Year: 1874

The Republican majority in Congress
began the session by repeating the OBJ
uoIiouS salary bill. They have reduced
expenditures nearly or quite thirty mil
Hons. They have succeeded in carrying
the government over the exigency of the
panic and loss of revenue without any
increase OF taxation. They have passed
IL one branch and are preparing in the
''Aer measure Of mOiety reform. They
are slrlAinS down the wrongs of the Dis
.'''0 board of Public Works, and devils
l''- d new and improved system of gov
gr-lHeh'- They have broken up the
9"i,'o'H contracts, repealed the law
ui'er "iheh they We're made, and in
conjunction with the President, are
cri'inE from the service all the officers
connected with them.


Besides these questions the only other
OF general interest and Importance be-
fore Congress is the currency problem.
ON this point, at the present time. the
net result Is nothing, or rather it is the
failure of miSchievOus legislation and
progress Of sound and healthy senti-
meut. \ more intelligent and correct
opinion has grown in Congress and out
oi il since the beginning of the session.
Whatever division existed on the sub
irct has not been one of party. or amen
able to party influence, or involving
party responsibility. Congress met with
the representatives of the West and
South, regardless of the party lines, in
tent upon the expansion of the currency
Their own eagerneSS has since been
curbed. They are gaining jnster con
ceptiOn of the real sentiment of their
own sections. They are awakening to
a trucr understanding of the character
of the JestiOn. Remembering the spirit
with VIII. 4 they came together, it may
be considered a great gain that vicious
legislation is defeated The President
has saved Us from the i'll effects of their
miSjudgment, and a great advance to-
ward lust conclusions and wiser action
has been made.


Reviewing the whole field, what bet
ter would have been done with any
other party in power! Is there any rea-
son to believe that the Democratic party
would have done as welll Does its past
history furnish any ground for thinking
ii would have instituted so searching an
examination into the wrongs of its own
members. Could it have done more in
the way of reform even if it would !
Would it have been likely to do as well
even if it cOuldl Going back over this
record of the past winter, there is scarce
" anything in the country we would
change except the action ON the currency
question. On this point there would have
been no different result if the Demo-
Gratis had been in the majority, for the
Democrats of the east are no more
=. n
and the Democrats of the west are Just
as much in favor OF it as their opponents
IN that section. Indeed, when we re-
member all the heTesies of the Demo
cracy on the questionable advocacy by
some of direct Reputation, the declara-
tiOn By the national convention in favor
of indirect reputation through the pay
ment of debt in greenbacks-it must be
evident to every candid mind that the
question is far safer in the Republican
party than 1t would be i'll the hands OF
the Opposition.


So far as other points are concerned,
the country could ask nothing more than
Congress has done. Its Investigations
have cOnfessedly been of the most rigor-
GUS character. Its action has been all
that the investigation suggested The
facts we have named stand out clever
and sharp as the distinguishing features
Of the session, and they must satisfy the
demands of the most exacting. Every
thing in the present attitude and past
character of the Democratic party goes
to show that the country would sutfer by
a change from one to the other. Happi-
Is there Is very little prospect ef such
mistake. IUdHy Journal.