The Portland daily press., 1868-12-05
Letter from Washington.
ABOUT SENATOR SUMNER AND GRANTS CABINET.
WASHINGTON, d. c., Dec. /. 1861.


WASHINGTON, d. c., Dec. l, 1861.
To the Editor Of the Press:
Nearly score of Senators have already ar
rived here, and about as many Representa-
tives with more coming daily. Mr. Sumner,
always one of the earliest, has been getting
his residence in order. Out OF that TACT has
grown a limited renewal of rumors relating
to his domestic affairs, which shall not now
repeat The house occupied by the distin-
guished Massachusetts Senator is owned by
the Honorable Samuel Hooper, of whom it is
leased. Mr.. Sumner, expecting to remain in
the Senate, has gwen up the old residence in
Boston, and has brought here all of the valu-
able collection of pictures, books, engravings,
ETC., which were gathered in that Boston resi-
dence. OF course Cabinet speculations are
somewhat worthless, but these is little reason
to doubt that Mr. Sumner has made up his
mind that he would prefer to remain in the
Senate, rather than go into the Cabinet, should
that opportunity present itself. That there
might be such probability seems likely from
the fact-for such it is-that under the advice
of General Grant himself, the Senator was
asked, when it seemed almost certainty that
johnson would be removed, to take the head of
Mr.. Wade's Cabinet Mr.. Sumner then ex-
pressed himself as desirous of remaining in
the Senate.
There are very few speculations or rumors
with regard TO president Grants Cabinet.
That individual keeps his own counsel, and no
flame can be maintained without fire, and SO
as there is fuel to be obtained, the Cabinet gos-
sip dies for want of nourishment, and General
Grant keeps on the even tenor of his way,
quite as reticent to chores" but much more
approachable to those who are not than was
lately the case.
PROPOSED CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS
Gen. Grant is known to openly favor two
new constitutional amendments; one ofwhich
shows his own disinterested patriotism. L re-
fer to the article offered by Mr. Wade, and
now pending ON the Senate docket, limiting
the occupancy of the Presidency to one term
for one person. Gen. Grant endorsed this be-
fore he was nominated and has taken occasion
since his election to express his continuance
of the same views. The other proposition Ia
vored by General Grant is of more present
Importance. 1t is an amendment prohibiting
any State from excluding from the franchise
any citizen of the United States on account
of race or color. General Grant is unreserved
in expressing his hope that the last session of
the 10th Congress win honor itself by the sub
mission of such an article to the Legislatures
of the various States.
And this is really the main question before
that body. 1t will probably be the first reach
ed and earliest disposed Of Though there are
many who fear that it's fate before the State
Legislatures is not quite as certain, as its fate
in Congress, yet the Republican press is so
unanimous in demanding its presentation to
the country, that the timid ones are most like
ly to take the shortest horn of the dilemma
and vote for the amendment on the principle
OF "after me the deluge."
THE CASE OF GEORGIA AND LOUISIANA
Another point of Importance upon which
| decided opinions are expressed by arriving
members relates to the condition OF affairs in
| coorois and Louisiana and the necessity of
examining into the conditions under which
Elections were pretended to be held. The Sen
ate will take the initiative in the case of Geor-
gia from the fact that Joshua Hill and DIR. "
II. Miller will present themselves as Senators
to be sworn in. A motion will be at once made
to refer their credentials, with instructions to
the Judiciary Committee to examine whether
Georgia has legally ratified the 14th article, or
otherwise fulfilled the requirements of the
reconstruction laws. Mr.. j. H. CALDWELL
member of the National Republican Commit
tee for Georgia, shows in an exhaustive analy-
sis of the Presidential vote, how adroitly the
Ku-Klux Democracy managed to terrorze the
counties where the colored Republican vote
was largest, and thus by securing compara-
| lively few counties, change the honest result