Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-02-01
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carry out their plans. 1t is stated that five
out of six Democratic members from
Mississippi have been notified that their
seats win be contested by Republicans.
Several contested cases will come up
from Alabama, three from Louis
lana, three from South Carolina,
one from Florida, one from ATkan-
sas, two from Virginia. one or two from
North Carolina, and q number from
other States. The only member from
Mississippi who escapes contest is Mr..
Money, and there was no Republican
candidate in his district An impression
seems to have gone out that the Repubi-
cans intend to unseat goOdly number OF
Democrats from the South in the next
House, and nearly every man who ran
for Congress as a Republican in this
section has given notice Of contests.
The reasons why the country will be
RECALLED with so many contested election
cases during the next Congress are mani
fest In the first place, the Republican
party has established precedents in past
years which encourage Republican Con-
gressional aspirants, especially in the
South, to hope that. no matter how pre-
posterous their pretensions, Republi-
can majority will not hesitate to fly in
the face Of all justice or even decency,
and give them the coveted seat and
salary. Hence it is that the very mo-
ment it was ascertained that the
next House Of Representatives would be
Republican by a small majority. nearly
every Congressional candidate OF that
political stripe in this section, who was
fairly beaten at the polls by his Demo
ocratic rival, even if he did not receive
handful Of votes, rushed promptly for
ward and announced his intention to
contest. And he was the more encouraged
to do so because the Radical majority
would be small, and he knew how de
sirous his party would be to increase
its strength by any means, fair or foul.
In the next place, Republican Con-
crosses of late years have deliberately
put a premium upon contests. They
have allowed contested cases, where
there was no possible justice in them, to
drag their slow lengths along throughout
the whole, or nearly the whole, session,
and then, even if at length dismissing
the case, allowing the contestant a lib
eral appropriation for defraying the
expenses of his contest. What
greater temptation could possibly be
offered poor carpetbagger who de-
ponds upon politics for his bread and
butter, than to run for Congress, turn an
honest % penny, by getting up show of
making a contest, and then receiving
from the public treasury several thou
sand dollars for expenses Doubtless
this custom of the United States Con-
gress has proven a boon to many de-
feated politician, and we shall hear of
numerous contests over seats in the
National Legislature so long as it is con-
tinued.
But while the numerous Republicans
of the South who propose in this way to
inaugurate raids upon the Public Treas
ury during the coming spring, may be
enabled to "scoop"in thousand or so dol
lars, we do not believe they will accom-
plish their designs Of unseating by whole
sale legally and duly elected members
from this section. The Republican
party is as wise as a serpent, and as
cunning as a fox. When prior
to the 45th Congress it was
one of their customs to cheat
every Democrat of his seat whenever
possible, it should be remembered that
they possessed overwhelming power.
Congress was more than two-thirds Re
publican, and that party felt that they
owned the country, and could commit
any outrage with impunity. Now, how
ever, the times have changed. The
political power of the two parties are
quite evenly balanced. 1t will take
very little to turn the scale, and the Re
publicans know that for their legion of
acts Of gross outrage formerly COM
mitted they were turned out of power in
1874, and have never yet been able to re-
cover their lost prestige. For this reason
it is likely they will be very wary how
they again outrage the people of the
United States, and will be very careful
how they refuse seats to members IN
doubtedly elected, and give their posi-.
tions to disappointed and defeated aspi-
rants. Our Southern Republican con-
testants will therefore, in a majority of
cases at any rate, find that in calculating
on writing NJ. c." after their names,
they have been counting without their
hosts