The New York herald., 1869-03-20
6issUss;on in the Senate on the Rights Of
British Shipowners During the War.
Startling Speech Of Senator Sprague on
the Tenure Of Office Act.
TOO MANY LAWYERS IN CONGRESS
Passage Of the Indian ApprOpria-
tiOn Bill in the House.
Debate ON the Treaty Making
Power.

Power.
WASHINGTON, March 10. 1869.
Cabinet NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. of a Second As.
sistant Secretary Of the Treasury.
The meeting OF the Cabinet to-day was attended
by all the members and was Of short duration. A
few selections were made OF officers to oil vacancies
n u said, but nominations sent to the Sen
ate except that Of Mr.. william A. Richardson to be
Second Assistant Secretary of the Treasury. Mr.
Richardson is at the qepNtmfpA and has already
begun to make acquaintahce with h:s ddties.
The Cuba and st. Domingo Questions.
The House Committee on Foreign Affairs had
meeting to-day and considered the Cuba and St.
Domingo questions A letter received from the
Secretary Of State in reply to the committees re-
quest for information relative to the condition OF
those countries was read and after some discussion
is was agreed to postpone the subject until the next
meeting Of the committee, when 1t is expected the
state Department will be in possession OF later and
more definite information.
The Tenure Of Omce Bill in the Senate.
The Senate consumed another day in ventilatng
the Tenure OF once BILL without arriving at vote
Those favorng suspension occupied most OF the day.
but presented no arguments throwing new light on
the question story is told Of the BILL on its orgi-
nal passage Thaddeus Stevens remarked to Sena-
tor on one occasion that the Tenure OF once bill was
an act Of cowardice on the part Of the Senate be-
cause It was afraid to impeach the President.
He then prophesied that trouble would spring
out Of that bill. Such is likely to be
tho case. The speech delivered by Senator
6prague Of Rhode Island, can hardly fail
TO arouse attention throughout the whole country
BY the apt originality and extraordinary boldness
which characterized It, Mr.. Sprague is young
man and no orator. but he manages at critical
times to think with more truth, force ana justice
than most Of our public men, His speech to-day
vas rambling in form, but the matter it contained
was Of almost startling interest The subject under
debate was the Civil Tenure act and Mr.. Sprague,
feeling, doubt intensely opposed to the retention
OF such statute, and sitting for days
under the innicti0n OF never-endng dis
cussion, carried on almost exclusively by hair
splitting and long-wnded lawyers, determined
at length to open his mind about what he
thought Of the Senate and its composition.
He began In his usual quiet careless manner
OF delivery, but had hardly proceeded fur
ther than o sentence or two when he
startled the whole chamber by declaring
that the Senate was composed OF too many lawyers
for the good Of the country. Too many lawyers
Just think Of It'll Flat blasphemy as ever sauted the
ears OF Justice Dogberry. Too many lawyersl Did
such idea enter the head Of any Senator be-
lore The business people-the people Of wealth,
worth and standing-shoud be more fully rep
resented, contended the Senator from Rhode Island
"What did lawyers know Of the real and material
interests Of the people ~ inquired the speaker.
ssTheir time was given to making confu-
sion worse confounded, and their minds
ran IN narrow, constrained and pettifoggng chan
mel Of thought They had now taken hold OF this
Tenure OF once act, and were expending all their
ditional power under the disguise OF securing the
equipoise Of the government and shielding the
people from Executive encroachment. "All sham In
substance continued Mr.. Sprague. "The House OF
Lords, any other Legislative body, has half the
power possessed by the Senate Of the United States
and yet they clamor for more, and for whyf Why,
% build up aristocracy OF power, olgarchy OF
tyrants and monopoly OF legislation.n He Nfr.
Sprague) would rather trust man elected straight
from the people than q body OF many men elected
by state Legislatures. He would sooner
. look for the exercise OF humanity and
some degree Of responsibility to one tyrant than
70 conspiracy OF tyrants. And so on Mr.. Spra que
continued spreading his extremely novel II not dis
tasteful opinions all around him. Senator Nye re-
piled on behalf Of the lawyers, though pretend
ing to be any very great legal light himself His
speech, In It's humor raiery and happy style of In
tective, might be said TO have demolished Sprague;
but Nye desired no such result, and evidently adj
mired the pluck OF the young Rhode Island Senator
in boarding the whole Senate TO Its face.
Nominations Confirmed by the Senate.
The Senate to-day In executive session confirmed
only three nominations as folows:-
Elizabeth Van Lew. Posmistressat Richmond, Va
John Titus, United states Judge for the Territory
OF Arizona.
Dudley W. Haynes Pension Agent for Brooklyn
and New York, vice Porter, resigned.
The Departments Besieged by Once Seekers.
The Secretary Of War was besieged with visitors
this morning, many OF them being applicants for his
influence with the President IN support of their So
ncitations for once. The Secretary is, however,
unwilling 10 give his attention to any matters OF q
public character except those pertaining entirely TO
bis own department Secretaries Cresswe and
Boutwell, and Commissioner Delano experience no
relief from the demands OF once seekers.
FaciIitation Of Government Dispatches
Through the Malls.
Postmaster General Cresswel has addressed the
following circular 10 the several members OF the
Cabinet, with request that the names and sigma
lures Of the chief clerks OF the respective bureaus be
furnished the city Post once for the guidance of the
Postmaster In carrying out the order:--
POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT.
with view TO facilitate the transm ssIon by mail
of Official communications enanatinR from the Ex-
&cutive departments In this city and the bureaus,
therefore II Is ordered that authority be given to the
chief clerks OF the bureaus OF all the Executive
departments to frank Official mail matter emanating
from the bureaus TO which they are attached.
J. A. j. CRESSwELI. Postmaster General
the practice heretofore has been to stamp Jao
slsnle Of the of1ccr's signature upon the envelope
but under the late law the signatures must be auto
graphic, snd the authority TO sign BY the above