Rensselaer Union, Volume 7, Number 22, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 February 1875 — A Grave Mistake. [ARTICLE]

A Grave Mistake.

The political bill adopted by the joint Republican caucus, providing for the re-enactment of thaVWortion of the Ku-Klux act which gives the President the righ ( t of suspending the writ of habeas corpus, and using the army and navy, the appointment of Marshals to supervise elections, and the arrangement of lhe various details of voting, is a grave mistake, to characterize it as mildly as possible. In the first place, it is always a political mistake to legislate partisan measures which cannot be enforced, or which, if enforced, would prove fatal to the party originating them. The present Congress seems to be rushing blindly into law-making without reference to the fact that in the next Cotigress the political power, the law-making power, and the revenue other words, the poWer of the law, the purse, and the sword—passes into the hands of the Democratic party. The fact seems to have been overlooked that lhe Rcpublu;>» party was beaten last fall by 500,900 votes, and also the other serious tact that thellouse, after the 4th of March next, will have a Democratic majority of at least sixty, with a probability that, in the elections yet to come in New Hampshire, Connecticut, California and Mississippi, this majority may be increased, and that this new House will have control of the purse and the sword. The only tenure of power left to the Republican party is in the Senate, and this grows feebler and feebler, and oflers little consolation to those who thought after the election last fall thst the Republican ascendency in that body could not be disturbed. The present Senate stands: Republicans, 50; Democrats, 19; Independents, 4; vacancies, 1, ThenextSenate willstand : Republicans, 39; Democrats, 28; Independents, G, with the seat to be filled from Louisiana and the two new Senators from Colorado. As none of the Independent Republicans like Cameron, Booth and Christiancy are hot partisans, and cannot be relied upon to act with the caucus on all purely partisan measures, and the seats from Louisiana and Colorado may be filled with Democrats, it is barely possible that the Republicans may have a majority of 8 votes in the Senate. This feeble thread is all that holds the Republican party to its tenure of power in Congress, and the fact should be an instructive lesson with reference to instituting doubtful legislation for future use. A still greater objection to this political bill lies in the fact that it is probably impracticable and certainly impolitic. Granting that it could be enforced, would it not result in throwing the whole South into a fever of excitement and be a damaging blow to the Republican party? Is it not the very measure which, of all others, the Democratic party would like to see passed, and against which they will be more than delighted to record their votes? The passage of such a bill would certainly exasperate the South and excite disorder in States now at peace,lt would array the white race in more determined hostility to the blacks than exists ncßr.* It would do nothing to benefit the colored race It would threaten the peace of the South with new disorders. It should be the policy cf the Republican party to legislate in the interests <jf peace and harmony, to bring about good feeling* in the Southern Stages between the whitest arid blacks, and in every way tp conciliate the stronger rjfoei

in all its relations to the weaker. A drop of will catch more hornets a cup of vinegar. W hat occasion is there for the -ref enactment of the Ku-Klux act in auy_State in the South, possibly excepting Louisiana? There are no unlawful white organizations in these States,'no trouble at the polls. The elections take place quietly and regularly, and few complaints are made either by -whites or blacks. Trouble exists only in a single State, and yet the Southern carpet-baggers have deviled a scheme of legislalation which, if carried out, might plunge many of the Southern States into the same or worse condition than exists in Louisiana, and undo all that has been gradually and slowly done towards the establishment of peace, order, and good government. If the Republican members of 'Congress want to destroy the Republican party, they w ill promote that- purpose by reenacting repressive and provocative measures which had been repealed or expired by limitation, and for which there is no urgent necessity existing. The thing is a blunder in any light m which it can be viewed, and is only placing into the hands of political opponents. — Chicago Tribune. —4 Congress should lose no time in taking position on the Arkansas question. This is equally necessary in order to relieve the "public mind of a growing anxiety in the matter, and to prevent the case itself from becoming further complicated. The committee appointed to investigate the cas?, and who spent some time in Little Rock doing so, report against any interference. The President, on the other hand, recommends the deposition of Garland, and the recognition of Brooks, as legally elected two years ago. We believe that the country will very generally agree with the committee that there is no sufficient reason at this time for interference in the affairs of Arkansas. Nothing but the most urgent case can justify such interference, and we see. no such urgency at present. The fact that the Republican party is in peril there, is no reason for such interference. If the Republican party can only be established in that State, or any other, by the constant use of force and bayonets, it must go down. The present constitution of Arkansas is the work of the people'in Their sovereign capacity, and Garland is undoubtedly the choice o-t a majority of the voters of the State, for Governor. His removal and the substitution of Brooks would plunge the whole State into confusion, and be followed! by the Louisiana business over again. We believe the recommendation of the ’President to be unwise, and trust that it will not be adopted by Congress. — Indianapolis Journal. A house three miles west of town was burnt dawn, Tuesday morning of last week,...Mr. John Lucky died of consumption on the 10th instant, aged 30 years.,..A census just, taken shows the population of Remington to be 962, actual count. The business and dwelling houses number 166... .In Remington Lodge of Good Templars last Thursday evening the following officers were installed, viz: Adrian Smith W. C. T.; Mrs. Ralph W. V. T.; Al. J. Kitt W. S.; Cl Harlacker W. T.; 11. C. Downing W. M ; Sophia Cross D. M.; Mrs. A. C. Chappell Chaplain; Maggie Coover 1. G.; John Irwin O. G.; Estelle Edwards R. S.; Hattie Lookwood L. 5.... J. A. Irwin has. dressed 4,000 fowls and 100 hogs, this winter... .Dr. Landon intends to build a nice frame residence, in the north part ot town, this spring... .Rev. Mr. Hendryx commenced a series of lectures, last Tuesday evening; meetings are being held in Anglemire’s Hall, by the Church of God; and services are also held in the M. E. Church every evening.— Compiled from Remington Record.

“What did you pay for your dinner?” asked the Earl of Dudley when he met George IV., who was then Prince of coming out of a country hotel in Suflblkshire. “Only fifteen shillings,” responded the prince. *‘l, too, paid only fifteen shillings,” said the earl. “Well,” returned the prince, “the price is cheap, very cheap, for such men as we.” Representative Garfield, of Ohio, has the same opinion in regard to the bill passed in Congress to defray the expenses incurred by King Kalakaua of Hawaii in his visit to this country. Garfield moved to suspend the rules of the House, and appropriate the suntjOi $25,000 for this purpose. The Congressman from Ohio thinks this a small sum for a king, especially as be has visited a great nation like ours. Congress has not yet passed the bill for the appropriation of $160,000 in aid of the suflorers nT Nebraska. Why not suspend the rules and pass this bill, too ? It would, perhaps, be too much to ask Mr. Garfield to move in this matter.’ The Nebraskans are only common people.—-V. K Irish. World-