New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1856-04-07
WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENCE.
Trnou OUR srEo1A1 oonnHsr ON DENT j
WASHINGTON, March 80, 1856.


amendment requiring citizenship for one year as a
prerequisite to the exercise of the privilege ofvotng
This rule already applies to native born citizens
and the object was simply to take away an invdlous
distinction in favor Of the foreigner and place all
citizens, native and naturalized upon the same foot
ing. After hard struggle Of three days the Ameri
cans succeeded insending the bill back to the commit
tee, which amounts to the same thing as the adop-
ton of Mr.. Marshals amendment--for under the
present law the condition required by the amend
ment is enforced. The committee must now either
report bill in accordance with the sentiment of a
majority of the House, they will fail to report at
all. In either event the same end will be attained
and the elective franchise be duly respected.
There is a more urgent necessity for the adoption
of some such provision in this city, than any where
else. There are at least twelve or fifteen hundred
laborers here on the capitol extension, and the
extension of the Post-OfTice and Treasury Depart
ments. Ninetenths Of them are Irishmen. Unless
some check is put upon it, these men will control the
city elections, and determine the whole city egisla
ton. They are not in the nature Of permanent resi-
dents, but are only temporarily here at work upon
the public buildings. Few, if any, of them, own
property here, or are permanently interested in the
welfare of the city. 1t would be manifestly unjust
that they should control our internal egislationand
still more unjust that citizenship Of one year should
be required Of the native but not Of the foreigner
The Deficiency Bill, as it passed the House origin
ally involved only about million and half of dol
lars In the Senate number of amendments were
made to it, so that when it went back to the House.
the amount had swelled to about four millions do
not question the necessity Or the sound policy of
some of the appropriations. But the people will be
apt to open their eyes when they discover howIavis
ly Congress appropriates money to objects by no
means national. Since the opening Of the present
Congress we have had the Fertilization bill, three
millions-the ten Sloop-of-war BILL five millions-and
now the Deficiency bill involving four millions more
making beginning of twelve millions of dollars be-
fore the ides of April. As specimen of the econo
my of Congress will mention that over one million
of dollars have been appropriated for the printing
and publishing of one book and every session there
are fresh appropriations for books that Congress
has become grand publishing House. In addition
to this it has been the custom of Congress orseyera
years to give each new member a certain allowance
of books. It was, formerly, five hundred dollars
WORTH Now, it is about twelve hundred. There are
about one hundred and fifty new members in the
present Congress- SO that there will be hundred
and eighty thousand dollars expended simply in
books for members. Formerly these books were fur
nshed by the Librarian, and consisted of public docu
ments and other books which supposed to be use
full to legislators But now it Is understood that the
members themselves may select such books as they
choose-and instead of public and political docn
mcnts may furnish their libraries with just such
an assortment as peases them. They may range
over the entire field of literature and select novels
histories, poetry anything else that may suit their
literary tastes.
Tt is said too, that many members do not get any
books at all. They obtain their orders for them,
sell the orders to the booksellers, pocket the money
and say no more about it. The bookseller, armed
with the ORDER procures the books and retails them
from his shop. The whole system ought to be broken
up. Let Congress increase the per diem Of members,
which really is not enough. Let it abolish this book
appropriation altogether, and it will be better for all
parties.
The Senate was entertained on Thursday with an
elaborate Black Republican speech from Mr. Harlan,
new Senator from Iowa. He did not coniine HIM
self to Kansas matters particularly but discussed the
whole question of strengthening it morally, poll
tically, socially and religously. He has an air of
earnestness about him as if he really believed what
be said, and [ will do him the justice to say that
think he did. In this respect he is different from
Seward, Hale and Sumner, who make use of the
slavery hobby only to keep themselves inpower, and
who are conscious all the time Of their nsncerty
and hypocrisy. It was evident that Mr.. Harlan knew
nothing practically Of slavery as it is. doubt if he
were ever farther South than this city.
| Col. John W. Forney has retired from the Union
newspaper. have had my suspicious for some time
that there was treason in the Kitchen Cabinet, and
now they are confirmed Forney has been known all
his life as a devoted friend of Mr.. Buchanan. The
Union is the official organ Of the administration, and
its daily duty is to extol President Pierce to the
skies. Forney discovered that he could not do this
consistently with his known preference Of Mr.. Buch
anan Perhaps the President himself did not much
relish the idea Of Forneys serving two masters, and
gave him q gentle hint to retire. However, this may
be, he has resgned-and the Kitchen has lost one of
its most industrious and energetic members. 1t is
derstood that he goes to Pennsylvania, there to be
| head.director and generalismo Of the Buchanan
| forces.
Later arrivals from Europe confirm the impression,
not only of the probability of peace as between the
beigerent powers Of Europe but also between Great
Britain and this country. On the occasion Of Mr.
Buchanan leaving London, dinner was given him by
the Lord Mayor at which he expressed his belief that
there would be no rupture between the two nations
This information has been received this side of the
water with the liveest satisaction-and by none with
greater joy than the lustrious Premier Of the Admin
istration All of his bravado and Boosting was sim
ply for the purpose of earning cheap reputation FOL
pluck He never had the remotest idaa of fighting
when it came to the pinch. ~
The last hope of the safety of the steamer Pacific
is abandoned. No tidings of her have yet been re
coved, and even the underwriters have given it up
Like the President and the City of Glasgow, she has
probably gone down in the middle Of the ocean. The
loss of the Arctic, and now of the Pacific af
forwards Of them belonging to the Collins line
will injure that line very much, if indeed it does
not break it up altogether. %
Col Benton has written a letter saying he does moi
wish to reenter public life, but to devote the remain
der of his days to his book.
The work on the Capitol extension, with the advent
of spring, has been renewed with increased vigor
When completed, it will be one Of the most command
ing structures in the world. The dome itself vii
cost over million Of dollars. The wings wilEc
least five millions apiece.
The Black Republicans held preliminary conven
: ton here last week, to make arrangements fo
the Presidential campaign. Their plan has beef
matured; but it will all be mere waste of time ant
of labor. They will probably nominate Chase o
Ohio, for President; but he will not get the electora
) vote of single State. They nominated Blrney il
$780, Van Buren, in l84S, and Hale in 1852 Bu
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