The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1863-02-28
WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENCE.
WASHINGTON, Feb %, 1868.


WASHINGTON, Feb. %, 1868.
Action and reaction in political .affairs are al
natural as the ebb sid Cow Of the tides. tt
the immense and apparently unanimous enthu.
siasm of the North on the fall ofSumter, came
tue Reaction Of the copperhesds. 1t was a
disagreeable and threatening re action. But
to thati succeeding return of patriotic sem
tlment. The spirit, the language, and the
votes Of Davis, McDougall and others in the
Senate, and of Leary, Thomas, and others in
House, on the CONSUMPTION bill and the bill in-
Identifying the Administration for arbitrary
arrests, is plain, positive, and gratifying. 1t
hurts the Vallandighammers exceedingly
They are questioning whether they have not
sold themselves to JEFF. Davis and the Devil
for naught. To be deserted by the Border
State men, in whose band they have aspired
to train as Captains, is bitter. They are be.
ginning to discern, therein, the position they
are to occupy in coming history. Butno loyal
man has pity for them. 1t is all comforting
and re- assuring to those who have stood with
torturing anxiety unfalteringly by. the country.
l notice another pleasant sign, for it indi-
Gates change which marks the progress of
sentiment and Of affairs. Not many months
ago, the applause of the soldiers in the halls
of Congress was more likely to favor the so.
called conservative" utterances. The tuition
of this army was eminently such as to make
it 30. But the tables are changed. 1t is the
radical declarations, the thrusts at rebels and
sympathizes in Congress and out Of it, in the
North as we'll as the South, determination to
crush them by all and every means, that call
forth the irrepressible applause of the blue
coats that crowd the galleries now. A Cheever
(too bitter in his honest and well.deserved
denunciations to suit my notion-for infamy
should be denounced in the spirit of Christian
love rather than Of malevolent hatred) as be
breaches in the Hall of the House, ls now sub
jected the faintest of Kisses and the heartiest
applause, for though officers may doubt, or at
best only smile their approval, the soldiers are
irrepressible, and even in the Sacred Presence
will cheer. 1 don't myself believe it pains the
ear of God.
The two speeches that have affected the most
votes this session, in the House, are the speech
of Mr. Wilson on Byington, and the speech of
Mr.. Hahn on the New Orleans election cases.
Before the speech of Mr. Hahn, the admission
of himself and Mr.. Flanders was admitted to
be very doubtful. He made thrilling, an ar
gumentative, powerful speech, that surprised
the House, and he carried it by storm. Mr..
Byington had prepared himself at length. He
had assiduously buttoI-hoed the members
He "spread" himself in an elaborate-writ:en
argument, and in the happiest effort he has
made, Mr.. Wilson extinguished him utterly,
leaving him with supporters too few to be
worth counting.-I do not, by the way, like
the irregularity by which Messrs. Hahn and
Flanders came into the House. But I like to
have them there. They are sound aud true
men, and confederates of North
ern Republicans, rather than of Border State
quibblers and copperhead sympathizers. 1
admit the right of loyal people in the revolted
states to be represented, however, and assert
the important duty of Congress, before it ad
iourns at this session, of providing some general
statute by which elections can be held in the
seeding States and members regularly and
without legal doubt be introduced into the
House therefrom,
Thurlow Weed and Gov. Morgan, backed by
Seward and others, are now making tremen
dous effort to procure the appointment of Nc.
Clellau to the place held by Gen. Halleck; or
if not that, to some other-any other-place |
in command. Not that they love the Young
Napoleon SO amazingly, but they want to get
him out of New York. I think they are un- |
reasonably disturbed and uuressonsbly anx-
ious. Mcclellan is doing about as little harm,
and about as much good, where he is, as he
could any where; and it is not very patriotic
to want to get him out of New York at the ex.
pense Of ina;eting him upon the nation. The
principal portion Of the evidence taken before
he Committee on the Conduct of the War will |
be presented to the House before the close of
session, and will soon appear in print Some
portion of it will not be printed at present. as
t would be likely to put leading officers in
unpleasant relations and tend to embarrass
the service. But when such portion of it as
will be presented shall appear and have been
iigested, predict that the effort to re -instate
Mcclellan in active command, however uEim-
portant, will be very feeble, aud his chances of
reinstatement nothing. There must always
De presumed some motive for human action;
Ind if that evidence concerning the conduct of
affairs from Balls Bluff to the second battle of
Bull Run does not leave treasoaable intention
'airly presumable if not absolutely proved in
MS case, then cannot believe what is report
ID Of it in advance. IOWA.
Army Correspondence.
CAMP Sixth Iowa,
GRAND JUNCTION, Tenn, Feb. IL, 1885,
EDITOR HAwK-EYE After the lapse of near
y month again address you from this city of