The Portland daily press., 1875-12-06
The FOrty-FOurth COnoreSs

Today the FOrty-FOurth Congress meets
in session, and for the first time since James
l.. Orr left the Speakers chair, in 1859, the
Democrats control the House. For a decade
and half the Democratic leaders have been
going up and down the land, endeavoring to
persuade the people that the Democratic
party monopolizes all the craftsmanship, hon.
esty, and economy in the country. For fif-
teen years they have grumbled at the con-
duct OF affairs, have continually assailed the
policy OF the administration, have abused and
iloelled the men whom the people have en-
trusted with the control of the government.
Now these gentlemen of many promises have
been taken at their word, and the opportunity
Is afforded them to make good their profess
sions, to cut down expenses without cGippling
the efficiency of government departments, to
usher in new era of craftsmanship. To-
day the epoch of Democratic reform opens.
Surely no party can ask fer better oppor-
tunity to begin the work of retrenchment
and purification. If these gentlemen are to
be believed the expenditures are extravagant,
the civil service reeks with corruption, and
men in high official stations are no better
than thieves. The new House holds the
purse-strings, and so can cut down the appro.
priations to the lowest limit. 1t can appoint
committees of investigation, and so can ex-
pose that corruption which it claims exists.
1t will have fine chance for constructive as
we'll as destructive ability. Great questions
OF administration press upon its attention.
The finances are to be regulated, aud our
currency put upon a sound basis. The
House may rest assured that any progress
made by it in the direction of true economy
and reform will be cordially recognized by
the people, and by no section more heartily
than by that which is embraced in the Re-
publican party.
1t must be confessed that the outlook is not
promising. One of the most prominent candi-
dates brought forward for speaker by the self
styled reformers was a salary grabber. The
successful candidate for sergeant-at-arms
is man who attempted to stuff the bal
lot-boxes at the recent election in Ohio. The
most prominent candidate for the chairman
ship of the most important committee is a
man whose name stands for everything that
is narrow in politics and disgraceful in legis-
lation. The contest for the speakership has
been conducted in spirit of political jobbery
hitherto foreign even to our politics. A be-
ginning like this certainly is not encouraging.
The new House is not considered strong
one-it has not yet given the impression that
it is an honest one. OF its members 1874 have
never served before. Some of the weightest
men of the old body, Dawes, Phelps, E. R.
Hoar, Beck, Niblack, Marshall, Hawley, Po-
land, Hale of New York, Willard, Potter,
have not been returned. The House how
ever numbers in its seats men of ability like
Blaine, G. F. Hoar, Kerr, Garfield, Hale of
Maine, Banks, Wheeler, Seelye, Lamar, Fos-
ter, Walker and Stephens. The Republican
side is conceded to be the stronger in ability
and capacity for affairs. The political classi-
fication is this Democrats 176; Republicans
1OS; Independents Z; one vacancy. There
are fifteen contested seats. A list of the
members of both Senate and House, and an
account of the seats contested are published
elsewhere.
All but seven of the new members are ma
tives of this country. Twenty-one were
born in New England, thirty-two in New
York, thirty-one in Pennsylvania and New
Jersey, twenty-six in the West and ffty-four
in the South Of the forelgn.born, three are
natives of Ireland, two of Canada, one of
England, one of Germany. Sixty nine of the
new members have received college educa-
ton and two are graduates from West Point.
The youngest man is 49, and the Oldest 70.
Twenty-eight were secessionists, and twenty
six of these served in the Confederate army.
Twenty-six were in the Union army, and one
in the navy. 122 are lawyers, 81 engaged in
mercantile pursuits, physicians, 8 bankers,
2 editors, farmers, 2 college professors. Of
the seventeen new Senators, eleven are law
yars, four are x-Governors-Burnside of
Rhode Island, English of Connecticut, Ran
dolph of New Jersey, and Booth of Califor-
mia. But two have served in the lower
house, English and Mcdonald. Three were
in the Confederate army and one in the Con-
federate Senate.