The New York herald., 1876-12-04
The New speaker.


Blaine lett it He is well versed in the
rules. has quick perception of their ap-
pllcation in sudden emergency, is man
OF indomitable courage, energy and perse-
verance. and, what is not less important he
has the firm physical health on which all
night sessions and protracted excitement
have little effect. Beyond any other men,
Der OF the House he is endowed with the
quality which in q racehorse we call
bottom" 1t is to be hoped that occa-
sions VIII not arise for testing his endur-
ance; but If they do arise Mr.. Randall will
be found equal to the emergency. In the
most critical conjuncture of the session
the meeting of the two houses to count
the electoral notes.-the handling OF the dem
ocratic forces may require consummate skill.
1t is by mere parliamentary courtesy, not by
legal right, that the President of the Senate
has heretofore been permitted to preside
over both houses when SO assembled. The
constitution says that he shall open the GER
tiicates; it does not say that he shall pre-
side. Each house may if it chooses main-
tain its own separate organization in that
joint meeting. The House of Representa-
difference or conflict But if the Speaker of
the House should exercise his functions as
presiding officer in the presence of the
Senate he might need ali his dexterity. 1t
is to be hoped that the electoral votes will
be counted in the ordinary quiet and cour-
h,,k 81 : o+1,o
Mr. Randall has the vigor. decision and
parliamentary knowledge requisite for such
o conjuncture.
Mr.. Randall can be better spared from the
floor of the House than he could have been
last winter. The promotion of Mr. Blaine
sence of General Butler from this Congress
leave no very formidable leaders on the re-
publican side. The committees will remain
substantially as they were at the last session,
the new Speaker making appointments
only to fill vacancies. Mr.. Randalls own
preparations will be filled by Mr.. Holman,
whose name stands second on that COM
mittee, and the new Speaker will have no
important new appointments to make. The
House being already organized Mr. Randall
is relieved from the most trying duty which
ordinarily falls on new Speaker.
An Opportunity for Secretary Morrill,.
Now that Congress is about to meet the
public mind will be. we trust, directed to
some other subjects besides the Presidential
election. With the Presidents Message we
shall have the reports of the heads Of depart
ments, and we wait with some curiosity and
also certain anxiety for the report of the
Secretary of the Treasury, to see what, if
anything, he has to suggest towards re-
sumption of specie payments. Mr.. Bristow
had very little to say on this subject in for
mer reports. He was concerned mainly with
the whiskey tax and other details of that
kind We hope for better things from Mr..
Morrill,, who, we believe, really knows
something about finance, and who ought to
see that Congress and tho country have q
right to require from the head Of the Treas
ury suggestions towards fixed financial
policy. Mr.. Chase, Mr.. Fessenden and
some others of Mr. Morrills predecessors
thought it their duty to present to Congress
o definite policy on the finances, and we be-
lieve they were right.
In his speech in Wall street before the
election Mr. Morrill, asserted very conf
IDENTIFY that we could resume at the time
fixed by the Resumption act. 1t is now
time for him to show to Congress and the
public the way to do it, and we have a right
to hold him responsible, under the circum-
stances, for Treasury policy. 1t is Of
course possible to resume by buying and
boarding gold, but we trust the Secretary
SO costly and SO necessarily disturbing to
exchanges and to commerce as this. We
should like to see him adopt the sound view
that the greenbacks are not really currency.
but debt, that they were originally issued as
debt, and that provision should be made to
fund them as part of the debt If he would
take that view of them his course would be
plain, and he or his successor could really re-
sumo by 1879 for on that view what is needed
is authority from Congress to issue four
per cent bond in which greenbacks could be
redeemed on voluntary presentation, not to
be reissued, Of fcourse. The times are auspi-
cious for such policy as this the present
Resumption act in the main answers well to
such course, for its provisions in relation
to the increase Of national bank circulation
are such as would prevent stringency from
any possible withdrawal and funding of
greenbacks. We believe If at the last
session the Secretary had been authorized to
redeem greenbacks on presentation in a four
per cent bond he would by this time have
been able to fund and extinguish no less
than fifty or sixty millions of them, and
that their disappearance would not have
been felt by the public or by trade
IT the Secretary would present to Congress
o,,ob n ,,o1iny fhis and 1o IL not timiI1y