or even to enquire
whether they had such power. Indeed so fear
full did they seem of having offended him by the
repeal of the law, far as it related TO them
selves, that during the rest of the session they
gave most unstinted support to the Administra-
ton 1t met fresh on the heels of the shameless
and inexcusa bic interference of the President in
Louisiana affairs, when by the military he scat
ed Kellogg in the Governors chair in pursuance
of Durells midnight order, yet it only bowed
in acquescence to this usurpation. 1t was
prompt to legalize the oyer-iSsue of S26. 00o,-
600 OF Treasury notes by Secretary Richardson.
and nearly the rest of the session was passed in
discussing finances, ofwhch the members seem
ed 10 have as much idea as dog has of sun
day This is about all we recollect Of the his
tory of the first session of the Forty-thivd Con-
greSs.
1t met again in December, but under very
different circumstances. The country which
two years before had elected il and sustained
General Grant with generous confidence, had
now, by vote most startling and decisive, and
not 10 be mistaken in It's meaning, repudia;cd
his administration and elected Congress over
whelmingy Democratic The election of Il
Democratic Prcsden; and Senate in 1876 was
thus clearly forcshadowcd and the loosening
OF the hold Of the Republicans upon power was
staring the leaders Of that party in the face.
What was 10 bc done? Now the time
when wisdom would have dictated a policy
concliatorr in tone, and conduct inhcxih!v
honest. with a view of stopping the tide of po-
pular indignation But instead Of this ;hc mar
row-mindcd and spiteful leaders, like Butler,
who by their audacitv had forced their way TO
the front, only in the situation opPor-
tunity TO crack the whip and by means OF
drawing closer the party lines to pass such
legislation would compel the country to sub
the three months of the session WAS devoted 10
connecting schemes Of legislation and admins
tratiou, which would have been rs prolific Of
evils TO the country AS Pandora box was OF
diseases to the human race, without leaving
hope for the success Of free government. We
have cause for congra;uation that some Of the
worst Of these measures failed.
/ In thus reviewing briefly some OF the acts Of
this Congress We cannot but express ourselves
in strong terms of condemnation. No single
act of lis legislation came up to the full mea-
sure Oft. duty. In not one single thing tina;
we can now recall did it advance the interests
OF the country. Its financial record is perhaps
a bad rs il could well be 1t has don. nothing
10 bring Us ore step nearer 10 specie payments
except the resolve 10 resume in 1879. But this
very measure initiates the currency, as We have
shown before, certainly $50, coo, 900 and posi-
bly, $50, 900, 900. 4 simple bill providing Tor
a moderate contraction each month would have
accomplished all that was needed or in default
of that, the next best thing was TO do nothing.
The public expenditures have been shamefully
/ increased. In the fiscal year ending June 30th,
Z
| 1872, the cost of the Government proper was
4 Sl53, POI, $50, while for the year, ending June
Both, 1874, ii was SITS, 81 s 9sj, an increase OF
+ S25, Al, l29. And what il W i'll be for the wear
ending June, 1875, no one can tell, but we may
safely assume that it will not be less than last
! year For, instead of cutting down expendi-
/ lures and relieving the overburdened TAXPAYER.
/ the load Of the latter has been increased Last
year $50 900, 900 of legal-tenders were illegally
issued to relieve the TreaSury-this year We
have the Revenue bill to raise by taxation
$50, 600, 600 for the same purpose Thus we
say, that Congress has done nothing to advance
the interests of the people. In this perhaps il
was only weak. If SO, in other respects il was
positively bad. If ii had not been for the reso-
Lutte conduct Of the Democratic minority in the
Senate and House during the last four weeks
the country would have been left in great peril
of an overthrow of its free institutions and
utterly unfit for freeman to live in
The powers which were sought to be con-
ferred on the President by the Force bill could
have resulted in but one of two things: Either
it must have laid PROSTATE at the feet of Gen.
Grant the liberties of the country, or it would
have resulted in rising of the people with arms
in their hands to maintain their rights a
/ Congress, which was capable of bringing about
/ CucL a cataStrnnhe upd bte1lv decarvnd