New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-02-21
MORAL ATMOSPHERE or FLASHING TON.
Correspondence Of The n. Y. Tribune
" ,sIIINGTnN ErlfaY f. b. Is ISJ5.

WASHINGTON Friday, Feb. Is, 1855.
Pregnant az has been the past year in erea.
events, not oDe-not the fiege of Savas'opCl
abroad nor the prostrstion Of business at home
is Of 1.-THE the Importance Of the great work Of
decentralization that has been going on in or Ma
tion, Legislature. / aluce particularly TO tho
House of Representative for the Senate he's long
been considered past praying for. The Allies will
soon again NIL their armies, and cur business
will regain their former prosperity; but, in the
language Of an American Statesman, now in pri-
yate life, "if the time shall ever come when cor
Eruption shall invade the walls of our proud
CAPITOL, and vensl crime shall stalk unbushing
through it's precincts. and prcfiigate extrava'
4" gance and perfdious peculation abound at the
" other end OF the Avenue Men II the remem-
brance Of the frugaliiy, the purity, the simple
CITY of WashingtOn's Administration cannot save
/" US we shall have foundered upon those rocks on
vbich all other republics have broken to pieces.
Since the passage of the Nebraska DILL the
work of decentralization has been going rapidly on
in Congress, and not the least alarming feature OF
the case is that the influence OF that canvass has
not been confined to those who voted in It's favor.
nor TO measures iniqutous in themselves.
Vice IA a monster" &c.
But to show what progress has been made, l
greater part of Monday and We inesday of the
present week was spent by the House in the con
tideration of a claim under the specious heading
Of "A JoHt Resolution to carry INTO elect thc
.'stipulations of the ninth article OF the Treaty
"of 1919 with Spain"-a claim involving about
as much justice or proprcty as there would be IN
voting indemnity to Great Britain for sp0llatlOns
committed on her army during our war OF the
Revolution. The stipuatons referred to were to
| Indemnify certain individuals for property de-
stroyed by Gen. Jackson's invasion oil Florida,
when size was a Spanish colony, and, according
10 the decisions made over and over again oy thc
authorities who were contemporaries with the
treaty itself would include claims amounting 10
only some $50, 600; but in consequence OF some
unauarded subsequent legislation, the amount was
svellcd 10 over 81 600 600. Claims for hundreds
Of thousands Of dollars were allowed and PAID at
the Treasury, not for property actually Destroyer
but for crops of cotton at fifty cents per pOuhd,
which the claimants alleged they were PreVen!ed
from raising and for other property which
might have been destroyed had the claimants
been so fortunate as to have possessed II.
Yet these same claimants now come forward with
the modest proposition that Congress shali pay
them interest on the whole sum, at . per cent,
for 81 years, amounting IN the aggregate 10 ABOUT
SI3t0,O00. There are rumors, OF course untrue
that promises were made OF dividends oil no ihcOl-
siderable portion OF that 81 800 900 to secure the
passage Of the resolution, but certain It Is that
most ullaccountable conversions were made. One
Of the most active members IN putting IL
through" was Nebraska Democrat, who, dur
inc n service of many wears in the House. has been
notorious for opposing every proposition TO take
money out of the Treasury, whether to pay an OLD
soldier pension of So month, or Tor any pur-
nose whatever: who has even boosted that he
never voted for general appropriation bill. The
matter was so sdrOitly and quietly managed that
all the conversions were made that could be made
beforehand without alarming the others, ana on
Monday last the House suspended the rules ny
vote of three to one, and took up the resolution,
which they would have passed at once, under the
previous question, if the dinner hour had not ar
rived little too soon. When the matter came up
! again on Wednesday, members who were not TO be
bought had had an opportunity TO look into 1t, and
so outrageous case was shown that II was iaid
! upon the table by a small majority.
But the most fragrant instance OF manifest oiloer!
and corruption is in reference 20 the measure now
pending before the House, mean the Collins
Steamer Appropriation; and 1t Is the most hulnl.-
iating because the measure Itself is one OF great
national importance. No one who Witnessed ,ue
| drunken orgies on board the Baltic, when mat
| shin was brought here in l-j2 who watched the
! d.yelopments afterward in Congress IN securing
! an additional allowance of $3.50, 600 ear to the
! Collins line, who has marked the arrival wilhln
the last week OF scores of Collins pad agents, ana
more than all. who has watched the progress oi
events in the House for the last two days, can
come 70 more than one conclusion as 10 the Kind
of arguments upon which Mr. Collins relies for
| his success here. The principal manager IN Il
/ business is Mr.. Edison T. Odds of Ohio, meint Fl
of some years standing, but whose reputation hl'
been made principally during the preSen' Con
sress-frst, as the only man who could De iUuu'
INSCRIPTIONS enough, as Chairman OF tue C9ii
mittee of IKE Whole, TO plot the NeerasAa ~.
through in utter disregard of the rules OF The
House; second, as the mover Of a proposition t
terminate tie contract of the Government with Coz
Inns & Co., followed by a speech of the most denun
ciatory character toward the aforesaid Company
and third, as the mover of the proposition, nov
pending before the House. 10 make the S1co,oV
u year now paid to Collins Il Co. perpetual, iol
lowed by speech highly Mandatory Of the sam
aforesaid Company.