The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1866-01-23
Washington News and Rumor..

Washington News and Rumors.
Some of the Republican members
from Indiana are growing tired of the
wrangle about negro suffrage, and do
not hesitate to say that, if applied to
that Safe, it would lose them every
Congressional district excepting that
of Mr.. Julian.
Thad, Stevens sudden anxiety to
repeal SO much of the Congressional
test-oath as prohibited Southern at
torneys from practising in the South
created much surprise at the time,
and has led to much discussion since
among those not fully in the secret.
1t seems that a small caucus of the
faithful met at Mr.. Chase's, on Satur-
day evening, where the whole subject
was informally discussed. Judge
Chase is understood to have said that
the law was clearly against the oath;
that the question now before the Su-
preme Court involved the whole prin-
ciple, and must soon be decided, and
recommended the course pursued by
Stevens on the following Monday as
the best method for relieving him
from the necessity of making o disa-
greeable decision, and the party from
possessing most unwieldy elephant.
The Committee on Ways and Means
are reported to be by no means har-
monious concerning what is popularity
termed Secretary McCulloch's bill on
financial affairs. Many of them are
opposed to giving him the authority
f0 into fora1or,, IL 0to f0,-
It is difficult to see how this can con-
fiict with sound policy. Our bonds
will inevitably find their way abroad,
and the only question to decide is,
whether the Secretary shall negotiate
them himself on the best obtainable
terms, or allow them to pass through
bankers and brokers as middle-men.
The correspondent of the New York
Herald writing from Fortress Monroe
says: The search is still continued on
land and on shipboard for persons
formerly in the rebel service and be-
ieved to have any completely in the
alleged plot to secure JEFF. Davis his
freedom without the authority or
sanction of the Government It is
probable there will be no let up in
these inquisitorial researches until an
order to such effect comes from the
War Department. General Miles and
the military force garrisoning the
fort, I feel very certain, would rather
like the coming of a rescuing force,
and prefer not to advertise their prior
knowledge of the possible arrival of
such an expeditionary party. Though
the victorious wreaths encircling the
brows of our brave soldiers do not
weigh heavily, and though grim
visaged war is more agreeable with
smooth than with a wrinkled front,
little excitement of this kind would
relish intensely and set the blood
tingling with lively and pleasurable
audacity. There is this one pleasant
feature in the case-that if no rescu-
ing party does show itself, the excite
ment stirred up by it has cleared the
post and its precincts of many having
no business here and no claims to be
here. [ refer, of course, to the edicts
expelling those formerly in the rebel
service from the Government depart
ments, and forbidding the employ
ment of any such in future. It has
long been freely spoken of as an un-
pardonable shame that such persons
should be allowed to be employed
here to the exclusion of Union SOL
diers, whose past glorious records in
the field and Scared and manned
bodies entitled them to these places.
But nepotism was fast getting its
sway, and it needed just such emer-
gency and stringent action to put it
down. 1t is a blow in the right direc-
ton. ALI loyal and rightly-minded
ones are glad of it.
The correspondent of the Phila-
delphia Ledger, of the 18th, says:
Certain parties are endeavoring to
make it appear that because the
Mtelligence1' has lost the War Depart
ment advertising, it is no longer in
the confidence of the President. This
is an error, as the advertising affair
and its withdrawal was purely mat
ter between the proprietors and the
Secretary of War, the Executive him
self being as foreign to the withdrawal
as Napoleon or Queen Isabella.
[ hear to-day that the Supreme
Court is &c upon the question OF
the constitutionality Of the test-oath.
1t was supposed that Reverdy John
sons able argument before the Court
in the case of Mr.. Garland would
have secured at least q preponderance
of votes in favor of granting the