Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1872-02-07
Letter from Washington.

DEAR FREEX AN The Senate with the pro
tessed purpose Of fastening legislation and
awakening its members to a proper sense of
the Importance Of time, fixed on the 29th Of
May as the day for final adjournment and
this dignifed and economical body bas spent
the first week succeeding its resolve in pass
ing biz sent in from the House, and pro
longing the debate upon amnesty. And On
Thursday when debate was running low, aud
il began to look as though somethin. would
come TO a vote, they adjourned over till Mon
day, t5 allow little rest for the lungs OF
the speakers, and arrange the how not to
90 it for another week
Tbs appointment bin, as sent in from
the House. was passed on Monday and by
It the representation Of Vermont and New
Hampshire in tho House is reduced to two
each. Senators Morrill,, EImunds, Patterson.
Sumner and others advocated raising the
number from 2s3 sufficiently high to prevent
any loss to any State and the attention Of
the Senate was called % the size Of she lesi--
lative assemblies of Great Britain. France.
Prussia, Austria, Italy and Spain, each of
which is larger than our House 81 rerrosen-
tatives The vote against such 40 amend
ment was as positive, however, is IT was in
the House, and the opinion Of Congress on
this question would seem Z, have been finally
expressed. But there is nothing like =. per-
-eyerins persistence :, whether III arulvinr
for "a clerkship or gettin, O. bin -lr5u,l
Congress. Another attemp, will =, made
by way of a sepsrate bin. I, secure 5rstf.e Il,
the two above mentioned State. ana chou ,1
lis rr5-ueets do n9t seem r,,y 1T, Pa, very.
cheering. we NAV sin hone f1r Is -....--
Tuesday was devoted 10 amnesty. and
thou IN the question has bean discussed and
aryuei for ,yoek. Mr. S..b1~, showed ,s,.
sometime now .,grt Wei %. .,,4 n-..o f.,
Whether amnesty would on w91Ii na. IS. +,
measure Of sound policy. M. one can r,,I NJ
Sshurz sreech without pleasure or without
feeling that the ar-umeat- he has nre.er-ei
in favor Of cine mcclure are better .-uI ar q,
higher character than those which have been
arraYed against il The question was lifted
from the jurisdiction Of prejudice. passion
and party interest TO the light of philosophy
aud reason, and for an hour The audience in
the galleries could feel thar they were listen
ins to an effort worthy Of "a statesman and
81 the senate of the United States Bat
alas. 1t must be confessed that reason and
philosophy have little 70 do with influencing
the majority Of the Senate. Aud whatever
pride a person might have felt in Iistenin- d
2 mastery effort IN the senate of bls c5uu-
try. was som changed rs humiliation. when
he saw the orator from Missouri followed bv
tie blf55a from Nevada. and senators lately
50 Indifferent to the el3quoncs Of the orator.
gathering in unaffected delight tp catch the
tests of the buiT,on Mr. Nve mich. n,S-i-
blv object u h4viu. tins last term applied
70 him, but he would find il difficult % show
that it was undeseryod lie would hardly
be able 70 tell on what occasion hc has treated
any subject, high Of low, oJhe-wsss than Is
theme for bar room jokes It is possible
that be INDUCED the fond delusion that be
was answering the arguments Of Mr.. Schurz.
and surely no one should blame him /. ne
did, since the Senate seemed 70 be doing it's
utmost to encourage him in the belief.
Another speech on Amnesty quite similar
to Mr.. NYe's was made by Mr.. Chandler on
the following day. Mr. Chandler slept on
the speech OF Mr.. Sthurz- But he probably
found nothing there which ho considered
worthy of reply, nothing which could give
fair play to ms own blood and thunder style Of
eloquence- lie, therefore, passed. contempt
ously by the Senator from Missouri and his
'' lecture ON statcsmanship - TO those sub
iccts of orat7ry with which he is more
familiar. Thursday the debate on Amnesty
took "a constitutional turn. Mr.. Carpenter
does not consider part Of che civil rights
amenImen5 as sufficiently free from c1nsti-
tutioual objections, and he mas given uosics
that ne shall move 70 amend 1t still further
Where tins debate VIII stop no one dares
predict, Several speeches will be prepared
for another week and if they do not prove
sufficient 10 fiji out the time, Garrett Davis
may come % the rescue and use up day or
two
Ia the House, Mr. Norton final adj urn
ment resolution met a sorry fate. The
House undoubtedly represents the people
and their wants more faithfully than the
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o-iA'e' ANo ioi X i''97oO
tue oill5 making coaI anu sai' -reo ''-7V spring