The Sun.
London, England, 1870-05-14 00:00:00

AMERICAN CORRESPONDENCE.

(From the Anglo-American Times)
WASHINGTON, April 22.
Senator Thurman left to-day for Ohio quite in,
and he has had enough worrying and bickering in
the Chamber to make any one ill. lam surprised
that more Senators, considering the state of mind
into which they work themselves, do not fall sick.
Stephen Preston, a white man, though a citizen of
Hayti, has arrived here to take the place of General
Tate. The President gar a dinner to the new
Judges on Wednesday, all the members of the
Cabinet, many Senators, and several leading
lawyers were present. We do not get on fast in
the investigation business. The House Committee
on Education and Labour, to whom Gen. Howard
has been turned over, have examined Mr. Mullett,
supervising architectof theTreasuryD epartment, an d
his evidence certainly goes to prove that the Howard
University was not built of good brick, that the
patent building block was not of suitable material,
that even had it been, the brick put in had not been
properly hardened, and Mr. Clarke, architect of
the Capitol, corroborated that testimony. The
Senate have gone in for an extensive investigation,
having handed over to their Judiciary Committee
charges asserting that the votes of Senators against
the Bingham amendment to the Georgia Bill had
been bought with money. Assistant-Postmaster
Porter offered Judge Hughes, formerly a member
of Congress, a large amount of railway bonds, en-
dorsed by Georgia to secure Senator Carpenter's
vote against the amendment. Porter was rigidly
cross-examined, and his testimony is considered
far from satisfactory; indeed, it is openly an-
nounced that the Committee have information
injuriously affecting certain Senators. The Sena-
tor-elect from Georgia, Joshua Hill, submitted
papers showing that Mr. Carpenter had been
offered $lO,OOO of bonds; but while the reports
of corruption are freely made, they are as confi-
dently denied by many, who assert their purpose is
to influence the vote on the bill. The acts of Ter-
ritorial officials is being looked into by the House
Committee on Territories. The legislators have a
playful way of levying black mail; for instance,
in Idaho they mulcted and pocketed $5 per month
from every Chinaman who entered their precincts.
In collusion with the officials large sums are ex-
tracted from the U.S. Treasury. The salaries of Go-
vernment officers are fixed by law and paid by the
general Government, but they get more from the
Territorial Legislatures, which, at the same time,
vote something for their members, and all has to
be made good by Uncle Sam. Mr. A. E. Boon,
of Tennessee, who was driven from his home in
Benham county, has been before the Reconstruc-
tion Committee, giving evidence, I suppose, not
favourable to that State. The French Minister has
presented from his Government, through Mr. Fish,
a fine gold watch and chain to Dr. G. E. Cooper,
the surgeon at Fortress Monroe, another to Dr. Galt,
and a third to the Rev. Father O'Keefe, for their
services to the French man-of-war Le Curteux when
in Hampton Roads last summer with yellow fever.
There were some exciting scenes in the House on
Wednesday, when 100 members of the Ohio Legis-
lature were admitted to the floor. The case of J.
H. Sypher was called up, and a vote to admit him
for the First District of Louisiana being carried,
the Representative walked to the bar to be sworn in,
when the aspect of affairs suddenly changed. Mr.
Brooks moved to reconsider the vote, which the
Speaker pronounced to be out of order. Mr. Ste-
venson, who was managing the case, flew at Brooks,
and during the wrangle " Sun-Set " Cox came for-
ward with a written protest against Mr. Sypher,
when Stevenson turned on him, and while that
wrangle was going on a conspiracy was hatched
against Mr. Sypher, general filibustering com-
menced, and a motion to adjourn was made; but
while the votes were being counted the active
canvass against the new member was continued,
and a resolution to reconsider being carried, an-
other followed declaring that the election was not
valid in the First District of Louisiana, that neither
Sypher nor Martin was entitled to the seat. Never
was there a closer affair, and the failure is ascribed
to Mr. Stevenson, who is a young member. The
Free-Traders declared that the ironmasters of
Pennsylvania had determined to vote for Mr.
Sypher on the understanding that he would sup-
port the Tariff Bill of the Ways and Means Com-
mittee, and Mr. Kelley was accused of having
in a conversation said that he would vote for him
