Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1876-08-25
The Record of the Democratic Oonfeder-
ate Congress.

The Record of the Democratic Oonfeder-
ate Congress.
THE Democratic Confederate House of
Representatives has closed its nine
months session, and what has it done?
1t must be remembered that this party is
now asking that it be intrusted with the
full control of the Govcrnment-the ex-
ccutive and legislative branches-that it
may govern the whole country according
to its policy. For fifteen years it was
excluded, and when it got control of the
House of Representatives it. promised
that the House would show the country
what the party would do if it had the
full power. The country will be curious
to know what the House has done during
the nine months it has been in session.
1t has had thirty or more partisan in
vestigating committees at work scraping
the kennels of politics, seeking the ma
terial for a campaign document against
the Republican party or some of its mem
bers. In that series of Investigations it
brought to light that the deceased wife
of Secretary Bclknap had received money
from an oilice-holder, and that, upon her
decease, the corrupt contract was con-
tinued for her child, and that afterward
it was continued to her sister, who also
became the wife of the Secretary. They
discovered this fact and warned Belknap
that if he did not resign he would be
impeached, and, when he did resign, inn
pcached him that he might be acquitted
because he had resigned But in the
hunt for Belknap they brought to light
another distinguished gentleman
George H. Pendleton, of Democratic
famc-and besmirched him in some re-
spects as badly as they did Belknap.
For nine continuous months two
separate committees bounded Secretary
Robson, and inquired into every matter
public and private in which he had ever
been concerned AS a result, after TAX
ing evidence equal to thousand printed
papers, the committees, mainly composed
of lawyers, were unable to state that he
had done anything criminal, and they
recommended that another committee in
quire if he had committed any offense,
and what; and whether his otfense, if
any, was impeachable or not.
Another committee for several months
mOused around the Department of Jus
tice and for while boasted that they
had discovered the use of $50, 900 by or
ders of the President for corrupt political
purposes, but further investigation dis
closed that the $50, 900 had been used
according to law to detect and prevent
fraudulent registration and ballot-boA
stuffing in New York, and that the cX
penditure had reduced the Democratic
majority 10000 in New York city
Whereupon, the bottom having falleI
out, exposing nothing but Democratic
obliquity, there was no impeachment o.
the President and the investigation wa'
dropped.
While these investigations have beer
going on in the name of reform the House
has from time to time been compelled tt
investigate itself Its own officers
chosen by itself, have one after another
proved faithless, incompetent, and have
required to be dismissed, showing that i
the Democratic House of Representatives
in the appointment of Comparatively
small number of officials, has selected 81
many who have proved incompetent, dis
honest, or unfit, what will be the resul
of placing at its disposal the entiT,
civil service of the United States.
So with the rest. OF the thirty o
more Investigations, the net result is tht
smirching of Belknap and Pendleton; al
the rest is the mere raving of disap
pointed and baffled partisan malice. TIT
Democratic Confederate House, repre-
senting party that has been bowling
for ten years over the evils of excessive
/ -.
months in continuous session and neVel
reduced or proposed to reduce taxation
to the amount of penny. Under thu
Constitution the House was exclusively
authorized to originate bills to reduce
taxation. Armed with this absolute anC
exclusive authority, the party which hal
been weeping so many years about tho
weight Of taxation under which the peo
pie are groaning promised much, bu
what has the party done? Mr.. Morrison
proposed bill, prepared outside of thu
House, to modify some portions of thu
taxation by the tariff, and the House fo
eight months refused to consider it, re
fused to take it up, refused even to have
it read or debated. No other bill hold
ing out even a faint promise for the re
duction of taxes was ever proposed o.
limited at Under the Republican re
forms instituted and executed by Secre
tary Bristow the collection of the reve
nue. had so improved as to promise
large increase, but the Democratic Con
federate House interposed, and has 81
weakened the machinery of collection a
to threaten loss of revenue.
Nor has the Democratic Confederat,
House been any more successful in deal
ing with the currency or providing rem
edy for hard times. During the min,
months of session the energy of the bod,
has been devoted to preventing vot
being taken on any proposition concern
ing the currency. Even on the motion
to repeal the Resumption act nearly hal
the Democratic members ran away
lodged the vote, and refused to go OF
the record either FOR or against the re
peal. On the subject of the silver coin
age the same cowardice and imbecilit
ruled supreme. The bill authorizing tha
coinage was never permitted to come +
a vote-was choked off, these men aspiI
ing to rule the nation dared not vote i
favor of restoring the honest coin dolla
! which had been surreptitiously repealed