Daily evening star. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854, 1854-01-31
xWAsHIHaroN NEWS AND aossrP.

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NEWS AND GOSSIP.
Senator Douglas Great Speech.-we never
witnessed more intense and breath,ess interest
unsolicited at the delivery Of spseeh in the
Senate chamber of the United States, than
was seen there yesterday. The galleries. were
jammed With spectators ere the hour Of meet
ing. large portion of whom were Of the fair
sex. The fosr and Hobbies, too, we're crowded
with privileged persons comprising q greater
show Of the acknowledged talent, learning
and distinction congregated in Washington.
than we ever beforeeaw collected in the Sem
ate Hall on such an occasion. Indeed. it was
conceived by all to. bs4 psrhaps Is important
2 Senatorial occasion for the future Of the
United States, as ever took place. 'Alsrge
portion Of the members of both Houses had
hardly determined precisely what position to
occupy upon the question, though, as we have
before remarked, there can be little doubt that
tae tendency of political influences at work on
them, is such - to render it almost certain
that they will, in the end, be found standing
with Mr.. Douglas on his proposition. The
fact of their well known indecision. however.
operated to increase the interest in the scene
OF the day. All felt, too, that to the renowned
orator himself, the occasion was the turning
point or corner Of his destiny. For the week
before, his enemies, or rather those who beins
personally identified with the future Of bis
rivals in both great parties, had been doing
their best to create the impression that he had
inundated himself by boldly trusting his pros.
poets on the views and principles enunciated
in his Nebraska bill. Thus, there were not O
few present who went there hoping that he
would make dead failure, in attempting t.
reconcile the North to the justice and sound
policy Of his measure. One could hear Dir
drop from the beginning to the end Of his
speech, even for twenty yards out behind each
entrance to the Senate and its galleries, where
the crowd was as dense as Immediately around
the bar.
We are without space in which to attempt
to analyse his positions. Yet we may not
untruthfully write, that those present were
astounded with the force of the points 90 CO.
gently sustained in his arguments. There
was distinotness in all his points, and self
reliance in his method Of sowing them broad
cast upon the fecund soil of public opinion
which operated greatly in favor of their effec,
upon the minds of his hearers. We cannot
doubt, from what We have already seen and
heard, that his speech has served to check
instantly as it were, the success of the schem(!
Of the many gentlemen in Washington, who
are striving to generate great abolition party
under the guise Of opposition to the plan Of
permitting the people of Nebraska to adop
institutions to suit themselves, uninfuenced
even indirectly by preliminary action of tho
General Government to shape their eventual
decision. --," ~ 81 -tai it-s
We never saw public men more elated by ,
speech, than were the immediate admirers an,
friends of the orator himself. They knew wei
that his future depended in great measur,
upon his success in this effort. That's: tina
had he failed, his prospects for the Presidenc,
would have been more completely destroyed
than ever were those Of a distinguished aspi
rant for that position, by single Jaur pas, o
hauling speech. He has, however, immeas
urably elevated himself here y while at tn
same time he has given the measure on whicl
he has thus ventured all his future, the van
tage ground, in the opinion Of its most bite
opponents In this city. @'F
| Commissions Allowed to Navy Agents.-W
learn, on inquiry at the proper bureau il
Washington, that under the provisions of tn
act Of March 3, 1909, Statute at large, vol :
p. 1861 and May 10, 1920, Statute at large
vol 3, p. 1921 Navy Agents are entitled t
charge one per cent. commission on thei
actual disbursements on account of the Govern
ment-sdeh commission not to exceed tw
thousand dollars year; but the transfer q
| money by Navy Agent to himself, as Actin
Purser, when the latter duty has also been Us
signed to him, is not considered disburse
ment, nor will commission be allowed upon i,
Cuba.-An impression is rapidly beginning t
pervade the minds Of public men in Washing
| ton, that We are destined, ere the close of tn
present session of Congress, to receive tender
from Spain for the sale Of Cuba. This idea
based en- the belief that the talked of COZ
d'etat at Madrid will surely soon Gene off; t
be followed by any thing but very friendly re
lations between Spain and England for some
time, and by such state of affairs throughou
that country, as will render it necessary fo
the concentration at home of Eearly oil tn
troops the new Spanish government may hay
at command. The new government, too, ar
| expected to want money. While it is well know
that at this time Spain cannot borrow a dolla
from any Of the capitalists of tho Old World
it is also conceived among members of Con
gress, that a really revolutionary government
there will find it even more difficult to obtai
funds on the other side of the Atlantic, Will
the prejudices of European stock jobbers ru
so strong against violent changes in government
al affairs any where. We may not inappro
priately add also, that the dread of the fna
success Of American fllibustering, backed, o
rather preceded by the unanimous efforts {
the Cubanos to throw off the Spanish yoke,
supposed likely greatly to incline the expecte
new Spanish government to the sale of tn
island to the United States. These are view
which members Of Congress are adopting; oh
tanning them through intercourse with intelli
gent gentlemen residing here, who are con
nected with various European legations, 0