in order to get another vote for the Tariff, a
statement, however, which Representative Kelley
positively denied. Controller Hurlburd declines,
though pressed, to give his views on the Funding
Bill, and it is believed they would be in opposition
to those of his official superior, Secretary Bout-
well. He thinks we cannot fund under 5 per cent.
until we have returned to specie payment, and he
would favour a uniform 10-40 Five per Cent. Bond
without forcing the national banks to take these
securities. General Spinner is not so reticent, as
he keeps on writing to the directors of the national
banks. He tells a story in a letter to H. B. Wilson
how a board of directors sent a resolution they had
passed to the Representative from their district,
directing him to vote against the Funding Bill.
Gen. Spinner says that the Government could at
any time resume specie payment within 90 days,
were it not for its endorsement of the national
bank notes. The banks are not prepared to pay, and
have no intention of preparing until forced by Con-
gress, and it is for this reason he hopes that the
Funding Bill will be passed. To the lobbyists have
been added the committee of steel manufacturers,
who brought up a petition signed by nearly 100
railroad officers, asking fora specific duty of two
cents per lb. on steel rails. The signers are sup-
posed to represent half the tracks laid down in the
United States, and the steel manufacturers have
sent a circular to each member appealing for a law
to prevent the annihilation of their business—for
" 1. They are ignored in the present law, from the
fact that, when the Tariff of 1864 was enacted,
steel rails were not made in America. The use of
steel rails began shortly afterward, and they were
classed among 'manufactures of steel not otherwise
provided for,' subject to a duty of 45 per centum
ad valorem. 2. The present classification discri-
minates unjustly against this branch of manufac-
ture. 3. This manufacture is new, and in its
earliest stages, and should just now receive excep-
tional protection. 4. The capacity of the present
works is ample for the present American de-
mand, the total yearly capacity of these Besse-
mer steel works being 100,000 and 200,000 tons.
5. The establishment of works in America has been
followed by an enormous decrease in the price of
foreign steel rails. 6. The Western and Southern
Railroad Companies are at present only interested
in the price of steel rails to keep it down at that
point which will make the domestic manufacturer
safe, and encourage him to perfect his works. 7.
There bas been expended $5,000,000 jn the erection,
and establishment of Bessemer steel works in the
United States, and none of the steel-rail makers in
the United States have paid a dollar of dividend.
They therefore pray for a specific duty of two cents
per pound on all steel rails imported." It is ru-
moured that Secretary Robeson is engaged to be
married to a daughter of Ex-Secretary Bork, and
it is also said that Secretary Fish has renewed the
lease of his house, which means that he remains in
office. There is quite a number of editors here ;
the Chicago Tribune, the New York Evening Post,
the St. Louis Democrat, and the Hartford Courant,
all being represented. Yesterday Miss Hattie
Nichol was married at the Epiphany Church to
Captain Henry Metcalfe, U.S.A. It is denied that
Miss Fenton, the daughter of the Senator, is en-
gaged to General Starring. General Rosecranz has
arrived. You recollect that attention was called a
short time ago to a surplus of $400,000, standing
over from a sum advanced by China to reimburse
Americans who had suffered when the foreign
warehouses were burnt at Canton. The Senate
Committee on Foreign Relations have had the sub-
ject under consideration, and have decided to return
the money to the Chinese Government, to whom
they maintain it rightfully belongs. Congress will
soon consider the resolution, and if the money be
returned, it will be the first instance on record where
a nation haS so acted.

The Parliamentary committee on. the Abyssinian
Expedition sat for a short time this morning. The evi-
dence was unimportant.

The death is announced of Mr. Mann, the second
engineer of the ill-faced Earl of Elgin, who was injured in
the late collision.

A new- monthly magazine will be shortly pub-
ished, entitled the Waif, by Messrs. Bull and Simmons,
Wigmore street. A large list of contributors is announced.

The Emperor has signed a decree raising M.
Emile 011ivier to the dignity of Vice-President of the
Council of Ministers.