Year: 1879

AL of the Republican papers and few OF
those of Democratic proclivities affect tc
look witt grave concern upon the prospect
of the dominating influence of Southern
members in the succeeding Congress. They
speak of them contemptuously as 'Southerr
brigadiers,' y and harp a great deal about
what they will do to overturn the existing
order of things. We must confess that We
do not share in the forebodings of oul
brethren on either side of politics. In the


first place the Southern members of Con.
gress in both branches are mon of unques.
toned ability. A majority of them were, il
is true, enlisted in the cause of the con-
federacy. They we're forced into an al
legiance which they esteemed to be a just
one, and acquitted themselves like men.
When the war closed they submitted to the
inevitable, and accepted its results without q
murmur. In that acceptance they swore
that they would abide by the constitution
and the laws of the United States, including
the amendments to our organic law which
were adopted without their sanction, and
while they were fighting against the union.
We have yet to see any evidence which will
indicate even the remotest intention on their
part of violating the obligation they took
During the past ten years they have proved
themselves as faithful and as patriotic
as have the members chosen from the North
ern States, and on frequent occasions the
Northerners have had reason to look to the
Southern members for an example of disin-
terestedness and non sectionalism that was
that the Southern Senators and Representa-.
tives have deliberately perjured themselves
we cannot impute to them the motives that
some of the members of the editorial pro-
tession charge them with.


There is simply this in the whole matter
The South has done what everybody knew
she would do, given in her adhesion to the
Democratic party, because that party is con-
ceived to be non-sectional and truly demo
cratic. The people there have chosen their
best men to represent them in Congress
They were, unfortunately, engaged in the
strife that years ago distracted our country.
That, however, is not to their discredit.
They were, in ante-bellum days, men of
mark, and remained so after the tribulation
was over. Having accepted the altered con-
dition of things they are certainly entitled
to credit for good intentions until they give
proof that they have been false to their
oath, and have determined on course that
all must see will be suicidal. These men
are not mad. Expediency, if no higher
motive, will induce them to course in con-
sonance with the best feeling of the whole
country, North as we'll as South. Such has
been the course of the Southern people
thus far, and such, we have every reason to
believe, will be their course in the future,
There is no cause for alarm, even if the OK
pectations of the ultra Republican journals
are verified by results, and the South be-
comes the controlling power in Congress.
Yet this IS by no means fixed fact. There
are men in the Democratic party at the
North who will in the future as in the past
exercise q controlling Interest in both
branches of Congress, and will prevent the
domination of the South. We predict that
the legislation Of the next Congress will ba
not only non-partisan but non-sectional,
and that no harm can come from the pre-
ponderance of the Southern members in
Congress-.