Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1871-04-27
Our Washington Letter.
WAsn1NaroN. D. c.. April Q

WASHINGTON, II. O., April %.
Editor Rutland Herald Congress has
adjourned without day its first session.
and in the qniet succeeding it's excite
mont we review the results of its seven
weeks labor. in the form of tweu'y-eight
bills and six Joint resolutions. Unable to
par'ionlariza all of these. we start upon
the hypothesis. that thew are all essentiaI
for the country'z salvation of course thew
are, nr Congress would not have passed
them. that settled it. But two, however,
nave ever been counted worthy of mnch
o,r,ment bv the press, or contention in
Congress-. The Ku-Klux bill, first, was
a bone Of bitter contest between the two
political parties in both houses OF Con-
gross. sud lastly between the two houses
Varinns conference committees were APP
pointed, npon the disagreeing votes OF the
two houses. varioua meetings were held,
until IL locked "a II Congress, might sit
all summer, or Ku-Kluxs go unterrified
by long enactment. The Senate per-
sistentlv adhered to the Sherman amend
ment. the house pcrsistently refused to be
bulIied. The final compromise was
modification, which effectually destroyed
tho Sherman amendment, thus the Sem
ate oonoeeding the main point at issue,
aud the House making some minor con-
cassions. The peculiar feature of Sher-
mans amendment, was that il made per-
I 10
committed within the community, thus
making every person responsible for bis
neiQhbor, and the neighborhood for each
individual
It was argued by Judge Bingham, Po-
land and others of the House, that this was
palpable violation of the Constitution
that while the government may deal d.
rectly with States, and with all the people
of the United States, that it has no con-
stitutional power to deal with state organ
izations. like counties, towns or neighbor-
hoods. The amendment is without prece-
dent in our history, and seems not to
have its origin in the constitution or any
existing law, but from principle of COM
mon law. itself derived from an ancient
custom long since obsolete. tits reported
that Mr.. Sherman hoped to acquire po-
litioal strength by the acceptance of his
amendment in preparation for the trying
ordeal awaiting him at the bar of the
popular voice of Ohio. and that the
amendment was opposed by some for that
reason. Doubtless Mr.. Sherman took
pride in the measure. and Senators are
generally willing TO give brother lift
in anticipation of the emergency which
they al have to meet. But / am far from
believing that any such mo tive governed
the action of either house upon the mat
ter. That individuals may have been 40
Influenced is not strange, for all sorts of
minor and unworthy reasons obtain with
some. even upon the determination of
such great questions.
simultaneously with this conference,
committees were trying to &%rmonize the
two houses upon the deficiency bill. APP
preparation bills are often made the vehi-
Gle for carving through various measures
that can't get through on their own legs
thus Mr.. Garfeld's bill providing for
new issue of the national bank notes,
having failed 10 pass last winter, was
tackled upon the deficiency bill; and Mr..
MORRILL, bill providing for creating Ma
tional Park ont of certain muddy govern
ment lands, and to pay for the same by
the sale Of certain other briar patches and
goat pastures h-sown az the ReserVa-
tiop," isiledo 20 pass the House as bill.
ReaVis wourdn't hear to IT, 1t was d.
rectly in the way of this Jill, the Wash
ington Killer SO it was killed, just as
many things here that stand in the way
OF greater power. not by the high law OF
Justice hut by the high law of might.
Mr.. Morrill, succeeded in getting this
through the Senate again upon the de-
fciency bill. Reavis in the House,
Reavis in the lobby, even Mrs. Reavis in
society. All the little Reavises and even