The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1869-02-20
Washington Correspondence.
Official Announcement of the Result OF the
Election-.-The McArdle Case-Forneys Land
Agency.-0ffice Seekers.
spopdencs Of ths Sew Orleans orescen..l

Special Correspondence of the New Orleans Crescent
WASHINGTON, d. c., Feb. IL 1863.
OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE RESULT OF THE
ELECTION.
According to az immemorial custom, COM
mttee of three, composed Of Senator Morton OF
the Senate, and Messrs. Wilson and Pruyn OF the
House, waited upon Gen. Grant at army head
quarters yesterday, and presented to him the GER
| tifcate of bis election president of the United
| States. This event, though mere Formally IN
| itself, has been awaited with the most intense
| interest by expectant Radicals, with hope,
almost grown to q certainty, that at last the
| silence would be broken and something definite
| be divulged as to his cabinet and administrative
| policy. Gen. Grant was ia his Office ct the time
| of the arrival Of the committee, engaged IA the
| performance of official duties, and with no delay
| Senator Morton addressed him as the president
| elect and in a few remarks assured the general
! of the hilarious state of feeling with when
| his success had inspired the Radical party
and the rest OF the nation. Complimentary
illusions TO patriotism" y" integrity" and " en-
| ergy y followed, when the senator concluded by
pledging TO the new administration the entire sup
port of the whole country, irrespective OF political
| ereeds color or caste. Amid the intense interest
| OF the few persons present Gen. Grant responded
| in low but clear voice, and announced his ac'
| ceptance of the high Office and his determination
| TO carry out faithfully its obligations. He dwelt
particularly upon the necessity Of infusing spirit
of retrenchment and honesty into the vsrious
I branches Of the government service, and promised
| indiscriminate warfare upon dishonest ofhcials,
whether of his own appointment or those OF his
| predecessor. The Radicals present WINGED under
this promised Illustration Of lobby and plumber
ing jobs, bat concealed their chagrn TO listen to
/ the expected developments on the all absorbing
question of the cabinet organization. Amid
breathless silence the general resumed: That IL
| had long been bis intention to declare upon the
/ present occasion the names of those whom he
| should invite to become members Of his cabinet
here expectation was at its height and feeling
of joyful satisfaction overspread the faces of those
present in anticipation Of the important intelli.
| gence 10 be communicated. when the oracle con-
| cludei-but recently he had changed his mind.
! Confusion and disappointment succeeded this an
| nouncement, and the thwarted Radicals scarcely
recovered their composure while the general con-
tinued in q statement of his reasons for this unex-
pected action. he bluutly averred that his sole
motive in pursuing this course was mis- aversion TO
| the political pressure which such an announce
ment would bring upon himself from various
parties to induce him TO change his selections.
For this reason he had decided to make
| no public announcement Of his cabinet until the
names of its members were sent 10 the Senate for
confirmation. The evident anxiety Of the presi.
dent elect to be delivered from his friends seemed
to provoke feeling Of sympathy on the part of
Mr.. Pruyn, the Democratic member Of the COM
mittee, and he concluded the proceedings In a
handsome speech of few moments length, In
which he assured the general that in carrying out
| sl,o ;,,ia ~ and
which he had expressed, he would meet with the
hearty cooperation of the whole Conservative
party In few moments after the interview con-
cluded, its details were spread over the city with
electric speed, and made the subject of anything
but pleasant consideration by the hundred sspir-
ants for cabinet honors. The evident dlstrust
which the new president entertsins Of his
Radical friends and his anxiety to act
his constitutional advisers has created feeling Of
the utmost apprehension lest the lobby influence,
SO potential in the past, will find its occupation
gone in the new order OF things which 0en' Ersnt
has so Enthusiastically insugurated.
"Smilerr Colfax was subsequently waited on
| bv the same committee that attended Gen. Grant.
and briefly acknowledged his sense of the honor
conferred, and gave his assurance that he would
endeavor 10 prove worthy of :he mark Of public
confidence, by fidelity TO principle and duty.
This part of the proceedings attracted but little
attention, as Coltax is known to be committed
body and soul to the "great Republican party"
and bis ideas of duty" never stray beyond the
principles laid down in the Chicago platform.
| THE MARBLE CASE.
Considerable interest is being revived in judicial
circles, in the progress of the well known Nc
Ardle case. which will be brought up and argued
in the United States Supreme Court on the 18th
instant This case, il will be remembered, comes
| Up ex parte from the lower court in Mississippi
where, as Vicksburg editor, McArdle was i'm
prisoned by Gen. Ord, by virtue OF the power con
ferred by the reconstruction acts. The argument
int ha oiuvo q col stiutOnaiitv the
act Ct Congress passed az the last session, taking
away from the Supreme Court its appellate juris
diction in habeas corpus cases. The appellant
, McArdle, claims that inssmuch as the court has
, possession of the cause, and it has been argued
and submitted to the court, that Congress coulC
not take away the jurisdiction as TO that case.
On the other hand, il ia claimed that as the ju
risdiction of the Supreme Court is merely statu
tory, the repeal of the statute terminated the ju
risdiction of the court, and no judgment can b
rendered or opinion pronounced; and that an.
further proceeding in the case would be cordn
: | non judloe-absolutely void.
: Should the court sustain the appellants theor,
and decide that the act of Congress is retroactive
and unconstitutional as applied 10 q case alread
pending, then it viii be compelled TO decide upo
Black is counsel for the appellant and Mat. Car
penter, the newly elected senator from Wisconsin
appears for the government.
' FoRNEY's LAND AGENCY.
= For the past two years the fertility of ever
y | haClcal mlnQ mas Deeu exhausted IN OeVSln
political schemes for the material improvement o
the Southern States, but it seems TO have been re
served for the present time to produce any pract
cal relief for their pressing necessities. "Can an
| good come out of Nazareth" is an oft repeated
conundrum, but with the evidence 80 clearly be
, | fore US now, an affirmative answer seems AZ las
! attainable. The author of this new project Is N
{ less parsonage than the Hon. % j. w. Forney
exsecretary Of tue Senate and 'editor Of two pa
pers, both daily" The past conduct OF this dis
tinguished exponent OF Radicalism is, am free 4
3 confess, greatly to his prejudice and there ma,
possibly liDger In your minds some recollection
bis sweeping assertion just previous to the cleo
, ton that every breeze that swept from the Sout
4 came laden with the cries of murdered loyalists
and the fendish laughter of festive Ku Klux.'
But then it was politics which swayed his sympa
thetic mind, and not plantations which engaged
his attention, as in the following notice in the
? | Washington Chronicle:
, "To those who wish to sell OF buy land In tn,
1 Southland Agency in the Office of the Washing
ton Chronicle"
There, unrepentant rebels, there ia "smiable
ness' for y0u theresis =" forgiveness OF injuries
when honest John is willing to forget the hare
! names he has applied to you in the past anC