Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1870-02-19

wAsnrNeroN. Feb. is, le7O.

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contracts made prior to the passage of the Le-
gal Tender Bill of 1869 must be fulfilled In the
currency in use at the time the contracts were
made /; |. c. gold. The decision was carried by
only one majority on Tive Bench, three Of The
Justices dissenting There are two vacancies
! on the Bench that have since been filed by
the nominations of Mcssrs. Strong and Brad
| fey, so that the decision may be reversed. 1t
is generally attributed to the influence of Chief
JUSTICE Chase, whose feet are go firmly planted
on democratic ground, that all his judicial steps
tend in democratic direction. The decision
is the more remarkable because Mr.. Chase is
to great extent the father of the legal tender
act, was Secretary of the Treasury when that
act was passed and IL passed under his watch
ful eye, and with his approval. Since then Mr..
Chase has stepped from the Treasury TO the
Supreme Bench and from the Republican ranks
into the democratic, and now slaughtered the
act he once originated Such Is political con
sistency. Al first il was feared that the deci
sion would cause all contracts made prior to
1862, to be called in at once, that gold might
be obtained on them. But this feeling is pass
ing away. Gold is now at 100 and falling
1t has sunk fifteen per cent. within the year,
and before the close of another fiscal year, 1t is
most devoutly 10 be hoped that it will be at par
The debate on the Census Bill in the Senate
has come to an unexpected end. The House
Comm. under the leadership OF Gen. Garfield,
perfected bill that included all the modern
improvements of statistics. Mr.. Garfield sue
eeedcd by wise and able management in pass
ing the bill successfully through the House of
Representatives. When it came into the Senate
Sumner OF Mass, and Patterson of N Ii. ad-
vocatcd the main features of Gen. Garticd's
bill But Senator Conkng, of N Y. attached
1t in speech of mingled wit and irony and
scceeded in killing it by a vote of 4G To 0. II
is therefore settled that our statistics of the
forthcoming census shall be the od-fashioned
ones of a generation ago. All Gen. Gar6eld's
improvements have been thrown away.
Both Senate and House have distinguished
themselves the past week by personal abuse
and rccrimination. Senators Stewart of Ne
vada, and Trumbun of Ills emptied their vi.
ais Of wrath on the head of Sumner of Mass,
for not being true to the 18th Amendment and
for an arrogant assumption of superiority to
his brother Senators John Sherman truly
told the Senate that Mr.. Sumner did not need
to defend his antislavery record til at was be-
fore the country and was so pure and bright
that it would resist all attacks. The other
charge Of arrogancy, fear is true. Mr.. Sum
ner is at times undoubtedly overbearng.
In the House the personalities was between
Sunset Cox and Gen. Butler. Mr.. Butler NOV
ed to strike out mileage and here by the way,
am glad to say that Bill will shortly be pre-
sented to the House not abolshing it entirely,
but doing away with its Objectionable features.
Two or three attacks were made on Butler, as
there always are. And then Sunset Cox arose
and djhumorOusly defended Gen. Butler rs an
old Democratic brother whom he loved to de-
tend mot only in his military but in his eco
nomical career, commencing with the Dutch
Gap Canal and running through all his con-
duct, connected as it is with his noble, moral
hightoned principles respecting the policy of
the government" The House loudly laughed
at this thrust at Buffers character and the Gen.
rrtreated to his own side of the House saying
he should only answer Mr.. Cox by the remark
Of every boy who would whistle or turn n
hand organ "Shoo, fly, don't boddcr me-" This
sally brought the laughter on to Buffers side,
aud mlddencd Cox. H. replied that he was
not bete noir nor any other sort Of beast His
own Republican colleagues intimate that he il
II thief and robber and he dares not answer
them" Mr.. Cox WAS stopped by the Speaker
as out of order. But IL is unfortunate for Mass,
that one of her Representatives is so generally
believed to be dishonest man that the fact is
alluded to in the House as well as in the papers
as open and notorious
The Freedmcn's Burenu closes all but its
Educational work On the LIST oi July Its agt
the Rev. j. w. Alvord, has just been making
his tour of inspection among the c0lored
schools %: the South. He finds that there are
among them six Colleges, forty normal and
high schools, and 800 common and s. Schools
with an Attendance of about 100000 pupils
The black race is steadily and uniformly rising
and the eager longing and thirsting after knowl-
edge makes them apt scholars. The Supcrin-
tendcnt of Schools in Virginia has reported
| that the scholars in some of his schools aver
age walk of three miles and that many walk
from two to eight miles in the morning to reach
the school and as many bnck at night Mr.
/ Alvord reports that there is no difference be.
| tNNNu Nilt Nlilt uli lnc DldCh III tue SDuIn III
the matter of crime the proportion of indict-
menls Is almost exactly the proportion of pop
ulaIion. Slowly is the black race rising in its
dress, its knowledge, its pursuits of business .
but is rising. In Washington l can see n
great difference in the six years of my residence,
here. Harvard University has some 800 schol.
ars In its law medical and theological schools
and its normal department. The black en-
baSsador from nayli goes into our best society,
and dimes with the President as often as any
other ambassador Senator Reycls is now ready
TO distribute his Senatorial patronage for the
State OF Mississippi The Fifteenth Amend
ment is the law of the land, and henceiorth no
citizen of the U. $. Is 10 be dcbarred from any
civil or political right because Of the accident
of color WORCESTER.
Tue LAKE. FIsHERIEs-Few subjects can