Year: 1875




The very suggestive statement is made
that eightgfoe members Of the nert, or
ortyf0urth, Congress either seyved in the
rebel army or held ciUH positions under the
rebel GoUernment. We suppose this mum.
Der embraces those in the Senate as we'll
as those in the House. And yet there
can only be very few in the Senate. We
do not know the exact number, but an
examination of the list shows that 1t
probably does not exceed five at the
most. The remainder are in the House
What does this statement mean? II
means that the control of the merit House of
Representatives is in tie hands of those Soho
Dere personally, oftctdlLy and dctiUely en-
gagged in carrying on the rebellion and seek
ing to destroy the Government. 1t means
that the mastery of legislation and of the
purse of the nation has been acquired by
those who were lately seeking to break
up the Union. For consider the facts !;
The Democrats have 1853 members of the
next House--being majority of sixty
over the Republicans. OF this whole
Democratic strength, eighty-two is a
clear majority. OF this eighty-two, the
actual fighters or officers under the rebel
flag have at least eighty, possibly the full
eishty-two- certainly enough, with the
help of one or two Northern dough-faces
where score could easily be had, to
give them an unqGestioned majority on
the Democratic side.


Now what follows? The House of
Representatives with its power over leg
islation and all the appropriations, is un-
der the control of the Democratic mem
bers; the Democratic members are under
the control of the caucus which deter
mines the policy of the party; the eau
Gus is under the control of the majority
of its members; and that majority, as we
have seen, IS made up of those who have
served in the rebel army or under the
rebel Government. Thus it comes to
pass that those who were only the other
day fighting to destroy the Government
have now, through the Democratic party,
secured possession of the popular branch
of Congress, and have the power to say
what it shall and what it shall not do.


This is certainly significant and start
ling result. 1t shows, first of all, that
the Government whose legislation per
mits such possibility has been anything
but oppressive" and "tyrannical" in
| its treatment of the defeated Iebel foe.
1t shows in the mere practicabiity
OF such a result magnanimity Lnparal-
leled in the history of the world. But it
also raises other questions of the most
suggestive character. Whether the ap-
| preparations for carrying on the Govern
ment shall be made will depend upon
those who are just fresh from the attempt
to overthrow the Government. Whether
| the principal and interest of the debt in
Cured in saving the Union shall be paid
will depend upon those who fought to
break up the Union. Whether the pen
sions of the manned and crippled Union
soldiers shall be continued will depend
upon those who struck the wicked blow.
Whether the true and loyal men of the
South shall have any protection will de-
pend upon their bitter foes. Already the
| threat has been made that the appropria,
| tions for the army and for other vital ma
tional purposes shall be cut of. And
whether they shall or not is for those
who fought under the rebel flag to say.


Isn't this most extraordinary state
of things? Isn't it an astonishing re-
suit? 1t seems but the other day that
afler four years of bloody war, costing
a million lives and billions of treasure
the rebellion was finally subdued. Had
anyone, on that great day of Appomat
tox Court House, predicted that in less
than ten years the American people
would put the control of the House oi
Representatives in the hands of rebels
there defeated, would he not have been
pronounced mailman? And vet that
is precisely the result we now see, as the
fruit of the Democratic success. Many
who shared in bringing it about doubt
less had no thought of such a conclusion


And how do they like their work.
Albany EUening Journal