Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1879-04-03
Washington Correspondence.

ing has been done toward accomplish
ing the purposes for which it was call
ed. The Senate has appointed the
standing committees and, turned out
the republicans who. were elected to
Their. positions only as the places they
filed became vacant. 1t is the first
time in the history Of this country
that good and faithful officers of the
Senate have been discharged merely
for their political opinions. and shows
the sincerity of the democrats in ad-
vocating civil service reform. With
the democracy there can be no civil
service reform unless it places south
ern democrat in the place of repub-
lican. The persons elected to positions
by the Senate, with one exception,
served in the Confederate army, and
that one was in full sympathy with
their efforts Although there were
several democrats who were loyal to
their country during the southern
democratic rebellion that were appli-
capts for positions, they all had to
give way to those who used their best
efforts to destroy the government
which now pays them for their efforts
to inaugurate the great heresy of states
rights which party has become the
ruling power as far as the legislative
branch of the government extends.
| cannot illustrate this better than by
quoting an article in the Albany, n.
Z, Journal:
The Democratic party takes posses
sion Of the two Houses OF Congress,
and who takes possession of the Dem
ocratic party?
There are AZ Democratic Senators,
and 33 of the them come from the
South. Only 9 scattered Dem ocratic
Senators from all the North More
than three-fourths Of their majority
from the states lately in rebellion or in
full sympathy with them Now turn
to the House. There are 140 Demo-
cratic members, and 100 of the num-
Der come from the South-more than
two-thirds The Northern States,
with their great population, intelli-
gence, progress end patriotism, send
4o Democrats Or about two to a state.
The l6 Southern States send 100-or
practically solid delegation
Thus the Democratic party rules
Congress and the South rules the
Democratic party. In any policy upon
which that section is agreed, it can
dictate the legislative action. The
majority of the caucus decides the
majority Of both Houses, and the
South musters more than two thirds of
the caucus. The legislation of the
Republic passes into the hands of those
who but few years ago were in arms
to destroy it. It is an amazing spect-
acle which presents the Confederates
of recent memory as the rulers of to-
amazing even If there were moth
ing but memories to divide us, and still
more amazing in view Of the conflict
ing interests.
The South pays little of the tax it
wants subsidies and appropriations it
wants river jobs and harbor improve
ments, not for real purposes of COM
merce but to feed localities it comes
forward with claims and seeks to reach
its hand into the treasury. 1t has
deeply suffered and is greatly impover-
ished beyond doubt; its struggle to
heln itsel lf out Of the treasury is per-
fectly natural; as it furnishes compar-
atively little of the revenues whatever
it secures will be clear gain. The
South is master again in the Capitol
If it wishes to nullify the Constitu-
tional amendments, it has the strength
to carry its destructive Legislation
through the two Houses. It's only
check now is in the White House, and
it hopes to capture that next year"
Let all loyal people consider that
this extra session of Congress was not
forced for the purpose of securing any
beneficial legislation for the country,
but for the purpose of repeating the
safeguards to secure an honest election
which stand in the way of fraudulent
Democratic votes in 1880.
The great cry of "Retrenchment
and Reform which has been so blat-
antly used by the Democrats does not
prevent the expenditure of any amount
of the peoples money to advance the
chances of Democratic success in 1880.
Since Congress assembled there has
not been day that there has not been
a caucus of enc OF both Houses to de-
termine what action the Southern
Democracy desire, and woe be to the
Democrat who refuses to be governed
by the dictates. Of the caucus.
Of the thirty-fou standing commit
tees of the Senate, the South has the
Craftsmanship of twenty-five. Senator
Gordon, of Georgia, is chairman Of
the committee on Commerce, while
Senator Herman. Of New York, State