number the Democrats had but
eleven. The loss of four still left the Republicans in possession of
more than two-thirds of the seats in the Senate. The House had even a
larger proportion of Republican members. These facts were destined to
exert a wide and then unforseen influence upon the legislation of
Congress and upon the political affairs of the country.

The House concurred promptly in the amendment which the Senate had
made to the resolution providing for a joint committee on the subject
of Reconstruction. It is not often that such solicitude is felt in
Congress touching the membership of a committee as was now developed
in both branches. It was foreseen that in an especial degree the
fortunes of the Republican party would be in the keeping of the fifteen
men who might be chosen. The contest, predestined and already
manifest, between the President and Congress might, unless conducted
with great wisdom, so seriously divide the party as to compass its
ruin. Hence the imperious necessity that no rash or ill-considered
step should be taken. Both in Congress and among the people the
conviction was general that the party was entitled to the services of
its best men. There was no struggle among members for positions on
the committee; and when the names were announced they gave universal
satisfaction to the Republicans. There was some complaint by the
Democrats that they had only one representative upon the committee in
the Senate and two in the House, but the relative strength of parties
in both branches scarcely justified a larger representation of the
minority.(1)

Even before the announcement of the names a great number of resolutions
were offered in the House, intended to call forth expressions of
opinion that should operate as instructions to the new committee, but
none of them were of marked importance, except one indicating the
pronounced divergence of the two parties regarding the mode of
reconstruction. Each political party, in such parliamentary
declarations, seeks to get the advantage of the other and each is in
the habit of overrating the importance of expressions in this form.
They are diligently contrived for catches and committals to be
subsequently used in political campaigns, but it may well be doubted
whether they ever produce substantial effect upon legislation or
prove either gainful or hurtful in partisan contests. The practice
is somewhat below the dignity of a legislative body, has nev