Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1881-03-09
"CONGRESS-A RETROSPECT'

1t is very seldom that the editor of
the Philadelphia Times Col. Mcclure,
eats Democratic food enough to digest
fair article relating to our party.
However, in bis issue Of the Sd OF
March, ne did the fair thing, and We
give our readers his views under the
above caption, as follows:
Tomorrow noon the functions Of the
Forty.sixth Congress come to an end,
and the Democratic domination of
six years will be brought to Il close.
Though not called upon to deal with
events so momentous as the three Con.
crosses which followed the advent of
the Republican party to power in 1861
these six years are marked with some
excellent as well as some questionable
work. Remembering the condition of
the country in 1875, when the untrain.
ed leaders Of the majority took their
places, to deal with public affairs, en-.
lightened popular judgment will credit
the party now going out with a record
on the whole not to be ashamed OF,
though the work accomplished falls
far below what the friends Of reform
had right TO expect The Demo.
cratic party, however, must forever
bear the honor OF the first steps in
turning the government back TO the
course Of economy in administration
which signalized the carly traditions
Of the country. they set the exam.
pie Of selecting their best and purest
men for responsible places and they
close their career with the passage OF
funding bill marking the highest wa.
ter mark of national credit and en-.
lightened legislation.
Ii can never be forgotten that at a
time when party domination had come
to mean the right to plunder the Ma.
tlonal Treasury, to place VIGOROUSLY
corrupt men in places Of trust the new
majority, after fifteen years exclusion
from power, chose Michael G. Kerr to
the Speakership aud drew the lines
openly against subsidy and jobs. Since
1875 it has been the complaint of the
free.handed in Washington that there
was no longer a place for the lobby.
The jovial ranks Of these sinister
make-weights to the legislation between
1861 and 1875 found their occupation
gone under the austere regime of Kerr.
No member of the lobby was permit.
ted TO go upon the floor Of the House,
whereas, before bis day they had
swarmod In the seats of the members.
The oppulent feasts OF the rings which
bad been wont to enliven the social
life of the capital came to an end, and
it is the glory of the retiring party
that their tenure was denounced as
dull and Improbable to every form Of
the shilty trade OF lobbying-irom the
astute log rolling of the Pacific monop
olists to the transparent bullying Of
the venal stoolpigeons.
The court Of the king of the lobby,
which had been before Respondent
with every rank of legislative lie,
came to an end, and tho fallen mon,
arch became a wanderer without hope
or purpose, until the revolution of last
Autumn opened the way for renewal
of his reign But the majority did not
content itself with merely tentative
woll-doing, 1t pushed the practice Of
reform aggresslyely. The first session
Of the House was illustrated by the
uncovering of the colossal corruptions
then existing. The hands of Secrota.
ry Bristow were upheld, in the face oi
strong executive opposition, to lay
baro the memorable thefs of The
whisky ring, involving the reputa
tions Of nearly every eminent friend o.
the administration In more or less init
mate connivance, and tracing the gull
ty ring into the very office Of the Pres
ident. The expenditures Of the gov
ernment were cut down at one blow
thirty or forty millions. The scandals
OF the post leadership system were ex
posed and corrected, duplicating tn,
Secretary Of War in the extraordinar,
rasoalities, and in spite Of the olamor
and adroit obstacles Of the still power
iul minority, he was driven in igno
miny from his place The robberie
Of the Navy Department-perhaps tn,
most shameful and reckless of whicl
an administration had ever boon con
victed--were laid bare, and, though
the chief culprit escaped by technical
ties aud the interposition of powerfu
party machinery, the practices whicl
were wasting the national substanc,
were brought 10 an end.
! The pronigate expenditures In III,
Department Of Justice, the PRINTING
Bureau, the Commissariat and othe
departments were exposed, and il un
happily not punished, brought to al
end. The odious reign OF the carpet
bag debauches was overturned and th,
thrifty knaves who had been living OF
the plunder OF helpless Commonwealth
chased from the haunts ofciviIized men
4 The baleful interference Of the arm,
in civicproceedure was checked, thougI
not 30 effectively as law abiding eli
zens could wish. Tho Forty.fourtI
Congress may be said 10 have foun,
1.-THE country in the chaos that follow