Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1859-01-29
wAsHINGToNNBWS AND GOSSIP


ing the Tariff.
Senator Hunter introdseed resolutions de-
cla,,Dy that il is inexpedisat TO change the
tiff a, the present session, snd contendsd
that ON the revival of business Tie present law
would be ample to supply sufficisa. revenue.
Mr.. Bigler offered, as q substitute, = resolu-
ton declaring that as the revenue Is iasuf6-
cient, it is, therefore, wise to increase The i'm
port duties.
The amendment of Mr.. Bigler was rejected,
and that Of Nj Hunter adopted by large
msjority.
Mr.. Slidell regarded ii the duty of Congress
to ioek rather 10 q reduction of expenses than
an Increase of revenue.
The Tale OF THE TWO BLACK CArs.-Not
the tale popularity believed to have been told
of the doings of the Senate in Executive ses-
sion on Friday Of last week, by those two veri-
table black cats, but the legend concerning
them as narrated by the oldest inhsbitant"
in Washington nurseries, and faithfully chroni-
cied by brilliant correspondent Of the Star,
below, is really one of the most readable things
that has seen the light in this country in the
last Quarter Of a century. We predict for it
republication in many newspapers, and 70
spectfully ask all who may take occasion to
spread it befoIo their readers, to do us the
justice to say, at the same time, that 1t is from
the Washington City Star.
The Tive Cats 81 the Capitol.
AN INDIAN LEsESD.
A long time ago, before the nhenbry Of man.
and, indeed, before the Daily Globe was first
published, there dwet tribe Of Indians in the
southern portion Of the country afterwards Known
a. MARYLAND. Within sic Int of the SIN ke of fbeir
village, a beautiful hill overgrown with
olks, with a sward so thick beneath the feet of
the tall trees that the hunters moccaSin left no
print on the heritage Near at hand a rvulet
leaped and spa killed. from rock to rock, murmur-
ing ever with the pleasant music that waters
make, and bearing on its bosom the fallen
blooms Of the cherry aud laurel. that dipped
their boughs in It's wavelets IL hurried to cast
itself upon thy broad bosom-Potomac We
have heard that this dancing brook was after
wards christened the Tiber, after some far away
river that stood by great city whose impurities
turned the crystal of its waters to yellow, even
as cafe turns the Toseate Of youthful cheeks into
parchment, or greed transmutes the heart and
complexion OF tue miser to the color of the gold
en- calf
The children of the forest had an attachment
to the hill Of which speak. They held their
powwowS there On the precise spot now occu-
pied by Capt. Meigs's heating apparatus they
lit their council fires. The deer on the adjacent
heights of Virginia, seeing the CLEAN in the
summer nights, would raise their stately heads,
prick up their small ears, and, with their nos
tTils quivering, seek to divine what unwonted
star was rising from the east. Then speed NO
swiftly away, fear lending wings to their flight,
they would disappear in the direction in which
it is popularity believed the star Of empire takes
its way
The hill, as have said, was invested with a
sacred character as the council ground of the
tribe. Other circumstances gave It a double share
OF sanctIty; for on its summit, n sachem who
was strongly suspected OF being either a NEGRO
mancer or Know Nothing, had built himself a
lodge. Here he lived In solitude with his souaw
whose name was Tabitha his, Tomas, or, for
short, Tabby and Tom. Throughout the whole
tribe he was reputed medicine man of forty
bOlus power. No norther could blow but he
was supposed to have a hand in Its guidance;
no sneil Of weather froze in the birch canoes on
the River Of Swans, but he ives known 10 ha. Q
had something to do in the congealation. Hun
tiers never missed their game but they believed
Tomas had bewitcbed the sha T. nor dus XIV Young
Pocahontasses failed to attract the regards of the
braves, but they knew Tabitha had looked nm
them with the evil eye. And they brouy bit to
the sachem offerings Of game, and skins and
nsfcotlc weed, praying him, In his distribution
Of patronage, to remember the claims Of the un-
d-rSigned Tomas took the per centage and
credited the givers. At least hope be did.
The old sddd from which learn this history,
does not say that he ever went from home TO give
an account OF his stewardshipto his constituents
Had he done so, there is no doubt he would have
been entitled to mileage, which would, equally
without doubt, have been promptly allowed by
the proper committee. Certain II is that he
lived as a sachem should live at the expense of
the majority, feeding from the public crib, and
as much fawned upon il he had been a door
keeper or the head of a department
The Sacbem presided ez oficio in the grand
palaver of his nation. In the lower or deIiber-
alive council, he performed the honorable func
tons OF "SpeakeT'-so called because he never
expressed his sentiments anything but when
any one else made motions out Of order broup bit
him to the floor by well-directed blow Of his
hammer In the higher, or executive assembly
he served the office of "Vice Manitou - This
being more dignihed BODY the hammer was
dispensed with, as not coming under the rules
w hen an orator In that assembly transcribed
he comprehension Of his colleagues IL was the
duty of the Vice MaDitou to remark .sthe tongue
OF my brother speaketh buncombe, )" which had
usually the effect OF causing the orator to subside
on his launches. II is true that some sectional
men would occasionally rebel against this re-
minder, and would threaten to sec EIDE; but as the
81 VINO made the suggestion were immediately
aterward seen running down the hill at two
degrees forty minutes, with several arrows in
DOT pursuit, the dlsunion feeling grew weaker
until, at length, the commonweal became 40
cemented that no one thought of expressing sen
tments adverse to the constitution unless ne
were already at the bottom OF the hill out of
aIIowIsnot, ana certain, moreover, that no
sfci1i CORES pondents were within hearing
Thus nourished, In those halcyon DAYS the q rest
Republic Of Red Men, No 1, serene in the
b1ght enulgence OF their constellation-a warn.
lns and example to all the nations OF the earth.
and able to vanquish in single combat their own
srdylty, avoirduPois, in tameless felines of the
| pcidIlt.
Well, it fell upon day In the merry month Of
May, that the Improved Order Of Red Men held
grand pow-wow on Palzver Hill. The subject
OF tnen oeiloeIations WIS to construct hunting
path from the valley Of the Parent Of alters TO
the sands OF the Western Sea. I will not men
ton the names OF the speakers, although know
them ali, having spelled them out If the saga of
the pub docs. Sufice 1t to say that most of
their brief remarks were longer than the pro-
posed road, wider than the forty miles Of alter
nate sections, and shallower than the ofYsrs of
capitalists to construct it,
Now Il SO happened that the great Tomas had
one mortal aversion, and that was to long speech
es Once, when an Indian agent treated him to
speech and dinner, Tomas had remarked-
"Brother, shorten your speak, and lengthen your
mutton :" On the occasion of debating the
huniing path--Tomas, as Vice. Manitoun had
borne up under the eloquence, with the endn-
rance Characteristic Of his race The gentlemen
who usually acted with him saw however that
a burst was brewing. Pufs of smoke issued
from his calumet at Intervals spasmodcally, and
cloud daTkeDed his countenance as the shadow
sf haGr