The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-01-06
The Financial Questlon-Kesumpti
of Specie Payments-The Tar1h-Fir-
xinia and Ben Butlcr-Gossip.

of Specie Payments-The Tarif-Fir-
xinia nnd Ben Butlcr-Gossip.
rFRoM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT
WASHINGTON, January 4.
Senators and members are returning in
numbers sufficient to give each House more than
q quorum on Monday next. Some OF the Weste
members are even thus early demanding short
session. and it Is understood that resolution
will be introduced in the House proposing night
sessions for Buncombe speech-making, SO that
the day meetings can be devoted to business. II
this be carried out, an adjournment can be effect
ed by the lst of May. 1t is not an easy matter,
OF course, to anticipate what the general
business programme will be. The suggestion
made in some quarters that there should be no
financial legislation Is steadily gaining ground,
and Mr.. Boutwelrs proposition "that there is no
use talking about resuming specie payments I'LL
the country is ready for it," finds not Few adVo-
Gates. The steady decline in gold and the fall
Ia prices, it is mentioned, is paving the way for
healthier financial condition than patched-up
legislation can reach. Some OF the Treasury ofn-
cials urge, at all events, that there should be no
legislative OF financial matters till the fall In the
premium Of gold and the decline in prices have
¥ the spring trade an opportunity to accom-
modatc itself to the new order Of things. forced
resumption, or the fixing upon any day by Con-
gressional enactment for resuming specie pay
meats, will be met, at least by the Western mem.
bers, with such uniform opposition that it will be
far better to let the present well.enough alone.
1t is so very plain that he who runs may read,
that the new political issue Of the immediate
future Tor perhaps 1t Is better to call it the re-
vival Of an old ssue,) will be the tariff question.
The most blatant Radicals, the members from the
State Of Missouri for instance are ready to join
hands with the Democrats in demanding reduc-
tion of the present tariff to nearly revenue
standard. Every Republican member from Ohio,
with the exception Of General Schenck, the chair
man of the Ways and Means Committee, is In
favor OF the same coalition. Indeed With per-
haps here and there an exception, the Western
members are united on this issue, and tile East
ern and Pennsylvania high tariff interests might
as well realize 1t at once and prepare to meet 1t.
It will carry the House at this session In several
material points, such as the removal Of the duty
on tea, coffee and sugar, and will receive strong
support in the Senate. The latter body Is more
remote from the people, and Is not SO easily In
Huenced by public clamor for change. The elec.
tions next fall for the lower house, however, will
present the tariff question In the very front OF
the campaign, and Pennsylvania might as well
stand from under the blow 1t will receive In the
Porty.second House.
Some Of the Virginia Conservatives have them
selves to blame for the mischief with which Ben
Butler Is threatening them. Just before Congress
met, quite delegation OF the Conservatives,
members Of the Legislature, called on Butler, and
Quite a confab took place, in which they sought to
satisfy him that there could be no objection to the
admission OF Virginia. Butler, after asking few
questions and receiving favorable answers, ac-
ouiesced in the situation, and said that he would
favor the admission Of the State. The delegation
returned to Richmond somewhat elated; but on
the way down one or two members got a little
too convivial on the Aquia boat, and boasted
rather loudly "of the way old Ben. Butler had
been humbugged." Now, it happened that one
OF Buffers spies was aboard the boat, and he sat
quietly on sofa and took down In short hand all
the details OF the way they had imposed upon
Butler as related too loudly in the crowd.
This conversation was all written out by
one of Buffers private secretarles-for the
listener proved to be one Of them-and duly SUBJ
mitted. His only reply was, that the Virginia
delegation would probably discover "ho,o they
humbugged old Ben Butler" From that tire to
this, he has been the persistent opponent OF the
admission Of the State, and is ready BOW to
exact conditions precedent TO her admission
which this very delegation so warmly opposed. 1t
Is OF course but fair to state that everything that
the delegation laid before Butler was open and
without concealment, and that the conversation
which his spy detailed to him was only the effer
vescence of one or two men for whose sayings as
individuals the delegation were in no wise respon-
sIble, and who could not now probably even re-
call the trivial circumstance Butler has made SO
much out Of. Bat this is only one instance Of the
way Butler has been eavesdropping.
The Republican Congressman have learned
good deal about Bullock since the passage OF the
Georgia bill, and find that lie has deceived them
in many ways. His departure from this city
even was deception. He informed leading Rad
icals that he should go at once to Georgia, but In
stead Of that, he issued his proclamation here,
convenlng the Legislature, and then started. for
the interior OF New York to spend the Interim be-
fore the Legislature met.
The holiday season here has been unusually
dull In national as we'll as q local way. The
New Year opens quietly, but with better feeling
OF confidence than has been experienced for two
months past.
Grant takes things easy. lie refuses to do any
business during this festival season, and prone
nades Pennsylvania avenue with the usual crowd,
smoking OF course cigar z.
co1gH8HA.
No Quorum-A Negro Frozen.