Daily evening star. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854, 1853-12-17
WASHINGTON NEWS AND GOSSIP.

scented to be evidence Of weakness by the
Herald Of New York and its kindred presses,
have not the slightest bearing upon the prob
able future success of the measures and views
of public policy which the President is known
to favor. A tria, has been had in the House
as to the strength of The Presidents policy
with reference to Rivers and Harbors-a fair
| trial. On that question, his message was sus.
tanned by an overwhelming majority; 80, also,
in the case Of the Pacific Railroad question,
which has already been before the House on
three different declaratory resolutions, de-
signed to test its strength in three different
ways. On each of them the action of the
body was prompt and emphatic in sustaining
the views OF the message, of course. 1t is
worthy Of remark, too. that nearly all the
Hard Democrats out of the New York delega-
ton, and some of the latter, too, ranged them
selves In those contests undor the banner of
! Pierce Indeed, there are not ten Demo
| cratic members Of this House whs profe.s
| sympathy with the ayowed Democratic oppo-
sition OF the Administration, who do not
! claim that they are devoted to each and every
recommendation of the message as strange az
| it may seem. The danger of serious demo-
cratic opposition, if there is real danger of it.
| which We cannotperceiye, arises from the secret
prOclivties Of certain members who claim to
| be friends of tho Admi nistration. They are
in the hands Of the lobby for the most part.
and are eager to work out the lobby. ends
They will como Gro long to be ranked as oppo-
sition men or NE are mistaken in tho signs of
| the times. As soon as those outside who work
the wires controlling the action of such gem
tlelnen, perceive that the cause of the lobby
is utterly hopeless, so far Us any expectation
| of favor from the Administration for any of
!, their schemes is concerned, their men in the
Democratic ranks will get to voting against
the views of Pierce upon all questions on
which they mny not DO required to register
| their individual votes in black and white;
essaying to create as much embarrassment rs
possible by following out that course. On the
whole. the contest in the House. between the
Administration and its fierce opponents will
not be on great questions in which the whole
country take interest, but rather on secondary
ones, the bearing of which on the future of
the Administration is not perceptible to the
| country at large 1t is very certain that the
lobby embraces. at this session, a larger mum
Der Of talented and influential mon, than ever
before, and that it has much more money than
usual at command. From every State in the
Union, it comes up in force to resist to the
death, in the contest against its very exist
ence, which all who will may know Pierce
is bent on fighting out during his four years
in the Presidency. 1t will fight with desper-
alton, making any and every combination
within its reach. However, it is quite clear
that 1t can make no combination which may
be likely to prove dangerous; as the Wing
party will form no such atIiliaion. That is GER
| tain.
NUNCUPATIvE WILLs.--A claim was recent
ly made by a female for the arrears of pay.
&c, due a private soldier, deceased, under
bis declared intention to make a will AMI
leave her everything of which he might die
possessed The claim was rejected by the
Second Comptroller Of the Treasury. The
general rule is, that wills of soldiers and sea-
men shall be in writing, and attested by an
| officer. Nuncupative wills which had their
origin in tho dark ages, when very few per-
SONS could read and write, have been more
| and more discontinued in modern tunes and
nations, and now, even in Great Britain they
are wholly abolished except in the case Of
mariners ut sea and soldiers in actual service
| Ii is somewhat singular that in the very eases
| n which alone the laws Of Great Britain and
| New York admit nuncupatiye wills the Gov
! eminent regulations and practice require that
| they shall be in writing. and attested by an
! officer, II the testator be not himself an
! officer.
of opposition is evidently greatly embarrassed
by the blunt refusal of almost all the nine
lately boiling Senators to agree to take ground
against any position of the President upon any
. one great question before the country He
cannot bring them up to the scratch Of going
into opposition when, as at present, Demo
cratic opposition means simply fighting the
administration because it stands ready to pre-
vent Senatorial and other speculations on the
Treasury Of the United States This fact is
so palpable to the public at large at this early
day, that not more than two or three nominal
~ Democratic Senator's regard their own fu-
ture SO hopeless, as to allow them to risk it By
going into such combination as Senator
Bright proposes. There is not single req.
ommendation Of the message, we know which
does not meet with hearty sympathy from
Senators Hunter, Mason and Atchison nor is
there a single position upon questions not
treated in tho message on which the Admins
tra'i0n IL understood to stand, which is not
also IN excellent favor with those gentlemen
We have very recently learned. blythe BY,
that the vote Of Mr. Atchison on the Senate's
printing question. was the result OF personal
UNSATISFACTORY With the tN1OW s course in the |
difficulty between himself and Colonel Benton
in Missouri, in which, he concaiyes, he failed
to receive the backing from that journal to
which he holds that he was entitled Upon |
this ground only he voted against General |
Armstrong We know Of our own knowledge |
that he Is prepared to stand by every position
taken in the message We mention these facts |
only by way of shedding the light of truth on |
the condition of things political here, 50 in
dustriously misrepresented by the agents of |
the lobby who do large share of the Now
York HSrold'S telegraphic correspondence |
We have no idea, too that it will be possible |
for Mr.. Bright to form any combination with |
MesSrs. Chase, Sumner & Co. likely to ena- |
bic him to bring about the defeat of any i'm
portant nomination OF President Pierce, most |
OF the Democratic Senators upon whom he |
counts being already in dread least they may |
earn the reputation of being ready to aid in |
general opposition to the party with which,
at home, they were held to DO connected ND to |
the meeting Of Congress. However the aues-
ton upon Rediield' 5 nomination will soon como
off when his confirmation by an overwhclln
ing majority will open the eyes of the country
to the fact that Congress as emphatically ap-
prove OF the policy OF = the general amnesty" |
as laid down i'll the t>5ioA, as the Southern
States do; as manifested in their recent elcc-
tons. This is the only matter upon which |
Senator Bright has yet essayed to organize
regular Democratic opposition thou Oh all are