The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1879-11-29
Views after The Battle.

Washington, Nov. IL. The
TALL elections are now over, the re
suits are before the country, and
the causes that "per ted most ef
to produce them may bn
without passion or par
Chief Of these WAS the
extra session, which in all res
pects turned out to be II great pc
litical blander. The responsible
ty for tlfat movement actually !
rests with Mr.. Thurman, for with
out his CONSENT and cooperation
and urgent advice it never would
have been adopted. lie did not
shrink from MOI seek to evadc
the responsibility.
In adopting this policy Mr..
Churman's chief ann was to StIan
gle the 80 called sectional issue
by bringing into pr0mlnence the
questions of freedom and purity
Of elections, honest jnries, abOli>
ton OF tho test oath, and militia
~ interference At the polls. But
he lefi. out of view the fact that
the South constituted IA majority
Of the Democratic party in both
Houses of Congress, and forgot
that it would b" made most cons
spicaous by tho political change
in the Senate. He neglected al
10 to take notice that MIR. COnk
ling, MIR. Edmnnds, and Mr..
Blaine were active in The closing
days of the Forty fifth Congress-
in forcing u condition Of things
that would inevitably lead to an
extra session.
The Republican leaders saw
their advantage and opportunity
in the chance to revive old preju
dices by All aggressive sectional
campaign on the eve Of the tall
elections, and they were too glad
to second Nh. Thurman, through
\ fierce opposition that entrapped
Mr.. Beck aud others into violent
declarations that, once fooliShly
spoken, could not be retracted Or
satisfactorily explained away.
Thus, by a fatality, Mr.. Thurman
farnishe! his opponents with the
very weapon they most desired,
and OF which he had labOred earn
estly to deprive them.
The charge that the Southern
members Of Congress favored OF
supported the extra session in
the private councils of their par
ty, and therefore are to I've held te
account Tor it, il without any sOl
i'll foundation. The real truth is
they opposed that programme
earnestly in caucus, as they did
the scheme of mounting riders OF
the appropriations. They advo
Gated the passage Of separate
bills to repeal the obnoxious laws
and if vetoed then to vote the REF
ular appropriations, and go to thu
country OIL the issues thus made
mp.
1t is known that this proposed
policy vas defeated by Il bare mi
.jority in caucus, obtained entire
~ through the superior influence
Of Mr.. Thurman and bis friends
who regarded it az u great tr
umpll, and as = feather in his cal
for the Presidential nomination
No suggestion was ever made
about stopping the supplies IL
these conferences, and the publ,
speeches on that point express.
the individual opinions Of ti,os.
who rade them, and not the AL
thorized sentiment OF any delibel
alton on the subject.
Quo Of the inspiring motives Of
the extra session on the part O.
the Oppout nts of Mr.. Randall
was the hope that by u sudder
move they could capture tn,
Speakership for Mr.. Blackburn
The peculiar friends of Mr.. Thu
man. and Of Mr.. Tilden, too lik,
Mr.. McMahon and Mr.. Springer
and Mr.. Morrison. were most &C,
tive in this opposition. And bu'
for the discretion of the South.
ern members, u Confederate COLI
nel would have been lifted into
the third place in the Govern.
ment by these Northern mana
gers.
This is the exact truth of a re.
cent chapter in political history
which is little understood by the
country at large, or even by
those who profess to be we'll in
formed. So tar from the South
forcing the issues which are a.leg
cd to have provoked public re-
sentiment, the South was forced
into the position it occupied
against it's own judiment. The
Questions upon which Congress
legislated, and which the Fraudu