"They are opened, and awful is the smell thereof!  Millions of politicians have suddenly begun to prate, with unprecedented energy, even for their tribe, and they foul all the air with their corrupt and suffocating breath.  It is all about reconstruction.  The truth is, that the more Congress reconstructs, the more the South goes to pieces.  But Congress is in for it, now, and goes bravely on, hoping at last to get the reconstruction bull where they can hold him.  Every morning, after breakfast, Congress passes a brand-new Reconstruction Act; after luncheon they amend it and put some Constitution in it; when it is time to go to dinner, they repeal it, and get ready to start fresh in the morning.  . . . "