Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1875-02-19
Tho Control Of tho Next House.

made that eighty,fue members Of the
meet or Eortytomrth Congress either
serced IN the rebel army or held civH
positions under the rebel government.
We suppose this number embraces
those in the Senate rs we'll as those
in the House. And yet there can
only be very few in the Senate. We
do not know the exact number, but
an examination of the list shows that
it probably does not exceed five at
the most. The remainder are in the
House.
What does this statement mean?
1t means that the control of the meet
House of Representatives is IN the
hands Of those asho acere personally,
officially and actively engaged IN
carrying on the rebellion and seek
ing to destroy the government. 1t
means that the mastery of Legislation
and of the purse of the nation, has
been acquired by those who were
lately seeking to break up the Union.
For consider the facts The Demo
Gratis have 1853 members of the next
House-being majority of 60 over
the Republicans. On this whole
Democratic strength, 80 is a clear
majority. OF this 50, the actual
fighters or officers under the rebel
flag have at least 80, possibly the full
50 certainly enough, with the help
of one or two Northern doughfaces
where a score could be easily had, to
give them an unquestioned majority
in the Democratic side.
Now what follows? The House of
Representatives, with its power over
legislation and all the appropriations,
is under the control of the Demo
cratic members; the Democratic
members are under the caucus which
determines the policy of the party;
the caucus is under the control of the
majority of its members; and that
majority, as we have seen, is made up
of those who served in the rebel
army or under the rebel government.
Thus it comes to pass that those who
were only the other day fighting to
destroy the government have now,
through the Democratic party, secur-
ed possession of the popular branch
of Congress, have the power to say
what it shall and what it shall not
do.
This is certainly significant and
startling result. 1t shows first of all
that the government whose legisla-
ton permits such possibility has
been anything but Oppressive" and
"tyrannical" in it's treatment of the
defeated rebel foe. 1t shows in the
mere practicability Of such result a
magnanimity unparalleled in the his
tory Of the world. But it also raises
other questions of the most sugges-
tive character. Whether the appro-
priations for carrying on the govern
ment shall be made will depend upon
those who are just fresh from the at
tempt to overthrow the government
Whether the principal and interest
of the debt incurred in saving the
Union shall be paid will depend upon
those who fought to break up the
Union. Whether the pensions of
the MANNED and crippled Union sold
iers shall be continued will depend
upon their bitter foes. Already the
threat has been made that the appro-
priations for the army and for other
vital national purposes shall be cut
off. And whether they shall or not
is for those who fought under the
rebel flag to say.
Isn't this most extraordinary state
of things? Isn't it an astonishing
result? 1t seems but the other day
that after four years of bloody war,
costing a million lives and billions Of
treasure, the rebellion was finally
subdued. Had any one, on that
great day of Appomattox Court
House, predicted that in less than
ten years the American people would
put the control of the House of Rep
rescntatives in the hands of the rebels
defeated, would he not have been
pronounced mailman? And yet
that is precisely the result we now
see, as the fruit of the Democratic
success. Many who shared in bring
ing it about doubtless had no thought
of such conclusion. And how do
they like their work. ldany Jour-
NAL