Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1870-12-29
Washington Letter.

week has been one or the most intense In
terest. Legislative, political and personal
matters, that are of the utmost momen,
to the country generally, have beer
brought in review before the world il,
such manner as to be felt to its remote
corners.
@ LEGISLATIVE
matters have been of the utmost impor
lance, SO much go that it has seemed diff
t1cult to determine which of the yery i'm
portant matters now awaiting action
should be acted upon fiat, and in some
instances much time has been spent 10
useless higgling about which should be
taken up first. For instance, Mr.. Sher.
man wants to take up pet measure OF
his for sweetening the sugar tax. Mr.
Morton desires to act upon his resolution
for the San Domingo commission, and
while debating this Mr.. Howe makes o
raid in the interests of claims, certain
class of claims, which the Senate he says
will greatly disappoint him by passing,
and yet he must have them go through
So debate follows upon, not any we'll de-
fined proposition, but which shall have
their way, until Mr.. Davis gets the floor
and delivers what he styles one of his
Long September rain storm speeches"
This gives everybody but the Globe re-
porters chance for nap, and generally
they wake up good natured and agree to
work upon something. Much time is
spent in this way, that when important
matters are waiting is precious.
| In the Senate there is no limit upon
debate, but in the House the limit to de-
bate is more than equaled by the better
facilities for fillibustering.
IN THE HOUSE
MIR. Dawes, from the Committee on WAYS
and Means, has been cutting and trim
ming the surplus corners from the Gen
eral Legislative Appropriation Bill. True
to his old text, Mr.. Dawes stands ready
to patch and fill any spot where leak in
the public crib can be discovered. Two
OF magnitude have been discovered this
session. One is the practice of allowing
private parties to have struck off, at the
Government Printing Office, any amount
of any kind of public documents pub
lished there, by paying. the estimate cost
of publishing, which is alleged by Mr.
Dawes to be far below the real cost of the
same. Not only this, but members OF
Congress have, not satisfied with their
share of document which the law allows,
ordered exclusively upon their private
| account, which private bills they have in
many instances failed to pay, and the
government has become the loser. 1t may
be asked, Why are they thus allowed, why
is not payment enforced Simply because
the officers at the printing office hold their
positions by sufferance of Congressional
influence. A faithful performance of duty
in the case might be to incur the displeas-
ure of an influential man, which might |
indirectly result in official decapitation-
a portion too often the lot of the fearlessly |
faithful among Office holders.
1t is also stated that q fifty thousand |
item has been discovered in the printing
of au entirely new index to the Congress.
ional Globe, which has been deemed use.
less and discontinued. The different
views upon
GENERAL AMNESTY,
as contained in Mr.. Buffers bill, causes
much discussion just now. The indica-
tions are that the bill in its present form
will not pass A large portion of
the Southern m mbers think the auspi- |
cious time not at hand yet, and tell
fearful tales of Ku,Klux outrages in sub
sanitation of their views. The majority |
of the House, I think, are in favor of some
sort of Amnesty, the point of difference
being only in degreee. Buffers bill
makes large determinations, and thu pre-
else line of demarkation between pyosorip.
ton and amnesty, is 2 question upon
which it, probably, would be difficult
matter to unite dozen members. Mr.
Bingham in critiesiing the bill severely,
stated that there are only about twenty
Thousand voters to be restored, and for
one he desired the republican party to re-
cord another act of unparalleled magma
nimity by granting universal amnesty.
This is substantially the position taken
by Senator Schurz, that it is an expedient
thing to do, for inasmuch as it must come
before long, now is the time to be mag
unanimous. And then too, he claims it
upon the simple demands of Justice.
Mr. Wood, Democrat, on Wednesday
introduced bill into me House, regula-
ting telegraphic oommE nications between
this and foreign countries.
IN THE SENATE.
The overshadowing feature of legisla-
ton since my last communication has
been the issue between Mr.. Sumner and
the President. 1t was my pleasur to
witness this splendid orstorical engage.
ment until about three o'clock in the
morning, being warm subject it natural
ly commenced warm, from this it past
along up through the several degrees of
warm to warmth warm, warmer, hot,
nOLL6r, "uIlS neat anu 81 Ob OSyOuu my
knowledge, or even desire to know by
conn arison its precise degree. Mr.. Sum-
ner arraigns the President with charges,
which, until proven false are anything but
flattering. Heis in return arranged by
the concentrated talent and ability of the
j Republicans of the Senate. in a manner
indicative of anything but personal love
for him or admiration of his position. In
the general denunciations which followed
two Senators expressed their desire to
have Mr.. s. removed from the chairman.
ship of the committee on Foreign Rela-
items, upon the ground of his being an
avowed enemy of the administration, one
of them claiming that he belonged to the
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