New-York tribune., 1876-11-21
THE RESPONSIBILITY OF CONGRESS-.

nortance The emergency OF a close ana uls-
nuted Presidential election, which has so many
times in the past forty years been specuiateu
upon in the press and among the politicians
as contingency involving somewhat OF strain
upon and perhaps peril to our form OF govern
ment, has arisen in fact, and 1t Is for THIS
Congress to meet it. With no other ques-
tion before it this alone would be sufficient to
call for the exercise of the highest wisdom,
the clearest and steadiest intelligence, the
broadest and purest craftsmanship. Each party
will find all its resources of patience, caution
sound Judgment, self-command, liberation, and
good old-fashioned common sense taxed to
their utmost. The passions of heated ana
prolonged Presidential contest, finished but
not settled, will not have burned out so but
that little breath of angry and in
temperate discussion may fan them into
flame not easily qucnched. We should he glad
to believe that before the assembling OF Con
gress the actual results of the Presidential
election will be so established beyond con-
troversy or question as to remove the whole
subject from the field of Congressional debate,
leaving Congress only its usual ministerial
functions, lin connection with the declaration
of the vote, to discharge 1t would be idle to
disguise from ourselves the fact that the
present outlook affords no strong probability
of such settlement. In the ordinary
course of events we may reasonably expect
that the next three months Will be more
or less occupied with the discussion, and we
may congratulate ourselves If the end be
reached and a satisfactory conclusion obtained
before the 4tb of March. The simple fact that
tle Democratic candidates, if defeated, are de-
feated by single electoral vote, is sufficient
to insure the continuance of IA considerable
measure of the anxiety and suspense OF the
campaign up to the last moment before the
final declaration of the result. Then, too, in
popular election there are so many avalla-
BILE prctexts on each side for throwing
out and counting in, and each side
has unhappy given so many occasions Tor
suspicion of dishonesty and fraud that 1t can
hardly be otherwise than that all the inter
ycning time till the final declaration of the
vote will be filed up with the iargon of charge
and counter charge, the din OF elimination and
recIimination, the windiness and wordiness OF
aimless and incessant talk.
But amid it all we may stop moment, and
for the people, for free institutions and p0pu-
lar government for the essential thing at the
marrow of this whole business-inans ca
pacity for self f-govemment-we may score
one. Whatever excitement there is now Is in
newspaper Offices The people are as calm as
a May morning. In the day or two of sus-
pense following the election, there was an
opportunity to sec how both sides could ac-
cept defeat and suffer disappointment. IN the
first twenty -f0nf hours, when Mr.. Tildcn's
election seemed probable if not assured, his
Republican opponents never so much as ut
tered word that might imply unwillngness
to submit to the popular verdict. When
the change came, and 1t seemed prob
able that Gov. Hayes had been
elected, there were few hours when
in some localities the dangerous classes, innu-
enced by the mischievous threats of dema-
gogues, clinched their fists and set their teeth
and began to get ready to lead out Riot to re-
enforce Reform but they had neither the num-
bers nor the courage to do more than blnster,
and with that it stopped. Only in a few news
paper Offices where the illusions of hope have
been too suddenly dissipated and temporary
madness has supervened, is there now any
talk of dsputing the conclusions, whatever
they may be, which shall be reached under the
forms of law, which are, after all, our surest
guarantee Of justice. The People, though not un-
interested or unmoved, and without having lost
any of their faith in the leaders or their belief
in the political doctrines they supported and
maintained through the campaign, are still
patient with each other, tolerant toward Op-
pOnents, and quite content to abide the result,
whichever way 1t may be declared. If any
trouble is to be apprehended, it will not origi-
nate with the masses of the people. They at
least are in the exercise of patient philos-
Ophy, and the enjoyment of comparative
serenity of temper. Whatever disturbance
of the public mind there may be
upon this vexed question hereafter will
not come from them, but from the ambition
of headstroDg and intemperate political leaders.
These leaders have great personal interests at
stake. Ambition and greed, political prefer
ment and pecuniary gain, are powerful incite-
mcnts, and there are some among the dis
appointed seekers after power and pelf who,
under the influence OF these passions, will only
be deferred from mischief by sense of per-
sonal danger. The hope Is that the better
Judgment and wiser cOunsels of the less am
bilious and less greedy viii direct the action
of parties and the course of events
1t is in this view of the case that so much
depends upon the good sense, the large patri-
Otism, the tolerant spirit, the calmness and
sobriety of the men who compose the present
Congress. We have had occasion to critcise
the policy of this body sometimes, its gen.
eral behavior often. The responsible majority
is not remarkable for strength, ability, or good
Judgment 1t has shown great lack of unity of
purpose, of earnestness sincerity, coherence. 1t
Ill 81, onH Irra Qnl