Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1861-03-08
Editorial Correspondence.
WASHINGTON. March


A letter from the National Capitol may
not be uninterostng to the readers of the
REPUBLICAN at the present time, though |
am well aware that any items of news l
may give will be anticipated by the Tele
graph and hence rendered rather stale be-
fore they will find their way into print.
Washington is just now very full of peO-
pie. Every train that arrives brings hun
dreds of passengers, and they are net all
here yet. The hotels are crowded, and
private boarding houses are over-run with
applications for entertainment. What is
TO become of the tens of thousands of in
dividuals that are to arrive yet previous to
the inaugurati-n, is question that is hard
to determine. hope they will find suita-
bic accommodations but very much fear
that they will not.
There is considerable excitement in town
just now. as matter of course, in view of
she early dissolution of the present Con-
srsEs and the existing state of affairs
throughous the country. That very ven
cradle and highly respectable body of old
gentlemen known as the Peace Convention
adjourned on Wednesday, after adopting n
proposition looking to the adjustmet of eur
present difficulties The same was imme-
diately transmitted to Congress. in both
branches of which considerable discussion
has been had upon it but no result arrived
at as to what shall be done | listened to
day to lengthy speech by Senator Hun
ter, of Virginia, in which he denounced
tho action of the Peace Congress in I'M
measured terms, and opposed the amend
msnts it is proposed to make to the present
Constitution of the United States. He
said he preferred 1.-The Constitution as it
is" with the bred Scott decision, to the
Constitution as it would be after the same
had undergone the mod .fcations proposed
by the Peace Congress Ho contended
that what rights the South has now would
be entirely taken away by the contempla-
ted change in the Constitution and he Of
fered sundry amendments to the original
proposition which go far beyond the Brock
enridge platform of last fall, in the protec-
ton it affords to Slavery. Senator Crit
tenden followed in splendid speech, full
of devotion to the Union, in which he gave
Senator Hunter some pretty hard hits
His effort was grand one, eliciting hearty
applause from the galleries, and breathed
a true spirit of patriotism. Senator Ma
son. of Virginia, replied in about the same
strain with which Hunter led off, but not
with SO much ability. Hunter is far the
ablsst man of the two, though his style
and manner are not as pleasant as those of
many other Senators to whom I have lis
tensd since have been here | have no
doubt that Mason and Hunter are both in
favor of the secession of Virginia. Their
talk this morning. indicated as much, and
it is generally understood here that they
are in league with the hot-heads of their
stats-Ex-President Tyler among the num-
bcr-who want to lead "the mother of
Presidents astray," and drag her out of the
Union. Tyler, who was President of tee
Peace Congress. left for home Immediately
after tho adjournment and has been ma
king speeches denunciatory of the action
at which that body arrived
Ny own opinion is that this Congress
will adjourn without coming to any satisfac-
tory arrangement of the present disturban-
cos, though in the House there seems to
be strong disposition to not do SO and the
same feeling to a certain extent is existing
in ths Senate. 1t is easy enough to see,
however, that anything that does not suit
the Border States will fail of the object
the Union Savers have in view. You, of
course, will have seen that in the house
day or two ago, Tom. Corwin's resolution
in favor Of amending the constitution pass
ed By vote of 1873 to IS; although his
proposition is not precisely the same as the
one now under consideration in the Sem
ate. is immaterial l think, what Con-
gress may do IN the matter, or rather il is
not ct all decisive. for the amendments, if
they rass there. have to be agreed to by
three fourths of all the states before thew
can become the law of the land I am
quite sure that no such vote as that can ey-
or be obtained fer them. That is tie
ground Hunter took to day in the Senate,
aud hence his opposition to submitting
them to the people. He knows very well
that the North ought not to, and conse-
quently will not, submit to any such de-
grading proposition as that now sought to
be forced upon her, and that the vote she
cast for Lincoln in November last means
that she is not, and never will be IN favor of
ths further extension of Slavery. Indeed, |
/ very much doubt whether the North
would consent to amend the Constitution
at all upon the present demand of the /
South. for if the election of Lincoln is suf- /
fcient cause for tinkering with that instru-
ment now, will not the same demand be
made at every subsequent election when