New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1867-03-02

PIBLD. CoNKLING. THAD. SrBVBNS-AM ~" WIN
HEADS
From Our Special Correspondent
All tho galleries arc full this morning, and look
here all along the north side scores and scores ol
duslrv faces eagerly intont on tho debate. Not by
themselves, thank God, any longer A wlnte I'co
now and then interrupts this good page IN our ms
tory, like the blank space after period But tho
freedmen eagerly listening to legislation are pro-
photic of the freemen able to legisatc.
The ladies' galleries are crowded with lookers-on
whose toilets are almost the only pretty bits OF coor
i'm the scene The only wear for these mornings IN
the House Mesdames is the planeSt street costume
and this Winter not many ladies commit the SIN VI
oyerdressing The two hundred somber-coated gen
tlemen below look like a congregation OF vehement
lint ,biIosonbic crows 1t is odd, this American
insisiance on suits of solemn black. OF all the as
sembly. there shall not be found dozen mon VINO
invest themselves IN that protest against CUSTOM d
sbootinc-iackot or morning sack. One member from
the FREQ West comes in drab coat, and vlylies DIS
corner of the dull chamber with air OF lndepen-
dcnce. and. another. the best dressed man III the
House wears gray trowsers and waistcoat, light
paitcrs and coat with purple tint IN Its texture,
that is delight to the eye. But with these SHINING
exceptions evening dress has 1t by an immense
majority the only concession being HOcR-coatS
instead of the moro formal "swallow-tail"
The effect is melancholy and disheartening to the
last degree. SO much mourning opens the fountain
of toars At u o'clock the House is called to order
a Dr,yer il said the journal of the previous day Is
read aud then to-day's business begins. Now rus
tic like myself would suppose that when work began
nil the members wonld sit openmOuthed. and still as
a prayer meeting to learn what was the order OF
things and be prepared for their turn Not bit oil
IT, At first glance the assembly seems vast class
ready to graduate in the knowledge OF how not 10
do H." Twenty members are smoking cigars in the
cloak -room other twenty b0bbing III and out to
ascertain the opinions of the sequestere2 score.
Twenty more walk up and down IN tho area Dehhd
the chairs saving the air with their hands ana set
Ting Some question of the universe with the honora
bic gentleman from Terra del FucgO. OF the mem
beers in their seats several read the morning pa
pers number more write private lotters, and frank
Yesterdays speech to their admirng constituency.
and gallant few listen to the matter under discus
sion and await their own opportunity to pitch ma
bit of Slang only to be pardOned by reason of its re-
snarkable appropriateness to the style OF oTatory
most in vogue on the floor These remarks arc by
40 means captiOus, but admiTing. The power OF
tho masculine mind which can from clOak-roOms and
Hobbies though the distractions of business CORE
soudonce and the sensations of the newspapers fol-
low the blind trail of bills referred and rereferred.
and reported back and laid before the House, and
amended and reamended and laid on the table, ana
nut under all kinds of indigniteS that an innocent
resolution can he made to endure before it becomes
LAWS majestic. Weak women would feel Obliged
10 sit in their places and attend to the work before
them which is proof that they can never be lit 10
1eeisate Never was hall so bad as this to speak IN.
Not five upon the floor can be heard In the gal
leries without painful raising of the voice; not
five know how to manage themselves against the
fearful odds of the demonstrated space, and
only two succeed perfectly-Banks of Massachusetts,,
whose rich voice. perfect mOdulatOns, and pure, full
tones are delightful and Kelley of Pennsylvania,
whose exquisite enuncatiOn and friabe utterance
give great power to organ naturally less capable
than many others We hear Mr. Banks declare him
Bef upon the Military bill lis my letter late touch
Ing these things which settled and done, and
prayed over, and put away in lavenderi You see
cant help it, My mind is prepared plate and go
relgousy to the Capitol and put the sltters before
the in their best attitude and place the cloth
over the mouth of the machine, and snatch it off,
Saying my mental abraeadabra, and set the
plate in tho sunshine of memory and sug-
gestivenoss looking at it pously every morning.
md there is not line nor dot on its surface and
then 10! some day when have given up all hope of
picture out it starts the sensitive Disc clear
rs a clumsy taker could hope to have it; and so re-
peat it, and tint it, and send it to yOu post haste.
Find fault with the limitations of my sunshine,
great oracle, but not with mel
Mr.. Banks is the most agreeable speaker the
floor Erect. 1.-the, elegant, fluent sparing of ges
tares, which when used, he makes effective, quite
convinced Of some point which is not always the one
under debate. he leads you gracefully up to it, and
you look at it from his side, and certain that it is
the most admirable point taken by anybody since
che Serpent argued with Eve in the Garden. 1t is
only after he sits down that you discover how
mauy other points converge against 1t,
md very possibly, that allowing the argument to be
uuanswerabe, it had nothing TO do with the question
at ISSUE 1t seems to be the characteristic of this
gentemans intellect that it is negatively strong. 1t
denies magnificently; detects flaws and mistakes,
objects to schemes-OfteDtimes shTewdly and with
Iustce-but Pounds systems of its Whatever
be may lack, however Mr. Banks has good taste.
lie never tears passion to tateTS to very rags He
keeps his temper. He neither smokes nor eats apples
on the floor Of the House He puts his feet under his
desk. and not on it; all Of which virtues, though by
no individual are not, regret to say uni
versal
| Mr.. Boutwell, Of Massachusetts has some strong
words to say. He is no orator as Brutus is but he
speaks with such a splendid back ground of zeal and
earnestness, and honesty behind him. that his clear
voice would ring down the centuries with its cry of
courage and truth" He has come out of bondage
into this new light of liberty, having learned his
Radical notions in a conservative schoOl-assurance
that they are most genuine. Clear-headed, logical
always forcible, he commands the attention of the
1Iouse. Tall slender, little round-shouldered as
alas, most American thinkers are with long night
black hair, and inky beard he is one of the handsom-
eat Of the Congressman. And for all his virtues he
may be pardOned an occasional cratic radiation from
che central purpose of the session. The remaining
members Of the Massachusetts, delegation are rather