The Portland daily press., 1869-03-20
Letter from washing. ON.
WASHINGTON, March Is, 1869.
To the Editor of the Press:

SPEAKER BLAINE 8 COMMITTEES
Mr. Blaine has not been able to accomplish
the impossible feat of pleasing every body,
but on the..other hand he has displeased good
many. AThe West has some eighteen chairman
ships, Ohio three; New York the same; the
South has four, two of which are important;
Missouri has one believe-Col Boyd, for
mer member of Congress- being that lucky
man-eight chairmen are chosen from Maine
The ways and Means i is made up of high
tariff men, while that on appropriations is
decidedly economical. Some members are
considered stingy, but Davis is fair-minded
The Indian Committee is in good hands
Sidney Clarke of Kansas being chairman.
He has been making vigorous fight against
the corrupt rings which abound in his State
The Pacific railroad committee has been arrang
ed quite we'll for the Union Pacific (Omaha) for
favorable the North Pacific interests, MOI,
unkindly for the East Division Route Kan
sas) while projected Southern lines are cold
shouldered with one man-Col. Logan II.
Roots. The Reconstruc ton Committee has
Butler at the head and is of Radical compost
ton. Logan has the Military; Garfield takes
has hardly dealt fair by your able reprenta-
tive, Mr.. Lynch, who was second on the old
committee and Should have been placed at
head when the former chairman, Mr.. Hooper
was transferred to the second place on the
"Ways and Means. 1 have learned that Mr..
Blaine himself recognized Mr.. Lynch's right
to this position, but then weakly gave way to
pressure and did an illiberal thing.
Colfax somehow managed to keep these
matters pretty straight, the only glaring in
justice 1 have heard of his performing was
in the 39th Congress putting new man, Olaf
linz at the head of the Printing Committee in
place of Mr.. Baldwin of Mass, who had ex-
cited the ill-will of Mr.. Defrees by demanding
a rigid compliance on his part with the law
on the matter of letting contracts. 1t turned
out we'll for the public as Latin was more rig
i'd even than Mr.. Baldwin.
A good story is told of John Morrisey and
Mr.. Colfax When John first came, he stroll
ed one morning into the Speakers room. He
apologized, saying he did not know whether it
was usual, but he had taken the liberty of call
Ing to say something about committees Col
fax was all smiling, and said he should be glad
to hear Mr., Morrisey's suggestions, and if pos
sible he would favor him. "What committee
would he like to go on?' Well, Mr.. Speaker"
was the dry response, "plaee rhe'o a commit
tee that never meets" There was an explo-
sion, and amid hearty laughter Colfax assured
him nothing was easier. John was placed on
a committee such as he desired, of which am
To fhoro for fno
the committees of this character, are some too
important to be classed among the do-noth-
ings. There are standing committees on the
expenditures of the various departments, the
object of which was evidently to supervise and
examine into the financial management of the
various departments, If they did their duty,
eorruptions would not so often creep in. To
illustrate, there is an officer connected with
the treasury building, called the superintend-
ent. He has charge of the laboring force, of
expenditures for furniture, &C. The salary is,
1 believe, $25O0 year. The joke about it is
that every superintendent goes in poor and
comes out the owner, at least, of fine house
handsomely furnished. There is no law to
prevent an upholsterer from presenting a
handsome suit of parlor furniture, but the
committee on treasury expenditures might cut
down the margins ON which such presents are
made.
SURPRISE AND SOME OLD SCORES
The caucus election on Monday of new
officers for the Senate was great surprise to
the ousted incumbents. The Sergeant-at-
Arms, pet of Trumbulps, has been an object
Of dislike long since, and!deservedly SO. Hon.
T. ID N
tieth Congress, the successful candidate, is a
gentleman of high character, whose fidelityde-
serve sthe recognition it has obtained. There
is in this an interesting confirmation of the
truth of the old stanza which declares that
no one can escape
"If unforgven,
The patient search and vigil long,,
OF him who treasures up wrong"
Eight years ago, Mr.. Geo. 7. Brown and
Ohm h. French were candidates for the same
ONCE. Each had an equal number of Repub-
iican votes; eight or nine votes occurred.
Brown had one more at last than French, and
not sufficient to defeat Others He then pro-
posed to Mr.. French to make him Postmaster
of the Senate, if he would withdraw. induc-
ing his Senatorial friends to vote for Brown
This was done, and Brown became Sergeant
alarms, "a place out of which he has grown
rich. Mr.. French remained here three months
during which Brown never came near him.
and finally gave away the position he had vol
UNFAIRLY offered. Mr.. French declared then
that he would yet pay him off, and he has
done it, and if there should be any hitch in
accounts he is likely to do it to still greater
purpose In every respect the Senate has
made an excellent change.
Inc removal of Mr.. Defries was very unex-
pected The guild nuncs declare it to be a
oiow aimed at Mr., Colfax, by the Senators
VINO thnk he needs his comb cut" Govern