The Portland daily press., 1865-02-20
I.attar from The federal Capital.

Letter from the Federal Capital
PROGRESS Of Congressional business-seaa-
tor Hieks-Tbs negro IN The Capitol-Gen-
erdL I2LLso1~-Itens
WASHINGTON, Feb. 10, 1860.
To the B<itor Of the Press:
The near approrch Of the 4th OF March, is
making itself felt very sensibly. Congress is
at length beginning to hurry up the legislative
cakes. We are having shorter speeches and
more frequent votes--less oratory and more
business. Nor is it any too 5000, forever the
ordinary and indispensable business of the
session is still in very incomplete state. OF
the regular appropriation bills, three, the Con-
suIar and Diplomatic, the Pension, and the
Post Office have become laws. or the others,
the Army, Naval, Military Academy, and For
LITIGATION Bills have passed the House but have
not gone through the Sen&te, or they hang by
amendments between the two Houses. The
Deficiency Bill, over which the House and the
Senate joined sometime ago in q dead lock, the
former refusing 10 pass it without, and tae LAT
ter refusing to pass it with the extra compen-
sationn clause, has been added by the Senate
as an amendment to the Executive, Legislative
and Judiciary Appropriation Bill, with the Of
fensivs clalss stricken out, and so passed.
WHAT the House will do with it remains to be
seen. The Indian Appropriation Bill has not
yet passed the Branch in which it originated.
When we pass from the ordinary and indis-
peEsble business of Congress to such schemes
fl.a ol.i nj.
ship canal from Lake Michigan to the Missis-
sippi river, the line of ocean mail steamers
from this country to China, and a hundred or
less propositions to build private railroads at
public expense, we are able, without any great
sagacity to see that their chance OF receiving
the sanction of the present Congress at least
is very small. A strong effort will be made to
bring up the Bankrupt Bill, but its chance of
passage is very small. The lobby influence
designed to operate in its favor is thought to
have done it little good.
The sudden death of Senator HICKS. of
Maryland, is sincerely and deeply lamented.
he was native of the State for which he sat
in Congress, was Governor of it from 1858 to
1862, was elected to the U. S. Senate in place
OF Hon. J. A. Pierce. deceased, taking his seat
during the third session Of the Thirty-Seventh
Congress, and was reelected for the term
closing 1861. He has never taken a very con-
spicuous place in the Senate, making few
speeches but giving many good votes, and al
ways displaying that true and steadtast spirit
to which we owe it in no small degree that
Congress is now sitting in Washington, and
that Maryland, instead of being what Virginia
is, stands to-day, clothed in the white vest
ments Of freedom firmly by the flag Of stripes
and stars.
The funeral took place in the Senate Cham
Der on the afternoon of Wednesday, the 18th
inst. The Senate me-. as usual, the death was
announced By Senator johnson, and eulogies
were delivered by Senators Hale aad Wiley.
About two O'Clock, P. M, the members OF the
House OF Representatives entered the Senate
Chamber. which had been fitted up for their
reception, and soon after the body Of the de-
ceased, embalmed and placed in rich burial
case, was brought in. The funeral services
were conducted by Rev. DR.. Nadal, Pastor OF
Wesley Chapel, assisted by Revs. Drs. Nc
Curdy and Bowman. The Knights Templar
escorted the body to the Congressional bury
ing ground, and many Senators, Members Of
the House, and other distinguished men joined
in the possession. The services were partici-
pated in by the President, Secretary Seward,
the Judges of the Supreme Court and many
other officers of the Government. The fu-
neral sermon was preached from the thirty
eigth verse of the third chapter OF second
Samuel: "And the King said unto his SER
pants, kaoO ye not that there Is a prince and |
a great man fallen this day in Israeli"
The signs daily multiply that the American
people, so long and so profoundly insensible
to the claims of despised and oppressed race
upon their Humanity and sense of right, are |
preparing to do them full justice. An Incl
lent only less remarkable and unprecedented |
han the admission OF a colored lawyer to the |
BAR of the Supreme Court, was the preaching
II eolored minister, Rev. Henry II. Garnet.
n the Hall of Representatives, last Sunday,
oy invitation Of the Chaplain OF the House, |
Or. Charming. When it is remembered that |
n years past, colored persons have been for
hidden to enter the Capitol, or even 10 enter
inc grounds aroundit except as servant, 10
white people, this circumstance is not a little
significant. ryl
Among the many brave and able officers who
AVE been given to the country by our own
state, during the Present war, Brigadier Gem
'ral III1soS, s.ormerly Of Rockland, who en-
ereu the Service as commander of the I'd |
name b.-tterg, and who has risen to his pres
hs p Jsition by faithful service, deserves hon
y able mention. That he is able, and disposed /
Is Provost Marshal General of East Tenues-
see, to drawn the rens with firm and steady I
hand, appears from his recent order respect
ing the Amnesty OAth.' II aoill not do, " he
ing merely to submit They must go further
than that. Thsir repentance must be such as
needs not TO be repsnted of, and they must be |
not only Milling but anxious to identity them
seloes aoitb those a0ho are stirling to restore
peace and establish the national duttor5ty.' |
That his administration is not Only firm but
equable is indicated by his order prohibiting
the confinement of any person without
written statement of the facts upon which he |
has been arrested sigued by some re possible
person, with the name or names of one or
lished
al son brownlow, who will hardly be sus-
PecCeu OF nattery, in his Knoxville Wing and |
heDel Ventlilator,p thus speaks eiiorially Of !
General Tillson: THANK God we have men
in command here now, who will not how tbe /
knee to rebels because they have propertSv or
because paid Union men come forwardto in
dorse their loyalty. They will take care of /
the interests of the government, and deal out !
even handed justice regardless of wealth or