The Portland daily press., 1863-03-10
Letter from the National Capital.

CLOSING SCENES AND INCIDENTS OF THE
SESSION.
WASHINGTON, March 6, 1868.
To the Editors Of the Press:
During the last days of the session, the Cap
itol was a scene of feverish excitement Up
and down its stately stairways, and along its
broad corridors, the tide of people poured back
and forth constantly. During the afternoon
and evening. the galleries and passages were
thronged,f but as the sittings crossed the
dead waist and middle of the night" and
ran into the small hours of the morning, the
galleries thinned, until only few persevering
spectators and drowsy reporters looked down
upon the worn and jaded legislators, who
YEARLY piled their task below Once in a
good while proceedings would brighten up
transiently, but it was rarely that anything
more enlivening than the ayes and noes, or a
speech against time, relieved the monotony.
A decidedly rich scene took place in the
Senate during the session of Monday night.
The matter under debate was the report of
the Committee Of Conference on the g Bill to
indemnify the President and others for sus-
pending the writ of hdbeas corpus" IA meas
ure hated more intensely by the more bitter
Democrats than almost any other proposed
by the present Congress. Some four or five
Senators had apparently determined to defeat
1t by making speeches against time, moving TO
amend and to adjourn, and in general by that
system of tactics known here as flibusterinq.
Atabout half past four. Tuesday morning, Mr..
Bayard Of Delaware had the floor and was
going on in way that made the end OF the
matter look exceedingly far of and misty Mr..
Powell of Kentucky, thinking possibly that his
friend would hold out longer aud go further
for little respite, moved an adjournment, Mr..
Bayard yielding the floor. On this motion a
division was demanded, and the ayes and noes
were subsequently ordered. Mr. Pomeroy.
who was then presiding, announced the result
and said In the usual formula, " The question
Is now upon concurring in the report of the
Committee of Conference. Senator'S as many
as are in favor of concurring, will say, Aye;
as many as are opposed will say No. The ayes
appear TO have 1.-THE ayes have it, and the
report is concurred in." Senator Trumbull,
keen and watchful, was on his feet in mo-
ment with motion to proceed to the consid-
Grafton of House bill 5U9' Not until the mo-
ton was agreed to, the floor lost beyond re-
covery, and the whole thing settled irreversi-
bly,, did the factious Senators seem TO realize
that they had been fairly beaten at their own
tactics. Their surprise, establishment and dis
gust were ludicrous to behold. For fifteen
minutes or so they stood explaining and pro-
testing, vociferating and gesticulating, sad and
melancholy examples of the inutility and folly
of putting ones foot in it,"
The 3Tth Congress approached its political
dissolution with a decent composure, which
judging from what has been written OF similar
| events seems to be remarkably creditable.
During the night Of Tuesday there was in the
House good deal Of hustle aud upstr, of ca
ger and hurried action, but no such disregard
of rules, orders and proprieties, as / have
sometimes read Of. Whenever one matter had
been disposed Of there was general rush for
the floor, and the Speakers voice demanding
order was often heard but family above the
general clamor; the blows of the gavel, usu-
ally so quoting in their effect, seemed freauent-
ly to contend in vain with the confusion. l
saw, however, no indecorum more heinous
than the smoking of cigar. As the hour of
twelve approached on Wednesday, the crowd
of spectators not only filed the galleries and
choSed up the door ways, but thronged the
corridors and passages. Their was an excited
contest over bill, which it was hoped to pass,
but which was killed by an order for the ayes
and noes. At twelve NJ, the Speaker rose and
with neat valedictory remarks declared the
dissolution of the existing House of Repre-
| sentatives.
| The Senate galleries, like those of the
House, were crowded at an early hour Up
on the floor were Secretaries Chase, Seward.
Usher and Welles, many Senators elect and
other distinguished gentlemen. few min
utes before twelve, Mr.. Foot of Vermont,
President pro tem., rose, and with brief ad-