The national Republican., 1868-12-12

Goycrnment in an Ugly Ateitude.
"a. DEcxnnxR n, lsGs.
To ruR RrruBIIcAs; Mr.. John ". Garrett .
speech delivered on The day before yesterday
on ths occasion cf his 70 election to be presi-
deut Of the Baitiu,ors and Ohio Railroad Com
pap,) created quite nuttor among the people
Of Washington, as excited upon the subject Of
railroads as they are just now. lie has svi.
IDENTIFY made the best Of his CASE yet his do.
fence Is essentially q weak one, insomuch I.
he Is compelled to contend that single through
line Of railway is Sufficient for Washington,
while assuring Baltimore that every additional
mile Of railway eonnsetious she achieves adds
TO her prosperity and wealth. His coolns"
In denying that the policy Of his company In
refusing to permit PennsJlvsnia railrosds'
freight to pass through Baltimore over his
road without breaking bulk adds immensely
to iu cost delivered here, involves an amount
Of assurance that Is refreshing indeed His
argument 10, thst bscsuss be charges bat
s125 per tor on hard coal between Baltimore
and Washington. therefore II can bs delivered
here BY rail at Is fair rate as Il Is delivered
in Baltimore. The truth Is, as he insists
on compelling its re,hIpmsnt in Baltimore, he
makes It cost, in Washington, ,$a7S more than
It would otherwise cost. This difference
amounts to an enormous tax on the citissns Of
the District Of Columbia. and Is at the bottom
Of much Of the strong feeling against Mr.. Gar.
rett and his corporation that exits hero. II
Is undenisbiy true that Mr.. Garrett dictate,
the freight charges Of the Orange and AlsIsn
dria railroad, 90 far as Warrington frsishI
Is concerned; and that, under his dictatiOn
that company charge freight to this city fron
any point on their line, Is much IS, II no
more, than to Baltimore, though the latte
city IL forty miles farther OF. I do not feel {
liberty TO occupy your space with an sxtsnds
criticism Of Mr. CARROTS specious speech
which really. when analysed, amounts to littl
moro than p,lliation Of bis corporations out
ragsous wrongs inflicted on this population.
So far the Presidsnt's partisanship lin th
msssago) on behalf Of the Psndlstonisn re
pudiation policy, has had no effect uhatev,
on tho market value Of gold or Unite
States securities. This Is = subject Of pub
lie congratulation. II tells that no on
expects that his views upon the gres
financial questions Of the day will hav
weight In directing Congressional legisls
tioa upon them; or. In other words, tha
his advocacy ofths extreme Democratic repu
diation doctrine carries no more weight
Wall street than that Of Brick Pomsroy
who pronouncss, daily, . similar message Q
argument on the same subject.
There Is to be IN animated struggle in bot
Houses next week over the recess question.
still believe that the Christmas recess will b
little longer than usual. Tho truth Is, II
pressure Of business on both Houses wi
hourly increase immensely. By the end {
next week 1t will probably bs oouprehsnds
that, were the session to last siI, instead Of
little more than two months, Congress uoul
have ample occupation In the confederation Q
legitimate legislative questions. Each sue
essdins hour demonstrates that some quss
tion, not previously thought Of, must bs 20
out Of the way Of the incoming sdministra
tion; somsthing which. II not disposed Of or
the 4th Of March. is likely to prove sort o
DEVILS legacy to Gen. Grant.
The circumstances attending the considers
tion of the claim Of Mr.. Joseph segar in th,
House yesterday, though action adverse I,
his petition was taken, demonstrste that Con
grsss Is beginning to realize tho Obligation
Of the Government to Southern Unionist
whose property Vas destroyed or consumed b,
the Union armies in tho South. Ample pro
vision has been made, or Is being made from
time TO time. for the liquidation Of precisely
similar claims from loyal States. Why th,
Southern loyal man should bs martyrsd By
the Government cannot understand, though
II is plain enough why the rebels, when they
had the power, should martyr him. So far
while paying the loyal Pennsyivanian to Ii,
uttsrrnost farthing for his damages sustained
at the hands of United States troops, not {
dollar s paid to the loyal yirs,nian on thu
sane account. If either Is the man most t.
be praised for his course and conduct durini
the war 1t Is surely the latter. To refuse hin
the justice msted out TO the other IL most
disgraosfui on tho part Of Congress, infictinl
. foui stain on the reputation OF the Govern
mont Of the United statos. A dread that th'
aggregate Of such claims from the South viii
bs enormous Is At the bottom Of the refusal o
| Congress up to this time to initiate measure
for their eventual liquidation. This dread
as unmanly as unstatssmanliks. It Is tn
province Of trus ststesmanship to grappl
with any public necessity, and to maintain
any principle Of justice that arises in th
courte Of . nations career. With all ou
boastsd liberalism and national Justice We ar
Behaving like the veriest towards and jeremy
diddlsrs In this matter. We fear to pay thos
who suffered most and lost most In the wa
through their Unionism what we honestly ow
thsm, lest "the dear people" may not like I
foot tho bill, and therefore We cheat them ou
Of their Just dues from the United State,
| This 10 precisely the attitude Of the Unite
States Qovernp ent townrdJ Its consistent an
ssifsaer ihcing supporters In the South. N
other oiyilizsd Government would dare to fac
the scorn Of the world with such record upol
such point.
soNE PAPERs are advocating extreme cat
ton, and arc sdvisipg Congress In its rsvisiO
Of tho naturalization laws to move with muc
deliberation and carefalneB. All this To a
extent may be we'll. But 1t must bs rsco
iscted that every native born citizen must q
tain the age Of twenty ono years before
can vote, and nobody desires that this Ia
should be changed. Lat. then, the natura
lied citizen be put upon = certain probatio,
not tvsnty-o years, nor twsnty.one month