River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1879-03-13
EXTRA SESSION OF CONGRESS-.

The failure of two appropriation
bills before the Forty-Fifth Congress
which closed ON the 4th inst, has ne
cessitated an extra session of the Fol
/ ty-Sixth Congress which has been call
ed to convene ON Tuesday next. TIL
failure of these bills was brough
/ about by the persistence of Democrat
in attaching thereto wholly irrelevan
and partisan measures for purely pc
/ litical purposes. This result was ca
serly sought by the Democratic mem
hers who duly appreciated the fac
/ that the Senate of the next Congress
would be Democratic. and they
desire an early regeneration of thai
body and its early erystali2ation into
an active Democratic majority. Thu:
far the principal interests in the or
ganization of the next Congress has
centered in the house. Ex-Speakel
Randall. of PennSy lvania, is the can
didate of the Northern Democrats and
Representative Blackburn, of Ken
lucky, is backed for this position by
the rebel Brigadiers who insist that as
they represent the bulk of that party
their wishes in this matter should be
deferred TO; the Northern Democrats
fearing the effect upon their party OF
an unqualified rebel organization OF
the House at this time manifest a dis
position not to permit the Southern
wing of their party to run the entire
machine without protesting againstlt.
Thus the Democratic party finds itself
again divided into two wingS-a
Northern and IA Southern-each of
which expresses a confidence in its
ultimate triumph upon the question
Of organization. IT, Republican
members will look upon this "Kilken-
ny cat fight. which promises to give
tho opposition q lively shaking up,
with ill-conceaIed satisfaction, but
we apprehend no serious rupture as
the opposition is too strongly united
in a common purpose which has a
much deeper significance than simply
the reorganization Of the House of
Representative to permit difference
of opinion upon this point to Illustrate
its ulterior design. In the Senate
Senator Bayard leads the better ele-
ment Of She Democracy, but unfor.u-
nately his follwing is very small, while
Senator Thurman is the champion of
the 'stolwarts' and will doubtless be
chosen Pres dent pro ten. of that body
without serious opposition; the con
test in the Senate will be over the
minor offices instead of the leading
ones as III the House, there being at
least a score of applicants for every
place at the disposal of the Senate; at
ter the whole matter shall have been
settled there VIII be heard Il "Wailing
ana crashing of teeth" among many
who have stood faithfully by the par
tv at all times and under all clrcum-
stances" because they were not among
tile .'chosen.
That the Democratic majority of
which Congress is now composed will
attempt 20 practically bulldoZe Presi-
deut Hayes. who now stands alone be
tween those contending factions in the
late civil war III the United States, we
have no doubt, and if the Chief Exec
utive proves true to his trust the re-
sponsi bility for any failure upon the
part of the Government to perform its
customary functions must rest with
the Democratic party, and the people
will hold that party responsible fol-
any jeopardy in which it shall place
their interests. 1t has been given out
that the first act of the next Congress
will he the removal of all restrictions
for the preservation of a fair and i'm
partial ballot; it is expected that this
act will not be sustained by executive
approval, and in retaliation appropii-
..tions for the sustenance of the Gov
eminent viii be withheld by the Dem
ocratic Congress. In case this pro
gramme is carried out the end of this
matter cannot he foretold, and there
viii be just cause for grave apprehen
sions for the future of the Govern
ment.