Year: 1875

10 means that the control Of the nezt
House of Representatives is IN the
hands ofhose acko tcere personally
o oEcsally, and actirely engaged in
carrying on the rebellion and seeking
to destroy the government. 1t means
that the mastery of legislation and Of
the purse of the nation has been ac-
quired by those who were lately
seeking to break up the Union. For
consider the facts. The Democrats
have 1913 members of the next house,
being majority of60 over the Re-
publieans. 0fthis whole Democrat
ic strength, 80 is a clear majority.
Of this 50, the actual fighters or Of
ficers under the rebel flag have at
least so, possibly the full Seer
tainly enough, with the help of one
or two Northern dough-faces where
a score could easily be had, to give
them an 1nquestioned majority on
the Democratic side.


Now what follows? The House
of Representatives, with its power
over legislation and ali the appropri-
ations, is under the control of the
Democratic members; the Democrat
ie members are under the con-
troll of the caucus which deter
mines the policy of the party; the
caucus is under control of a majority
of its members and that majority,
as we have seen, is made up of those
who served in the rebel army or un-
der 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 pos
session of the power to say what 1T
shall aud what it shall no. do.


This is certainly d significant and
startling result. 1t shows first of all
that the government whose legisla-
ton permits such q possibility has
been anything but Oppressive" and
ctyranniealp in its treatment of the
defeated rebel foe. 1t shows in the
merespracticability of such a result
magnanimity unparalleled in the
history of the world But it also
raises other questions of the most
suggestive character. Whether the
appropriations for carrying on the
government shall be made will de-
pend upon those who are just fresh
from the attempt to overthrow the
government. Whether the principal
and interest of the debt incurred in
saving the Union shall be paid will
depend upon those who fought to
break up the Union. Whether the
pensions 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 depend up
on their bitter foes. Already the
threat has been made that the appro-
priations for the army and other
vital national purposes shall be cut
off. And whether they shall or not
is for those who fought under the
rebel flag to a..


Isn't this a most extraordinary
state of things? Isn't it an astonish-
ing result2 1t seems bnt the other
day that after four years of bloody
war, costing millions of lives and
billions of treasure, the rebellion was
finally subdued. Had any one, on
that great day of AppomatOx Court.
house, predicted that in less than
ten years the American people would


put the control of the House Of Rep
resentatives in the hands of the reb.
els there defeated, would he not


have been pronounced q mailman
And yet that is precisely the result


we now see, as the result of the
| Democratic success. Many who shar.
ed in bringing it about doubtless had
no thought of such q conclusion.
And how do they like their work