The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1871-03-18
WASHINGTON LETTER.
'nlu Our Special Correspondent.

The fOrty-FirSt Congress is drawing
near its close. The flame of its exist
ence burns low, and, like an expiring
candle, it will leave II bad smell behind
it. With this Congress disappears the
two-thirds Radical majority by which
the country has been afflicted for SO
many years never more, let US hope,
to come again. \ working majority is
all that the Radicals will have in the
next Congress; and even that may not
be relied upon at all times, if the so
called revenuerefOrmers hold to their
tenetS. Whether they will do SO is, to
my mind, somewhat problematical
but an effort is to be made to organize
the revenue-reformers from the West
Mr.. White, Of the Chicago Tribune,
having arrived here for the purpose.
l trust there will be some organization,
some discipline, on the Democratic side
Of the House. There has been none in
the present Congress; and Il minority,
which might have made itself felt at
times, has been weii-nigh pOwerfeSs.
On the part OF many Democrats there
has been the grossest negligence of I'M
portant duties-inattention when in
their seats, and absences when their
votes were most needed. The remedy
for this is with the people. Let them
scrutinize closely the records of their
Representatives, and refuse to re-elcct
men who have shown themselves I'M
mindful of the trust reposed in them.
OF the new Congress 1l2 are members
| of the present House, and III are new
members. Five of the members are
present bour-U find that in :, former
letter | had overlooked the colored
member from -Alabanla.} The political
complexion OF the House will be 1870
| Radicals, % Democrats, and l fnde-
| pendent. There will be, on the 18th
| inst, II vacant seats from the follow
| ing causes :: States in which no elections
have Vet been held, viz: California;, 3 :;
Connecticut, 1; New Hampshire, 3 !;
Texas, Ill. One vacancy in Illinois
caused by the election of Mr.. Logan to
the Senate; one in Michigan by Mr.
| VII v tIS'lloli W VIC Hoclltlt anu one
in the Third District OF Arkansas for
| which no credentials have been pre-
scented, Gov. Clayton, it is said, having
! refused to issue them to Il Dem Ocrat.
Vermont and Massachusetts return the
old delegations entire, While Minnesota
| is the only State with more than one
! Representative that returns all new
members.
| The Democrats and the Republicans
held c,ucusSes at the Capitol last even
| ing. The Radicals re-nOminated all
the present House officials. The ballot
for Sergeant-at Arms was as follows ::
Ordway, 7G votes Heron, - and
Stokes 20. Mr.. Ordway was, therefore,
nominated. Gen. Heron was conf
dent up to the last hour, though all,
save his more Immediate and interested
| friends, knew that he had not a ghost
of a chance. Gen. Heron is not up to
the Washington s'ways that are dark
and tricks that are vain - and was no
match for his willy opponent, Mr.. Ord
! way. The latter has had a daily cham
Capitol Hill for the past two or three
weeks, to which every one has been in
Vited, including the newspaper men.
! The majority of these could not with
stand the temptation of free champagne;
but among those who did not partake
of Mr.. prtlway's hospitality were the
World correspondent, your represent
/ tativc, and one or two other uncompro-
missing Democrats.
| The Democratic nominations We're Of
course merely complimentary, and did
not include any one from the Gulf
States. \ resolution offered by Mr..
Randall, declaring it to be tho sense Of
! the Democratic members of the I'D
Congress that the first session should be
brief, and that they will vote at all
times for resolutions to adjourn at an
early day, was unanimously adopted.
This doubtless looks to heading off the
san Domingo job.
The Southern Pacific railroad bill, lis
adopted by the House, was amended
by striking out al the branch roads
thus reducing the number of acres of
land granted by one-haIf. The Senate
refused to accept the House amend
mcntS, and a conference committee was
appointed. This committee agreed upon
Il report last evening, in which they
restored the branch to New Orleans and