Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1864-07-15
Correspondence Muscatine Daily Journal.l
FROM WARRINGTON.

FROM WARRINGTON.
The old and the ne,O Secretary of the
Treasury Sprdg,Ie on the Blairs.
adjournment, DC. &c. ..nl
'-"''A WASHINGTON, July 6, 1864.
Ex-Secretary Chase and Secretary
Fessenden are now harmoniOusiy at
work together in the Department. Mr..
Chase has kindly consented to remain a
fortnight and assist the new financier in
getting the run of the vast machine in
detail. So that just at this time we
have at the head of the Treasury, two
of the wisest statesmen and most ac-
complished financiers of the country or
of the world.
l should like to see photograph Of
these two distinguished men as they sit
together in the Secretary's office at this
moment. Chase is alarge, finely formed
man, with as fine head as this country
has produced. In looks and bearing, in
dignity of appearance, he is among the
public men of this country, the noblest
Roman of them all. Fessenden is lit
tie, wiry, thin-visaged angular, almost
fieshless person. He has keen gray
eye, but that is the only remarkable fea
ture about him. No man, to see him on
the street, would take him for the pro-
found lawyer, the brilliant debater, COM
prehensive statesman he really is. 1
never saw but one person who so COM
pletely demolishes phrenoiogy as does
William Pitt Fessenden, and that is a
young man of this city, whose head is
as large and as finely developed as was
that of Webster, but who, nevertheless,
is fool outright except in music. In
looks, no two men could be much more
unlike than Chase and Fessenden. But
in intellectual qualities they arenot dis
similar. Both have profoundly cultiva-
ted minds, both draw the inspiration of
their craftsmanship from the practical
study of the living, breathing people
about them, not from the classical utter
ances of buried antiquity. Both can APP
preciate Hector and Achilles in quiet
after-dinner contemplation, but they
oan appreciate Grant and Ben Butler as
we'll. Both come plump to the main is
sue in an argument, both are impatient
of much speaking and of rhetorical
fiourishes in the national legislature.
Both are by nature of kindly, genial dis
positions, and both become "cross as
bears" when trified with. The private
characters of both are without reproach,
and their public lives honorable and
pure. If either the one the other can
not successfully manage our finances, it
will only be because it is task beyond
the powers of man to accomplish.
Senator Sprague, of Rhode Island,
gave utterance to some terrific remarks
against the Blairs on theday of adjourn
ment. They did not care, he said, how
much the finances of the country might
suffer, so they could compass their po-
litical ends; the army and navy might
go unprovided and unpaid; the worst
evils might happen to the country and
the national cause, they would view
them all with heartless Indifference if
only their heads were safe and their per-
sonalschemesprosperous. Hedenounced
and disproved Frank B]air's charges,
and denounced "his brother" for send
ing the ISLANDERS over the country under
his official frank. 1t was one of the
most telling phillipics of the session,
and gave unbounded satisfaction both to
the Senate and the galleries.
The adjournment of Congress might
have been earlier without serious detri-
ment to the public good. Take it all in
all, it is the shabbiest Congress we have
had for many years. The Copperheads
could not have been worse and many OF
the Union members might have been a
great deal better, especially in the quail
ity Of manly courage. They fiddle
faddled away at penal statutes against
the gold gamblers and then let the gold
gamblers bully them out of it before the
ink had hardly got dry on the parch-
ment. They let Thurlow Weed and the
whisky sellers frighten them out of a
double tax ON distilled liquors whereby
one man alone here cleared $3.50, 900 that
ought to have gone into the treasury
and they double taxed the labor of the
impoverished clerks who already have
to pay a pile of currency as big as par
fridge for spring chicken the size of a
blue bird. They did very shabby
things in many other respects. Our
Iowa delegation, however, am proud
to say, did their duties manfully and
well, without exception. They worked
faithfully, efficiently and bravely.-
Many of the best acts of the session are
due to their exertions. They can be
safely set down as the best delegation
here. ....- .s-.F-
Lieut.. J. F. Shelton, 18th Iowa Inft.,
was in the city a few days ago. All at
once, just as he was starting for his reg
iment, he found himself honorably dis
charged Che service on account of dis
ability from wounds received in action.
1t will be remembered that he was shot
through the head and leg, and captured
at the battle of Jackson, in May of last
year, and confined in Libby till Decem-
ber, when he escaped. Since then he
has been under. surgical treatment but
had been ordered to rejoin his command.
He came on here, to get the order of
discharge cancelled, which was done on
the double-quick when the facts were
stated to the War Department. Then
the brave man went on his way rejoic-
ing to the scene of war. God bless him,
and all the brave Iowa men.
- LINKENSALE.