Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1864-12-22
CORRESPONDENCE.


3Sth Congress, Is now past. In order to
give the respective Committees time to act
upon bills in their hands, both houses have
| adjourned over from Thursday last to Mon
day next.
The appointment and confirmation of Mr.
Chase as Chief Justice, in place of Judge
fancy, deceased, gives general satisfaction
among the friends of the Administration
AS the court is now constituted, the cOun-
try may feel assured that we shall have no
more Dred Scott decisions.
The appointment of Mr.. Speed, of Ken
lucky, as Attorney General, in the place of
Mr.. Bates, resigned has not yet been con-
firmed by the Senate Mr. Speed is said to
be an able lawyer, but has until recently
acted with the Conservative elements in
Kentucky politics, cooperating with the
party this fall and came out acting in sup
port of Mr. Lincoln, and now stands with
the radical anti slavery element in Ken
tucky His appointment will no doubt be
confirmed.
Several important measures have already
been proposed in Congress- On the very
first day of the session, Mr. Washburn re-
vived the whisky tax question in the House
by offering resolution instructing the
Committee of Ways and Means to inquire
into the expediency Of reporting bill tax
ing whisky III the hands of holders The
Committee, | have no doubt, will report ii
bill proposing to tax liquors in the hands
of such holders as purchased before any tax
was imposed, and are still holding it for
speculative purposes, but it is hardly prob
able that they will impose further tax up
on liquors purchased since the tax of one
dollar and fifty cents per gallon was i'm
posed.
! deem the government tax on liquors
the best temperance law the people have
ever had and am decidedly in favor of tax
ing it to the highest point it will bear, based
upon principles of justice and equality.
When the Message of the President was
read by the clerk in the House, on Tuesday
last, the galleries were crowded to their ut
most capacity, yet the most perfect quiet
and order was maintained by the vast con-
course, except when the closing passages
of the message relating to the restoration
of the Union was read, there was an oc-
casioned outburst Of applause, and when the
clerk pronounced the following paragraph
III the message, VIZ: 81 repeat the decla-
ration made year ago, that while | re-
main i'll my present position, shall not at
tempt to rctract or modify the emancipation
proclamation, nor shall | return to slavery
any person who is free by the terms Of that
proclamation, or by any of the acts of Com
gress. If the people should, by whatever
mode or means, make it an Executive duty
to re-enslave such persons, another, and
not |, must be their instrument to perform
it, there seemed to come an involuntary
outburst of joy, which was manifested by
the general clapping of hands by the vast
multitude, and which was heartily joined in
by the Imon Members on the floor of the
House
By the action Of the House on Monday
last Mr.. Stevens bill proposing to declare
the government money "of equal value for
all purposes as gold and silver coin of like
denominations" etc, etc, was laid on the
table, by a vote Of 73 yeas to 50 nays The
friends of Col. John W. Forney, are presen-
ting his name in connection with a Cabinet
appointment. The old Keystone should
most certainly be represented in the Cab
met and know of no man in Pennsylvania
better qualified for such position, nor one
who has rendered more service in bringing
about the reelection of Mr.. Lincoln, and
whose appointment would be more satisfac-
tory to the people than would Mr.. Forney's
Yours, truly, CONF