Daily Los Angeles herald., 1881-09-29

In the HERALD as paid advertisements
We reserve, for Places of worship, graf
ts directory, which will appear every
sunday morning.
TAe spe eias session Of ane SENATE
It would have been difficult for
President Arthur to have escaped
the duty of calling special session
OF the Senate, and he would have
more nearly responded to the de-
mands of the situation by conven-
log both the Senate and the
House. Except for his proc
lamation converting the upper
house there would be but
one life left between the United
States and chaos. The HERALD
feels indulgent towards the new
President, and declines to greet the
first days of his advent to power
in any spirit of hypercriticism, but
it must be borne in mind that the
extreme partizanship of Arthur
alone prevented the election OF
President pro tenn of the Senate.
After the purchase of Malone,
that body was Republican only by
the casting vote of the Vice Presi-
dent; and, owing to this cause,
Arthur declined to absent himaelf
for = siBgle day from its sessions,
and thus failed to give that GUS
tomary and decorous notice Of his
absence which permits of the Sc
lection of q temporary presiding
officer. While the Vice President
thus carried partizanship to an ex-
treme, he could not then have
known that Gen. Garfield would be
assassinated by fanatic, and his
departure from the customary
usages thus takes on a more venial
hue.
The fact is that, in the present
grave conjuBcture, there should be
both q President pro tenn Of the
Senate and Speaker Of the House.
In view of the lessons conveyed in
the assassination of both Lincoln
and Garfield, too many precautions
cannot be taken against even re-
mote contingencies.
In less than two weeks from to-
day the Senate of the United
States, in pursuance of the new
Presidents proclamation, will as.
semble. The newspaper CORES
pondents are already at work, and
their latest pronuneiamiento is
that Senators Edmunds and Gar.
land have put their heads togeth-
Or; and that, as q result, the Re-
publicans are to get the President
pro tens-with the succession to
the Presidency should Arthur fail
to live out the balance of his term
while the Democrats are to be
accorded the Secretary and Ser
geant-at-Arms of the Senate. 1t
Is hardly necessary to say that we
do not believe word OF these glib
and malign Examinations. Our
hope and belief and devout prayer
are that they are mere leather and
prunella.
As matter of fact, the resigna-
tion of Conkling and Platt, and the
death of Senator Burnside, left the
Senate of the United States with
thirty-eight Democratic members
to thirty-five Republicans, CHASING
Malone with the latter party. 1t
IL In the power of the Democrats to
proceed at once to organize that
body. 1t is its clear and impera-
tive duty to do so, unless, all along
we have been engaged in q pitiful
masquerade and really do not be.
lieve that the ascendancy of Demo-
cratic men and measures will be
beneficial, to the extent in which
it can be rightfully established, to
the country.
Under the present system of the
government of the United States,
the minority has no rights which
the majority are bound to respect.
Not only that, but there are
such gross features of injustice
in our boasted scheme Of
constitutional government that
. party may be largely in the pop
ular majority and yet have no art
or part in the administration of
national affairs. The excuses Of
the Republican party brought
about the tidal wave which made
even Massachusetts, elect the Dem
Ocrat CASTOR Governor, and con-
verified House Of Representatives
tbree-fourths Republican into q
body two-thirds Democratic, and
yet the Democratic party was shut
~ completely out Of any participa-
ton In the government OF the
country as though 1t could only
muster q corporaps guard. It is
true that the unexampled reforma-
tory impulse enabled us to elect
Mr.. Tilden President by q popular
majority Of two hundred and sixty
three thousand votes and by q
rightful electoral majority Of thir-
ty-seven, but the bureaucratic, I'M
dnr the lead of Zach Chandler. Sea-