The New York herald., 1871-01-19

u
Next Presidential EIoction-The State Of
Utah-Rnd Of tho Brooks and Hastings
CONFLICT.
The Senate yesterday spent the chief part
OF Its session fn debate upon political affairs
In the South. Il was started by resolution
offered by Senator Morton. of Indiana, to refer
to a select committee the papers and documents
sent to the Senate by the President relating
to outrages in the Southern States. The dis
cussion showed how completely the question
OF the next Presidential election has taken
possession Of the politicians. The resolution
was represented by Its friends as simply pro-
posing necessary and proper investiga-
tion, and by Its enemies az an attempt
to pave the way for new reconstruction Of
the Southern States-or, rather, for reoommit-
ting them to martial law, and so coercing
their electoral votes In 1872 for the republi-
can party, or elsa excluding them from the
count. Senator Warner, of Alabama, cham
pioned the resolution, and was the most bitter
denouncer Of the Southern people; but his BIT
terness was imputed to the defeat Of bis
further Senatorial aspirations. Senator VIII
son, of Massachusetts,, talked in his pious,
God-fearing way, of the atrocities Of Ku Klux
organizations, at the same time making bid
himself for Southern support by referring to
his General Amnesty bill, and declar-
ing his readiness to pardon John G.
Breckinridge, whom he looked upon as
a hlgh-toned, honorable gentleman. Sena-
tor Casserly, Of California, regarded
the movement as an attempt to fan into new
life the embers Of the late civil war. Senator
Morrill,, of Vermont, defended the republican
party from the charge of desiring to make
capital by such means, while Senator Bayard,
Of Delaware, accused the President of having
In this matter and on the St. Domingo ques-
tlon deliberately violated his policy Of s'Let
us have peace" And thus the debate went
on till the hour Of adjournment, each party
giving and receiving hard knocks. 1t is
rather early to enter on the Presidential cam
paign, but ''coming events cast their shadows
before" The only other matters Of interest in
the Senate were an adverse report from TIE
Finance Committee on the bill, passed By the
House on Tuesday, in relation to foreign
merchandise imported On the slst Of
Dseen.her, and the discharge Of the
same committees from the further
consideration Of the question as to the liability
Of the New York Central Railroad Company
to pay the Eve per Cent tax on its new issue
Of stock or interest certificates, as being in the
nature of dividend. Senator Sherman stated
that the committee regarded the question as
one for the decision Of the courts, not of Con-
gress.
| In the House two Of the General Appropria-
tion bills were disposed of. These were the
Legislative, Executive and Judicial bill and
the Post Office Appropriation bill. The latter
| was rushed through the Committee of the
Whole and afterwards passed by the House
without question or comment. The former
had been under consideration for more than a
week, and many amendments agreed to in
committee had to be voted on in the House.
| OF these the most important was that increas-
ing the salaries Of the Chief Justice and
Associate Judges Of the United States Supreme
! Court to eight thousand five hundred dollars
and eight thousand dollars respectively It
was carried in the House by vote of one hun
dred and twelve to seventy, and then the bill
was passed.
| A bill for the admission of Utah into the
Union was introduced by Mr.. Sargent of
! California, and referred to the Committee on
| Territories. But the Utah whose admission
Is contemplated by this bill is not the paradise
Of the Latter Day Saints but State regener-
ated and disenthraled Of the Oriental institu-
tion Of polygamy. What do Brigham Young
| and his bishops and elders care for state of
things that would bring them back to the hum
drum, monotonous existence of common
place Christian communities? We may as
sumo that so far as they can impede the
admission of the State under these conditions
they will do so and, indeed there seems but
little anxiety on the part of Congress for the
admission of new States. particularly where
there is a doubt about their political CON-
plexion.
TheBrooks and Hastings controversy fizzled
out In the House yesterday. Hastings re-
fused to go on and try to support the allega-
tions which he made against Brooks reputa-
tion as an honest and upright legislator, and
80 the House exonerated Brooks from the
charges and discharged the select committee
from the further consideration Of the subject.
So the war will be henceforth carried on in the
respective newspapers of the combatants, who
will keep moving on each others works In SER
ried column. That Is better than to occupy
Congress with such nonsense.
The London Conference Dlnlcuties.
By q special cable telegram, dated in Lon
don yesterday, we are enabled to report a