National Republican., 1885-10-24

The Forty.Ninth Congress.
On the ith Of Deccmbcr siN weeks from
next Monday and 217 days after the demise
Of the fotty.cighth Congress, the forty.nuth
Congress will convene. For the first time
in twcuty.siN years new Congress will
find Democratic President IN charge Of the
executive department OF the government.
Lincoln, johnson, Grant, Hayes Garfield,
and Arthur-all elected by Republican votes
have successfully filled the highest Office
known to our fundamental law since that
memorable 4th of March on which James
Buchanan, the latest Democratic predcccs.
sor Of President Cleveland, passed. of the
stage amid the gathering gloom of imPend-
ing war
OF the men who were prominent in ma
tional affairs at that time only few yet
linCcr In the land of the Lying. The years
that have elapsed have been the most event
ful in our history. They have witnessed
the greatest war Of modern timcs-greatest
in the expenditure of life and treasure,
greatest in the issues involved and in the
importance of results achieved. They have
witnessed the assassination Of two Prosi-
dents, the wild raging Of sectional and
| party strife and fcuds as bitter as any
recorded in history or acted in tragedy on
the mimic stage.
But they have seen the ship Of state out
| riding all the storms and tempcsts, the ma
tiom strengthened by atlliction rising higher
and higher among other great powers un.
til she yields precedence to none. They
have seen the people Of this country max
| ing such progress as no other people ever
made-progress in material wealth, in the
sciences and arts, in all the great depart
ments of human industry, IN all that con-
tributes to the strength and grandeur Of Il
nation or cXalts and embellishes life.
1t is not wise to encourage bOastful
spirit, but IT Is well for u people to apprc-
ciate their own work and their own posses.
sions. All the wonders Of history may be
searched in vain for a parallel to the achieve
mcnts Of the United States since James
Buchanan stepped down and Abraham
Lincoln stepped up. And though there is
yet plenty Of room for Improvement in
many directions, though there are wrongs
to be rightcd and errors to be combattc1,
we have the freest and best government on
earth, and our country affords better con-
ditions oslife to those who live by honest
labor than can be found in any other
land.
As the members Of the forty-ninth Con-
grcss assemble the strangeness of Demo
cratic administration in Washington will
set them, as It has us, to thinking of the
past quarter century. If they shall find IN
4 1.
to condemn in the acts Of their predecessors
many wasted sessions Of past Congresses
let us hope that they will resolve to do
better And yet it is doubtful if, however
honest and earnest they may be, they will
succeed in making a good record.
As TO the House Of Representatives 1t /:
too large body to do work speedily OF
well. Including eight delegates it consist.
Of three hundred and thirty-three members
and more than half of these think they hav,
divine command to make set speeches OF
every possible occasion. The rules OF tn,
House afford every facility for confusion
disorder, and the numbering Of time. /
they had been devised with view to oh
struction and detention they would hav
been pronounced complete success. Tn
average day in the House Is a day devote,
to the question, ''What shall we do to-day? 2
The Senate loves to hear itself talk bette
than almost any other legislative body o.
earth. There are some senators who neye
= know how to close the gate and shut Of
!, their eloquence when once It has begun {,
ilOw. There is Senator Morgan, for In
stance-clear in thought quick in percep
tion, elegant in diction-an instructive an
attractive speaker. But If he had tac rlo
., querce Of angels he would not be iustliet
in talking more than half as much as h
insists on doing. 1t has often happene,
y. that when the Senate has debated question
n for many days, during which Mr.. Morga
y has been on the floor more than any othe
senator, and when the tired solOns hav
thought they had got to the end of til
e tedious talking, the president of the Senat
S has stated the question, the clerk Ia
S opened his mouth to call the rol--at thi
c iuncture Mr.. Morgan has risen MS fresh a
Il May morning and started in for anothe
speech which has united all the winds au
= set the floods in motion for another week {
/ fortnight.
II But, being a comparatively small bod,
II the Senate manages to get through its wor
more rapidly than the House, despite 1t
disnclination to limit debate on any que
- I, tion. 1t is perfectly organized and will |
y ready to resume business at the old stan
as If the vacation had been nine hours il
'' stead Of nine months.
The House will have no difficulty in c
fecting an organization promptly, as IL
% old officers, with the exception of on
deceased, will be reelected. The castin
y Of the committees will not require muc
I, time, for most of the reelected members
u the last House will get their old places
be regularly promoted to fill vacancies.