Montgomery County sentinel., 1890-10-31
TYJE NEYT CONGRESs.

Great interest centres in the Congression-
al elections, especially in districts that are
closely contested Upon the general resul.
much depends. A Republican Congress will
signify complete partisan control OF the gov
ernment for the remainder of Harrison's ad-
minstraiion. If the majority is slender,
Reedsm will be renewed in unseating
enough Democrats To make it safe and
strong. These arbitrary tactics were EN-
pioyed in the present Congress to strengthen
the Republican majority, it were folly to
suppose they would not be applied again in
iike circumstances
With the legislative and administrative
departments oi the government controlled
by Republicans, there would be no check to
partisan Legislation and the work OF max
ing such control permanent would proceed.
Already Territories with no just claim to
such distinction have been admitted into
the Union so as to swell the Republican
vote in the House of Representatives, United
States Senate and Electoral College. In
this way population less than a single
States Senators, or three times as many as
the imperial Commonwealth o: New York,
with its 100000 Of inhabitants. In this
way the Republican party has greatly
strengthened itself without any growth of
Republican sentiment
The next step, il the temper OF the people
apparently tolerates it by the election of an.
ether Republican Congress, will be the pas
sage of the ioice bill with the view of con
trolling Southern elections by an extraordi.
nary usurpaiion OF power, and so swelling
Republican representation from that sec
lion. 1t would be a fearful menace to the
peace, commerce and prosperity of the coun-
try, but with such leaders as Tom Reed,
Beden, Lodge and McComas, all these
things count for nothing. Rule or Iuin is
their policy, regardless of right or conse-
quences. This bill is in reality the domi-
nant issue in the Congressional campaign,
and the Republican press and speakers con
Tess their weakness by keeping it in the
background SO far as possible. But no in-
telligent observer of affairs of whatever par
iy can doubt that Republican victory would
he vociierously hailed as an endorsement of
that measure. The election of a Democratic
Congress would bury it forever.
The pendency of the force bill furnishes
u powerful argument in favor OF Demo-
cratic Congress, and will probably con-
iribnte largely to that end.
But for the purpose of argument, let us
suppose this measure as dead as it deserves
to be, and look at the matter on general
principles, apart from tariff and force bills.
Division of power and responsibility in
the control of "a great government is un-
dou5tedly desirable. The proverbial curse
Of the world is that it is governed too much
afflicted with over legislation OF the max
ing of laws there seems to be no end, and
they are wonderfully mixed and multiplied.
Many of them involve wasteiul expendi-
ture and needless aud oppressive taxation.
Caucus rule may impose terrible burdens
ON the country. But with one branch of
Congress Republican and the other Demo
cratic the volume of legislation would be
largely lessened, in itself blessing, and
confined in greater measure to the Etces,
stiles Of the nation.
With the thoughtful, conservative classes
these considerations will have weight and
induce many votes for Democratic candi-
dates that could not be secured were the Ad-
ministration and Senate Democratic.
In the next House of Representatives
there will in all probability be a Demo-
cratic majority. and for the reasons stated
or suggested herein unprejudieed and pa
frioiic citizens will. we opine, come to the
conclusion that such result will but har
monize with the welfare of the republic.