The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1876-07-12
WHAT THE HOUSE HAS DONE.
A Record that Does Honor to the Dem
ocratic Party and the Country.
IEdshinnton T.Lenrnm.

What has the present house of represen
tative done for the country? The organs
of the administration which are edited by
the government advertising; the ring Re-
publican politicians which have not been
locked up in the penitentiaries; the con-
ventlons Of Office holders whose only pur-
pose in life is to keep their hold upon the
public treasury, and one or two newspa
pers like the New York Tribune which
are on the fence, with one leg down on the
Republican side. solemnly assure us that
il has done nothing. They tell US that the
house has forfeited public confidence and
proved by Its deeds that the majority in it
ought at the next election TO be swept
away, and the benches il occupies filled by
men who were true to the country in its
hour of peril, and who, when the hour of
peril passed robbed it upon the right and
the left; who turned everyone OF its de-
partmeuts into den of lnfamy; used its
Offices for the purpose of making money;
plunged the whole country into financial
panic, from which it has not yet recovered,
turned by its vicious legislation millions OF
men into the streets to beg; filled the
work houses and iails, and brought shame
and disgrace upon Republican institutions
abroad.
The men who did this, so-caled indie
pendent journals, like the Tribune. are
asking the country to again place, ana to
give them again the opportunity to con-
tnue their work of destruction and drag
the nation to still lower depths Of financial
and political ruin. Let US see what the
present house has and has not done:
!. 1t has not elected u speaker like
Schuyler Colfax, who used his high Office
to enrich himself; who was bribed and
bought by every band Of adventures aud
swindlers who came to Washington dur
ing his term of office; who was caught in
the Credit Mobiher iniquity, who was de-
tected in stationery frauds to the house
and exposed as broker, receiving regular
commission from New York paper es.
adjustment. IL has net elected speaker
like james q. Blaine, who used his posi-.
ton to influence legislation in favor of rail
road subsidies, who accepted brides as the
agent OF fire arms company. and who sold
rulings and legislation for SO much cash
down, III shape of railroad bonds.
=. Since it met last December it has
not been devislng ways and means, day
after day, TO get money out of the treasury
On the contrary, 1t has cut down the ex.
trayagant estimates OF the department,
aud, il the senate will pass its bills, has
reduced the running expenses Of the gov.
ernmcut nearly $4O0OO,OO0 Fer auuum
Instead Of making places for the creature,
Cf the administration, creating offices ion
men to live IN idiancss at the expense o
the sureiy taxed people, it has abolished
every Office that was not absolutely neces
sary, aud, So lar as it could do 20, stopped
the leaks in the public treasury.
3. 1t has not leglslated freedman
bank into existence and placed it in thu
power of lot of men to steal the earning
of the poor colored men of the south
amounting to millions OF dollars. On tn,
contrary, it has taken the robbers ant
swindlers who did that infamous work b,
the throat, exposed their rascality, an,