The Portland daily press., 1870-04-20
DAILY PRESS,
Wednesday, Morning. April 20, 1870.
Letter from Washington.
WASHINGTON, d. G., April IA, 1870
REPRESENTATIVE LoAFING.
ScRIsLAAND

Walt Whitman, whose "barbaric yawp"
has sounded "over the roofs of the world"
declares in one of his emphatically DEM
ocratic Sagas, his firm determination to in
vte his soul to loaf and take its ease." i'm
agine that something of the spirit which dc
tated this expression, has taken possession Of
the American Congress. A better word than
loatng can be found. 1t is dawdling." This
exactly hits the temper of both bodies. The
Senate dawdles over the Georgia bill afraid to
admit and desirous not to reject. Like Capt.
Macheath in the Beggars Opera, between his
two mistresses, grave and reverend seIgnors
stand doubling which to take,-the Bingham
amendment with its certain result, that of the
transfer of the State to Kukluxism next No
vember, or the Pomeroy- Wilson proposition
OF extending term of the present legislature
with its look of doubtful legality. Both of
these propositions are hideous enough. for to
my mind the only way to deal with Georgia is
Whtsa Hey nd de hes meeshwhe by stringent legsa
ton providing means to suppress the Ku
Klux Klan. Governor Morton occupied two
hours to-day in vigorous portrayal of the
devilish spirit which runs riot-uuder cover OF
night at least-in the South.
But must not be drawn away from my
reference to the dawdling spirit which is the
characteristic of the session. The Senate fingers
over Georgia while the House seems deter
mined to dawdle on principle. The weather
is intensely warm, and the spring fever seems
in M fn ha raQpnncihlo hr,f xrr;th
it appears to be simply desire to fout Dawes.
The worthy chairman of the appropriation
committee begins his work with all the top
sawyer" airs possible, announcing that busi-
ness was to be performed under whip and
spur, and making his first effort by cracking
truth is his "vaulting ambition oerleapt it.
self, and fell prone upon the other side." Since
then the worthy representative from the Berk-
shire Hills of Massachusetts has been but lit
tie else than Daw "to peck at"-Democrats
have gibed and Republicans have passed on
unheeding. His promise of rushing things
is not borne out, for five appropriation bills are
yet unreported, and Schenck has got the bri-
die reins well in hand and drives the legisla-
tive chariot.
HUMoRs OF THE TARIFF DEBATE.
1t is very amusing to watch the special in
terests fighting in the legislative arena. You
would imagine at times that the whole House
was going into general fight. We have two
or three sharp encounters within the past two
days. Rubber webbing, gunny bagging, and
hemp have been chief causes of our enioy-
ment Butler runs the first. He has dis
trict in which two special interests exert
themselves-Lynn and Gloucester; fishing
and cobbling rule the roost. In the interest
of the shoemakers he gets the duty reduced
on rubber, webs and hastings. Mr.. Washburn
has it reinstated in the interests OF his constit
utency, some of whom manufacture the arti-
Gle. Butler has it voted out again, and who's
got the best of the fight at this writing can
not tell. The gunny cloth and bagging bus-
ness got up big row. The members from
the cotton States were especially indignant.
One of the most active among them, thus put
their position in conversation with me to-day:
"Now, Colonel, what do you suppose the
Darkey knows about free trade or protection?
Not bit. But he knows what Cotton bag
ging means. This tariff will cost us 10000
votes in Mississippi. Nearly every darkey
know is at work raising cotton. When he's
ready to bale it, he goes to the merchant for
his bagging; he's always ''reb." Our dark
les begin to grumble at the price. The mer-
chant says if it wasn't for the d-m Radicals
you could get that bagging for one half" The
worst OF it is that he proves it. Democrats
says he's opposed to putting on such duties,
and the niger votes for his party. He under
stands bagging, you see, ard the rebs bag
him." So much for that.
ROPE ENOUGH.
There was sharp little encounter today
between Banks and Axtel. of California, and
some discussion yesterday growing out Of the
duties on MANILA and on hemp. These arti-
cles are rated for duties at $40 per ton for hemp
and S25 for MANILA. Mr.. Catacazy, the Rus
sian Minister, ian astute Greek, beleve) has
again raised the question to whether this duty
is not in violation Of the most favored nation
clause of Russian treaties with our govern
ment. 1t is claimed that these articles are
substantially the same, and the Russian rep
resentative on the foor-Gen. Banks, so ar
gued. beg pardon of Massachusetts,, but
really Russia does divide with her the services
of not only the gallant General but even a
more distinguished man-the senior Senator
from the old Bay State.
Mr.. Axtel of California asked in debate to-
day whether Gen. Banks appeared as a rep
resentative from Russia. OF course the innu-
endo was flung back with all the scorn imag-
Unable, but in our nook there were some fun
ny comments made apropos of the Generals
management of the Alaska appropriation and
his more recent visit to st. Petersburg. Like
all other European governments the secret
service is not confined to our people. But to
return to my hemp. The House was not will
ing to reconstruct nature and declare hemp
and manila one and the same thing. Thew
rejected the Russian proposition. One of the
humors OF the discussion was to hear Beck of
KY, appeal for the higher duty, because a
change would be injurious to the negro labor
ers. Fifty thousand negro votes makes some
difference even in Kentucky.
SPECTATOR.
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