Year: 1876

be the subject of Eay political expert


ments. In the next place, the poor pro,


fessors at West Point are the very last


officers of the army who ought to be


reduced. They are performing most


responsible duties to the country at very


moderate salaries, when they could get
more in civil life. Three or four years
ago, one of the professors thought he


would make something for himself, and
an Insurance company appointed him
actuary at salary thousands of dollars
greater than he got at West Point. With
what conscience can member of Cong
ress-who serves only half year at
S5,0OO-vote to reduce the salaries of
these professors working for half that?
See again the same aristocratic and sell
fish tendency in the proposal to cut down
Second Lieutenants, when it is the high
officers and the staff of the army which
get the high and unnecessary emolu-
ments. If the chairman of the Military





army, let him begin with our large and
expensive staff.


Again, our army can not be reduced
with safety to onr frontier. Does Cong
ress know that the General commanding
the Department of Texas asked addition
al forces from the War Department, and
they could not be had? Do they not
know that the Mexican Government is
not able to restrain their own marauders
along the Rio Grande, and that, there
fore, we must defend that whole line of
frontier. The coast of California must
have part of the artillery to garrison
its ports. The same is true of the Allan
tic and of the Indian frontier. If we
reduce the army we must leave thous-
ands of frontier people exposed to the
savages and the Mexicans, besides leav-
ing all our fortresses unnamed, to the
contempt of foreign nations,


Thirdly, we come to the spirit which
animates part. if not the whole of the
Democratic majority. That spirit is
simply revival of the rebellion, or of
the principles on which the rebellion
was founded.


Mr.. Hills speech defending the hor-
rors of Andersonville was atrocious. 1t
has no rival in the annals of modern
civilization. We have had party spirit
at the highest; we have had speeches
sympathizing with England and Mexico
when they were at war with us; we have
had the widest and most terrible doc
trines advocated, but never before have
we had a member of Congress in his
place defending barbarisms worse than
those of Algiers, and cruel as the tor
ments of Indian warfare. In the midst
of this horrid and disgraceful exhibition,
we had Mr.. Cox trying to turn it off
with the jokes of the Kings jester.


After the tragedy and the farce, we
had a purely didactic performance from
Mr.. Tucker, of Virginia. This was
parrot repetition of the resolutions of '9S
and the South Carolina session. 1t was
so disgraceful TO the intellect, as well as
the popularity, of the Democratic party,
that Mr.. Holman, the leading Democrat
of Indiana, had to reblke it, and it was
done very effectually. The party owes
Mr.. Holman much more than it thinks,
for if it was no. for him and a few like
him, it would go headlong over the
precipice to political destruction.


The lessons of this Congress, which we
have now briefly reviewed, are very
obvious. 1t is an incapacity for busi-
ness and want of craftsmanship, which
are painfully obvious to the whole coun-
try. There are, doubtless, some changes
and reforms which might be made. In
them, the Republicans-should they
appear to be real-will cheerfully con-
cur. Both parties are on their good
behavior. Neither of them can afford
now to play off any more political tricks.
Let them both aim at the general well
fare. One thing is pretty obvious, that
the Democrats must shake off such lead
ers as Hill, Tucker, and Lamar, unless
they want to meet total defeat. The
country is not ready for another rebel
lion, nor for the defense of a rebellion.
1t will not allow the play of ''High Life
Below Stars ~ the traitors of a yet
fresh rebellion. Z. ID. Nj.


JANUARY "a, 1875.