The Portland daily press., 1863-02-11
COMMUNICATIONS.

WASHINGTON. Feb. 4. 1863.

W AShfN0iON. EtU 4, 1000.
To the Editors Of the Press:
The bill of Mr.. Stevens to raise one hun
dred and fifty negro regiments has been the
subject of long and very animated discussion.
On Wednesday last the Republican side deter
mined ito sit the bill out" but the Democrats
fllibustered SO pertinaciously that the House
adjourned at six O'Clock on Thursday morning
without having come to final vote. The
night was doubtless spent pleasantly and prof
itably in voting by ayes and noes upon endless
motions to amend and to adjourn. The bill was
expected to be put onsits passage upon Satur-
day last, but WIS not till Monday evening.
= The scene was animated, though less excit-
ing than many former passages in the popular
branch. If your readers ever had vision of
congressional greatness sitting bolt upright
with beetling brows and ponderous Uranium
covered over with chronological organs big as
hens eges, tie len hand thrust into the bosom
and the right reposing In calm majesty upon
the arm of the chair of state, il they ever had
any such vision as this, one field night in the
House would dispel it forever. Let us imag-
inc ourselves in the gallery of the Represen-
tatives' Hall on Monday evening last, and
will endeavor TO point out such objects of in
terest as we can see.
The gas light comes soft and subdued
through the ceiling of frosted glass, like mel
lowAsunshine. There Is great hum and stir,
as aNote by tellers Is just being taken. Nor
Is 1t much less, when the vote closes and the
result is announced. The prominent Border
State men are mostly here. Maynard, of Ten
nessee, very tall, slight and swarthy, is walk
ing to and fro behind the semicircle of seats and
desks. Crttenden Is in his seat, with spect acles
pushed up as usual among his short, white hair.
His thin, strongly marked features show no
sign os excitement. His colleagues, Wick
life, stout Of body but infirm of limb, looking
the opposite Of amiable, and Yeaman, youth
fui and handsome, are in their places.
Looking over TO the Republican side you
will see two men Of note and mark, even
among prime men. Que is standing in the
aisle conversing with the other, who occupies
his seat. The first slight, and rather tall, with
light, bushy hair and aquiine features, gives no
indication in his appearance of extraordinary
power, yet when he speaks upon some subject
appealing strongly to bis moral sense and af-
fording scope at once for his argumentative
powers and for his imagination, he has scarce
ly his equal in the House. He is full of elo-
quent reasonings, impassioned appeals, poetic
figures, and magnificent periods The other,
q fellow soldier in the cause of freedom, and
as bold and uncompromisng as he, is still very
unlike him in other things. Though he car
ries the weight of threescore and ten years,
"his eye Is not dim nor his natural force abat-
ed" You might take him for nervous man,
but you could send an excited tremor through
that marble column which supports the Speak
er's mace, almost as soon as through that
slight form. You can no more perplex, nor
battle, nor divert him from his point, than you
can halloo an engine off the track. His logic
IL strong, his humor droll and dry, his sarcasms
biting, and his repartees are apt to transfix
meddlers like fencer's rapier. The first is
Bingham, Of Ohio; the other, Thaddeus Ste
vens.
John F. Potter, not tall nor large of stature.
compact as a clenched fist, walks leisurely
down the aisle to his desk. Judge Conway
of Kansas, diminutive in form, and with a
fiery red head, comes In, and by a vigorous
use of the toothpick indicates recent visit to
the restaurant. One old gentleman lies on a
sofa in the rear, quietly putting his cigar. Ros-
coe Conklin, the red hair curling crisply about
his classic forehead, stands in the aisle turning
newspaper. Sedgwick leans his head weari-
~ forward upon both hands. One honorable
member, somewhat renowned for his eruditicn,
sits sedately and meditatively-shall say it
picking his nose. Many of the members are
eating, and many more solace the fatigue and
relieve the fdgety state Of their lower men,
bers by leaning back In their chairs. and
stretching their feet over the desks slight
indecorum, you may think, and rather Ameri-
can in style, but as Jefferson remarked. IL is
necessary to pardon something to the spirit OF
liberty"
While we have been looking about, the
Clerk in aweary but distinct voice has been
calling the ayes and noes, and several other
votes have been more informally taken, fol
the discussion has closed. Several amend
ments are moved and as if by previous under.
standing carried with great unanimity. And
now while sharp and repeated calls of "Mr