New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-07-21

gren and that Of Senator Norton which, though not I'M
expected seemed sudden last saddened the closing
days OF the session. On the day Of the Senator's demise
Of beautiful white flowers was placed on his desR
and was the first public announcement Of the event.
There something touching and impressive IN the
sight There is little poetry left to U.S. even IN Con
gress But amid the turbulent excitement ana ueS-
perste hurry Of those last days. even Death was
accorded little respect, and the dead peer little ceremon
ial Of remembrance. Before the flowers were touched
with decay an excited Senator speaking from that
very desk evidently with faintest spiritual percep-
ton Of the pale shade standing perchance, beside him.
In the House. watched pretty faithfully the proceed
ings and retardngs during the last few days, though
MORALLY weary of the factous fbustenng and eternal
rocaning 1t said that the worthy clerk Of this hon
oracle body most stod and patient of officials, prdes
himself on knowing by heart the of all the mem
ber in the alphabetical order in which they are called
The wonder is that he knows anything else.
Two persOnages were, in my childhood, objects OF my
unbounded admiration and astonishment. one was the
man who drove the highly decorated pebald horses,
eight ten in hand, before the musicians Yan at the
advent Of the menagore and circus and the other was
the man who, armed only with a ridingwhip entered
the cage with the On the tiger and the leopard during
,ne Of those closing in the House of Representa-
tives the fresh enthusiasm and admrng wonder Of my
childhood returned TO me marked Speaker Blaines
mastery management Of rearing, plunging cavorthS
Congresses him ready 70 beard the roaring Lo-
gan 20 buffet the growing Eldridge to repress the agile
Cox.
cannot for one he reconcied to the failure Of the
Southern Pacific Railroad bill in the House The project
itself thrilled with its splendid possibilities. IL
would be the most magnificent road the continent 1t
would make Norfolk Of the greatest commercial en-
porums Of the world and pour through all the veins of
the respondent and desOated South life of cOur-
age energy and prosperity That failure sad dis
appointment 10 many friends Of the brave projectors ana
many friends Of the Southern people have heard
several reasons assigned for its gOing over the DAM but
hat
alive Southern men enlisted in the enterprise, and
that the bill, at last presented, was nnfaNor-
able to poor settlers, and only favorable TO North
ern capitalists do not know-I only "feel the
pity of it," / cannot believe half the dreadful things
about Senator's Representatives and lobbyists in
terested in the great Northern roads, leaguing and n-
trgung kill this b by getting Objectionable features
inserted and fatal omissions made Well II must wait,
and 1t can wait while lOngerthe precious ores OF Ar-
IONA will keep; the Southern people can suffer and
struggle on-they are used TO When the project pre-
sents larger and open field for speculation and
Jobs il will go through-that is, people say But
should grow hearsck and discouraged, should become
bitterly misanthropic, If should credit tenth part Of
all heard in those last noisy, umutuOus bewildering
days OF jobs and lobbying, plots and oOunterplOts
base bargain and smile in placid unbelie for do
I not remember the more than Spartan virtue and
Roman justice Of the very body magned, on the
occasion Of the WhittemOre arTagnmen only five short
months ago l-how they cast the evil thing out from
among Them and washed their hands and purified their
skirts. remember how promptly they flung overheard
from the mpered ship Of State the unfortunate JONAH
though he rather popular fellow passenger amabe
and good looking, with fine, resonant voice. which he
nscd quite sparngly for pTophetand how, after that
the maryelously abated, and there was great
calm When Congress has indicated its honor and
Justice in way has hold capital of virtue TO
upon. for a session or two, at least.
Very likely feel more chagrin at the failure Of Con-
res to pass the hoped for, than gratitude
for their good and wise acts Of legislation is human
nature, which is miserably e1acting unjust thing at
best The cool go-by given to the civil Service bill
seems to most to he deplored. How can We expect
fathfuness stability inthe public service, integrity,
pride OF character, zeal ana uevoon III IuUv ser
wants. under present wretched, insecure demoraH
ing systef Until that great political reform that in
ures clerical and consular Offices at least 10 competent
mud honest men, during good behdrOr, shall be inaugu
rated will not bribery, treachery, espionage, and all
sorts Of bargaining and corruption thrivei VIII there
De anything ike dignity and odfashioned proDy posi-
BILE TO American political life9 If am inclined to
dwell on this subject, it is because l Reenly and
deeply feel the folly and the evil Of the present system
Here one hardly help deploring and denouncng it,
But in great reform like the proposed, 1T un
lust to expect legislators to be in advance of public opin
ion There must he a strong, earnest universal demand
from the people, TO bring in the and better system
Indeed our much abused legislators sometimes seem TO
he advance of the people IN moral sense and moral
action As grow old like TO go back to the past TO
instance again great cadetshp expose Congress dealt
opinion allowed the parties who tempted TO- and protcd
ny and paid for that betrayal-men of high naval
and military rank-tO go sailing and caracOling about
the world unmulcted and unmolested uncensurcd and
unshamed.
one thing did like. 1t the little burst Of ap
pause House. following the announcement Of the
declaration of war between Prussia and France. After
our experience Of what is, with the clear knowledge
that war two such gigantic Powers must bring
infinite losses, sorrows, and agonies in its train, this in
voluntary expression Of pleasure struck me as strangely
thoughtless il not absolutely cruel thanked God at
that moment that a woman, and not politician
not capitalist not a soldier, But If Were man,
and the must be, know pretty well whom should
hurrah for: II soldier, know whom would pre-
fer fight for, which his name isn't Louis Napoleon
Up to the last leaders, Batter Dawes schenck
and Bingham, were very prominent and busy; but the
great surging roaring unwiedy mob refused to be led
even by OF these, Mr. Schenck has seemed TO me
90 be most steadily gaining ground as leader He
a not so sharp and begerent Butler not so fiery and
persistent Bingham, not omnpresent II as ambi-
ous as Dawes; but he has keen clear practical sense
readiness decision and drive, in argument and when
controlling naturally trascble temper, always COM
mands a most respectful attention
Though our beloved Representatives broke up their
long pOw-wOw at last with shouts and clapping Of
hands like OF liberated schOObOys, the moment Of
their pouring out Of the DOORS in many laughing roll
licking streams 10 solemn with the thought that
grim Death all unseen, made of that merry com
pany that he would 10 it, he TO IL last year
he 10 IL every year, that some voice would be
silent on the next rolca1, would be vacant
the next assembling day. We shall miss them all, some
Of them douby personal friends and public enter
tainers liked 10 overlook them at their daily work
They never seemed 20 be doing a heavy business but
doubtless Il fatgued them almost much as 1t amused
US We shall miss, especially, the solderly Banks and
"a A., T,.Tt,