The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-04-30

"What Is your opinion OF the
GENERAL CHARACTER or LEGISLATION
during the last session ~
I'VE passed no intelligent legislation OF any kind
How could wef There we were, expecting and
hoping and longing TO get away-beggIng the Senate
TO let us goand held there against our viii. That
was scarcely the best frame OF mind In which TO
calmly discover the wisest course 10 be pursued.
Day after day we asked the senators when they
would lot us go home, and OH Saturday they would
tell us should adjourn on M0nday, and when
Monday came we would he then told that we might
pack our trunks for saturday. We had no discus
sion on anything except the Ku Klux and deficiency
bills When We tried TO do something the Senate
prevented us. We passed resolutions IN the House
taking of the duties on coal ana on salt, but they
killed In the Senate IN TACT, tue Sen To passed
resolution that they would do notning except set
lie the Ku klux and the deficiency bills"
"D0 you think Blaine was right III
REFUSING TO APPOINT coamrTTEEs
under those circumstances"
ayes. The House passed two or three resolutions
expressing Its wish to adjourn, and Blatne rightly
interpreted them as notification not to
appoint any committees. the o result r, Of
business that we did had to be done irreguary;
nothing could be properly examined. When any
members running round among each other asking
what this thing meant, and wasn't that thing
degenerased into sort Of family party confess
don't know exactly all that was done; tried 10
keep track Of II, but couldn't.n
do you remember any special instance OF
THIS KIND OF MuDpLfNGY'
dozens OF them. Among the rest there was o
not know what ultimately became OF 1t, but It was
so obscurely worded that no one could understand
what was intended to be done. All the members
began TO inquire around and l did the same. l
called out TO my next neighbOr II he knew what II
az Mount Vernon estate ana
not feel satisfied and asked some one else and was
told 1t was to buy the Arlington Arlington estate,
l believe a very fair percentage OF the
members thought the Mount Vernon version was the
true one. But we had nothing like accurate inf0r-
nation about IL, and could not get 1t. The United
States IL seemed, were already In possession OF It,
il. whether we were 20 pay 100000 70 hold The
graves of our soldiers sacred, or whether we were
to pay $S0oo00 to q rebel family as Donation we
example OF what legislation without committees and
without debate amounts to. For Of course they re-
fused to allow any debate upon it-"they almost
'.Bnt the Deficiency bill was Of course the worst
feature In this KIND OF thing OF the sessionr
eyes; they put all sorts Of legislation IN 1t that
ought to have gone TO the commuters and been dis
cussed. Some OF these clauses were stricken out
but some, no doubt that were utterly uniustiabie
remained. There were good many private claims
in the bill, OF which people knew nothing"
''Do you remember any special instance OF this
DIPPING INTO UNCLE SANS PocKErs"
us millions and millions OF dollars. It is clause
which provides that man, after having accepted
be debarred rom pressing war claim against the
United States government II he can succeed in
proving his loyalty But II the man were loyal, why
OF suing for pardon, disprove has guilt In the first
instanceg the intent OF the clause is quite clear,
and we shall have countless claims from rebels
urged In the courts and elsewhere against The gov
ernment And yet that clause was introduced as an
amendment to the Deficiency bill by that very radl-
Cal member, Maynard OF tennessee"
'.And now rs to
THE KU KLUx BILL
! am afraid New Workers scarcely yet understand
the exact story OF its passages'
swell, originally Butler introduced bill on this
Many u the republicans were opposed to IT, and In
Trying to get 1t introduced Butler had that cele-
country laughed. Finally. in the place OF Buffers
bill, committee OF investigation was appointed,
which was az the close Of the whole mat,
to see conservative republicans forced to wheel
had u very sad ana humiatng side
well. The message was received IN perfect
silence, not one member In twenty knowing what to
make OF II, though we soon saw that Butler and
Morton must nave had hand In 1T. Then another
which was finally passed The republicans them.
selves don't Know exactly what this last bill con.
tains. and have only general idea OF it,
"Butler does not not seem TO Improve much In
NO. There was another little incident that showed
even by his own party. Garrett u Tennessee men,
Der, delivered part OF speech and obtained leave TO
prin, the rest Of 1t IN the Globe In this unspoken
part there a copied extract referring to senator
Ames, Buffers sOn-in-law, rs puppy and poll
troon &C Garrett SAID he did rot endorse she par
agraph as irne but SIMPLY quoted IL 10 show the
tended TO represent them Butter was mad anu got
Dawes to bring In vote OF censnrc against Garrett
although Garrett was an oiicer IN the Union
even now carries three rebel bullets in his
body. That was the Kind OF man whose speech they
voted strike out After they had voted to strike
out the entire speech from the GlO0e-Inerely TO
please Butler-a motion 10 reconsider was made
THAT motion never reached vote, because Butler
and the republicans unfricndly to MIN got into
another ngnt, III which Butler was worse handled In
Congress than Ames had been IN print, and finally
Butler sneak, ] remember. 1 believe, under
The rules Of the House. as the motion to reconsider
was not voted upon, the original motion was lost,
and the speech still remains IN the Globe But IL
was a lively episode, wasn't its''
land SHOWED ADMIRABLE REPUBLICAN, DISCI-
"Oh, at one point OF the session Butler got per-
fecty Disguised ard SAID openly that the democrats
had got the House. For some time he was beaten
! on everything he brought up. ON the free trade
question We always had majority, as there were
enough Tree trade republicans TO give us victory.
We passed several free trade the House.
but / believe they were Killed IN the Senate"
"IIave YOU got any special bulls OF your own to
| bring forward, Mr.. Rooseyeitf"
Il have two bills, both aimed at the gricv-
ancc-one with reference 70 the Internal revenue
and lie other TO the tariff, which snail try TO get
through at the coming session. They are intended
PROTECT TIE PEOPLE
i, against tue government. Heretofore the govern.
ment, in collecting customs and internal revenue,
mas acted on the principle that all It's citizens
are thieves, whom they must watch at every
! turn, and against whom they must take every ad-
vantage tncv POSSIBLY GALL Tue pcopC iTe HOt a.
lowed 10 get out an Injunction 10 prevent the col
lection OF either customs or revenue. man may
+, perhaps honestly dnler with the government about
| the construction To be placed upon u particular
statute, but II he attempts 10 dispute the question
he VIII have all his books and papers taken iron
MIN and bis whole business stopped. Here Is case
| In poInt-A merchant imports an invoice or goods.
lie purchases It at certain price, and it Is In
voiced at the proper rate. rhe government diner
from him about the Interpretation OF the statute.
He aemurs. and they seize all his goods
aud books. and stop his entire business. What can
he dor lie can only yiod. know one case OF the
kind, where they seizei not only mans books, bur
also his family papers and even his love letters 10
his wife before he was married. In this case the
man was rich aud he bonded the goods. But the
United states government refused to give them up
for six years, and II they had not happened 10 be
goods that do not suffer much by Keeping they
would have been spoiled As IL is he has lost the
interest on ms money during all that time. Now all
that is wrong. man should nave the right
OF bringing the ordinary proceedings against
the government ia the courts the same as