Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1871-01-11
Our Washington correspondence.
WASHINGTON, D. c., Jan. Z, lo7l.
THE HOLIDAYS.

aud persons disposed to BE- liberal have had
excellent Opp"rtun ties Of exhibiting that
dips tinn in the way Of presents suggested
by the -eas,n. Officials got partial or en-
tire exemption from routine duties for nearly
twI weeks. which they were glad enough to
eni y and the (ashiona6le world made 1t the
uccarlpn Of more than usual gayety. Mon
dav. which had to do the duty of New Years
TOR 1871. was. in official life, entirely quiet,
the President and cabinet, the Vice President
and speak Blaine, and many others, not
:. receiving on account of the recent de-
cease Of the wife of the Secretary Of War,
and calling" was much less general than
heretofore.
MATTERS N THE HOUSE.
Congress re-assembled Wednesday, There
was some expectation of liveliness IN the
House over San Domingo, but the subject
was not mentioned except by Gen. Banks,
chairman of the Committee on Foreign AT
fairs, who gave notice that his committee
would be prepared to report Monday. Before
this letter 10 printed your readers will know
what that report is, and it is not worth while
for me to speculate about it. 1t is now un-
derstood, however, that the committee is
about evenly divided in opinion, as to the
Senate resolution, with possibility o
majority against it. The ubject will, how
ever. be brought before the House on Mon
day, whether the committee reports upon 1t
or not, but it may appear in such shape,
under the rules, as to make its passage
doubtful II is now claimed that tWo-thirds
vote cannot be secured for the measure in the
House, and if that is So the Senate resolu-
ton cannot pass Monday, but similar res
olution may possibly be adopted. If this
should be done, however, it would have to
I - to the Senate, and some days further de-
lay would probably occur there. The com
mission, therefore, cannot get away for a
week or ten days The opposition to the
scheme Of annexation is more hopeful, on
account Of these delays Of ultimately defeat
/ ing the measure, than it was a week ago.
/ the report that Jude Orth, Frederick
/ Douglas, and Caleb Gushing are to be ap-
/ pointed on the commission, has been denied .
/ Horace Greeley has been suggested as good
\ person to 20 on the commission, he could
/ examine the resources Of the island with
/ reference to - What know about Farming. y
| The House has accomplished little real
work this week. Thursday and Friday were
entirely occupied with debate upon resolu-
lions censuring Admiral Godon and Admiral
Davis for their conduct when in command Of
the South Atlantic squadron in lo66-7-S.
The resolutions finally passed by large ma
uritv. a naval off .er has a very poor
GRANGE before TIE House as a jury. The
olfce haze no political influence, and with
,ut that. especially when the accusers hap
pen To have brothers and warm political
friends in the ,use ard besiIes are sup
p ,.ed q he indue tial with the appointing
power, they are ~ ppweresS against any
track made upon hem by politicians.
Folly the uou-e l. in session only for the
pup re e allow n spne members to max,
,peeches On the state Of tile Union, which
means, ON an7 subject whatever
BUsI IS. /. rAE SENATE.
The Senate mas teen in session only tw
Id,y~. Wednesday and Thursday. Senato
r,um',ull endeav red t. get action on b.
III forhidl NJ any me nber Of Congress iron
eco nin-ndns any one for appointment {
Ii -. OF ,urss. ~ action was reached
and n,ne vii. he. That " vet ran ppiti
ian " senator Cameron. could n under
-t.l q what wa TIL use Of being S'nat II
unless one could reward his friends by rec
,tn nrnd NJ them for Office, and other Sena-
tors were much in the same predcament.
thIs reform Is against the nature Of pDliti-
e ius who - run the machine" when theil
party have the coutrol of the government
and Will. Of course, be killed by delay, if il
not d ne to death in a more open and def
ant manner.
The Senate passed an important bill Thurs
day making an approprj ation 10 pay Dr. he
Of kentucky for the destruction Of bis hOus
by our army during the rebellion. The quef
e on s important, as it was not quite ce
;. tain whether the claim was to be treated a
= one lor property taken by the government
y for which the government was fairly respon
!. sble, or whether it was a destruction o
property as an incident Of actual war 70
:. which the government cannot be held a,
n countabe The majority of the Senate rC
y garded it as a case where private property
E aiken for public use. The view taken b
+ the majority, if followed in similar cases,
r likely to lead to the allowances of larg
re claims for property necessarily destroyed b
ii the Union armies during the late war.
a Mr. Summers resolution calling on IL
President for all the information in his POI
session as to the San Domingo business, WI
ce passed by the Senate Wednesday withor
,h objection. I hear nothing said about tn
I'll removal of Mr.. Sumner from the Chairman
Sc ship Of the Committee on Foreign Relation
es and quite likely the matter has been droppe
lis for the present; or perhaps it has been pos
Ia poned until the next session. 1t is under
he stood that the Senator has not relaxed in Il
20 least his opposition to the San Domingo joI
in but will oppose it with all his power,
RS every shape in which it may present itself.
he WINNIE REAM's STATUE OF LINCOLN.
d. Miss Winnie Ream's Statue of Lincoln h
MS been placed in the ROtunda of the Capitc
but it is not yet exposed to vulgar gaz
boards and convas preventing. There Al
III to be some ceremonies on the occasion of i
I've being unveiled, and they will doubtless occu
lev next week. Your readers will recollect tn
his Miss Ream obtained an order for this stat,
nd rather more on account of her good looks al
ate her persuasive powers, than because of h
re- reputation as artist. When her work
,is- unveiled, however, it may turn out that 81
in good artist as well as handsome W
man. 1t will not be quite possible to have