New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-03-07

;dopt will have the Republicans united IN his
.rnnort if the Democracy carries out It's plan
Of attempting to cOerce him.
THE SESSION NOT AN ACCIDENT.
,rG1sll ATOM TO SAVE soUTHERN DEMOCRATS FROM
PRISON AND POSSESSION OF THE SENATE
orrIrFs wANTFD-TuE SESSION SURE TO HAVE
BEEN FORCED ANYWAY.
WASHINGTON. March 6.-The extra session OF
Congress was not brought about by an accident 1t
ala not grow out of DISPUTE between the two
,oIit,col parties which arose i'll the course OF the
legitimate business nor was 1t made necessary by
the importance from Democratic point OF view,
NJ the legislation which the House of Representa-
+iyes undertook to force through Congress against
the opposition of the Senate and the Iresldeht,
That legislation the Democrats are now Determined
10 enact but It was not urgent, even IN the es
tmation of the party of revolution, as TO make 1t
necessary for the House to take the extreme meas
urcs which it did.
The extra session was definitely determined upon
bv the reactionary faction in the joint caucus OF
the Democrats weeks ago; and the only question
after that which had any weight with the Bourbon
leaders was how much political legislation 1t would
be necessary to put upon the appropriation bills in
order 70 force the Republicans into q determined
and uncOmprOmising resistance. The men who con-
troed that caucus never intended that an arrange
ment Of differences should be made; and if at any
stage Of the proceedings one had seemed probable
or nossible other measures even more obnoxious to
the Republicans than those proposed would have
been insisted upon there would have been hli-
clustering to prevent the conference reports from
being adopted
The repeal of the election laws and test oatbs for
jurors and prohibition of the use of United States
troops to qucl election riots, all distnctvely
n
some of the guards to the purity of the balotbox,
and to make more difficult the punishment of Dem
ocrats gull of election frauds in the South. The
measure which among them all the Democrats con-
slder of more Immediate Importance than any other,
the repeal of Sections 800 and S2l of the Revised
Statutes relating TO jurors. The first of these makes
participation in rebellion ono of the causes OF
disqualification and grounds of challenge of grand
and petit jurors in the courts OF the
United States and the second authorizes the
District-Attorney in his discretion to require
every Juror to take an oath that he mas
never participated in rebellion. Tho first Of
these sections repealed ythe ALilId Congress-
when both houses were controlled by the Repubh-
cans but by mistake was incorporated into the Re-
yised Statutes the Democrats being much
sponsible for that blunder as the Republicans. An
act was passed by the Republican Senate. carly in
the late session, repeating again. but II was never
acted upon by the Democratic House. The asser-
tioD that the Democrats of the House were unable
10 pass il is not trne. They had majority Of that
body. and as Speaker Randall has often remarked
from the char, the majority can do anything.
The reason this bill was not passed by the House
for it would not have been resisted by the Rcpub-
Leans as party was that il was to be used as one
Of the means for forcing an extra session. The
Democratic party III the Southern States was guilty
of the most gigantic frauds in the election of last
November and many of those frauds were commit
ted in such bungliur way that the legal evidence
Of them is ample and conclusive. A score or more
Of these ballot-box suffers and false counters have
already been convicted in Baltimore and sentenced
hy Judge Bond in the United states Court Some Of
the Florida Democrats already in the
penitentary, and others will probably follow them
before many weeks, while nothing except packed
juries prevent the conviction of scores Of men
in South Carolina and Louisiana. These results in
Baltimore and Florida have been accomplished
without the application of the test oath to Jurors;
but in South Carolina and Louisiana public opinion
is so strong, or at least the pressure which the
Democrats are able to bring to bear upon people of
every kind is so great that in the plainet cases the
juries if not composed of loyal men, would he al
most certain TO disagree. The personal danger that
many of the Democratic leaders are in makes the
repeal Of these sections therefore matter of some
importance.
The repeal of the election laws is not Of any such
urgent Importance. In fact the experience of last
Fall proves that the presence of United States SUI
reryiSors at the polls in the Southern States
does not by any means prevent fraud. Ii
only makes the detection of fraud a little more
easy In some of the large cities Its operation is
directly to prevent repeating and false registration.
There was no present occasion whatever to press
The provision forbidding the of troops to quell
election riots because there has been no disposition
shown on the part of the present Administration to
make anv such use of the soldiers of the United
States.
The real purpose Of the Bourbon Democrats IN
forcing the President ocal extra session was two
fold. First they impatient to obtain control
Of the Offices Of the Senate and secondly the Tcyo-
utionary faction believed that they would be
stronger this Spring before the excitement and par
tisanship Of the late session has had time to COOL
than if they waited until next December before
they made their contest for the control OF their
Marty in the next Con rcss Although Mr.. Randall
Is a strong enough partisan, II Is true that the
greatest opposition which he Will have 70
meet IN his contest for the Speakersmp VIII
be that of the ultra BOuTbOns, led by Mr.
Black burn. Mr.. Randall always makes a quiet
campaign aud would he sure o gain strength II he
had the whole Sumner and Autumn IN when TO
perfect his plans. MT. Blackburn, on the other
hand, is lull of dash, and is aggressive tighter
but probably would not hold out as well as Mf.
Randall. His friends were confident that ne
chances Of election would be much better tins
Spring than nIne months from now; and his friends
controlled the Democratic party IN the House dur
ing the last session.
light IN the extra session on the political measures
hey have put forward, for TO meet, organize, pass
lhe appropriation bills and adjourn, leaving those
measures still incomplete, would be to confess that
they had attempted 10 deceive the country as To
neir purpose IN making an extra session necessary.