Year: 1871

In spite of the wrangle between backgriards


in the midst of which the House adjourned,
the work of this session Of Congress has been
to harmonize the Republican party. 1t was
full of the elements of dissensiOn. The Rev
"enue Reformersn were blindly bent on a
mischief they did not understand; there was
a fatuous purpose to punish Mr.. Sumner !;
there was a persistent determination to push
the SantO Domingo project, and another
more powerful and not less persistent, to OPP
pose it; there were dozen little cliques
among our members, and as many rival
schemes, about the succession and about minor
matters. The discipline of the Republican
party is never good at the beginning OF this
session it was about at its worst, and as, one
after another, the elements of trouble came to
the surface, even the most hopeful began to
wonder whether these were the signs OF break
ing up.


At the outset, Republican Representatives
were treated to the chill shOwcr-bath of
hundred Democratic votes, sweeping away
our two thirds majority, combining for mis-
chief at every opportunity with the
Revenue Reformers, and actually threaten
ing, minority as they were, to rule
the House Then came the uDwIse war upon
Mr.. Sumner, the instant popular reaction, and
the New Hampshire disaster. Hard upon this
followed the fierce SantO Domingo debate, and
the eloquent arraignment of the Administra-
ton, before crowded galleries and a listening
Country, by leading Administration Senator'S


From these thickening pOrtents three things
wrought an almost instant rescue,-the folly
of the South, the sturdy common sense of the
q Al Il. NnnfI lnSt thn
party that saved the Country should commit
suicide before it's work was done. If there is
one solitary truth, which, before all others,
ought by this time to he beaten into Southern
heads, it is that the requirements of the
Constitution of the United States are
good things to obey. Yet, emboldened by
the signs of trouble at the North, they
suddenly broke out into more violent and
general Outrages against Southern Republicans,
black and white, than have been possible, even
there, for years; and thus compelled an instant
closing of Republican ranks in Congress, on
a measure to repress Ku-Klux Outrages. If
there is one quality which, more than any
other, has distinguished Gen. Grants career,
it is his bulldog tenacity; and if there is one
feature of his Administration policy on which,
more than any other, he has set his heart,
it is his Santo Domingo scheme. Yet,
taking timely warning of the threatened
danger, he sent to the Senate, at the OppOr
tune moment, the report Of the Commission TO
investigate the facts for and against annexa-
tiOn, with the straightforward reassertiOn of
his determination to have no policy to
enforce against the will of the people,
and his entire willingness now to
drop the whole matter and leave it to their
decision. From that moment the danger to
the Republican party from the SantO Do
mingO question was past. Meanwhile there
came, az first fruit of returning Republican
sanity, the unexpected and electric success
in Connecticut, wiping ont the memory of
New Hampshire, and wOrthily secOnding the
efforts of our wiser men in Congress. And
so we may conclude as We began, that the
work of this session has been to harmonic
the Republican party.


The legislative work OF the session is
summed up in some forty bills OF minor and
mainly local importance, and in the two
measures of the session, the Ku-Klux bill
and the Deficiency Appropriations. For
tbe rest, there was the reelection OF
Sneaker Blaine, his decision to postpone
the appointment of Committees TIL the Decent
Der session. and the Scnate's displacement OF
Mr.. Sumner from the craftsmanship OF tne
Committee on Foreign Relations. we
seriously doubt the wisdom oi nav
ing AN immediate session oi tne
new CouGess regularly altU Ipc phA'