Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1872-03-07
Our Washington letter.
SENATE CHAMBER, -
WASHINGTON, March 3, 1872. }

W ARLINGTON MdTCn D, loIS.)
ThEae weeks wasted in one discussion
wasted, did we say? Not so bad as
that nothing is made in vain, It's said,
and we trust all this noise is not. " has
- Its use, no doubt, but the precise nature
Of its vsc. may not be observable from
the standpoint of the present moment.
We shall see what we shall see, and
whatever that may be, we hope it may
he facts as they are in the clear, I'M
preiudiced. unselfish light Of truth
Many have expressed to us the wish
that this discussion had been avert
ed by quietly passing the resolution call
ing for investigation, and letting the
committee either vindicate the govern
ment from all wrong in the matter, or
else show us what and where the wrong
Is, that it may be remedied the easiest
way possible. They reason that to re-
fuse public scrutiny, is to arouse sus-
picions more damaging than will be the
published facts that the bali of investi-
CATION has got started, and all efforts of
resistance like those of the past three
weeks, are injurious to the party. These
ideas struck us as being strangely sen
sible, and that if Summers resolution
h"d been passed, without political Oppo-
sition, it would have fallen to the ground
destitute of three-fourths of its present
political magnitude. Then, however
much Senators might be disposed to air
their eloquence and prostitute their high
Office to personal ends in political wran-
giles cover the> case, the country would
have the proven facts to be guarded by
facts that are Of vastly more impor-
lance to the reaN;ng, thinking millions
than is all the modern logic generated in
dozen sessions of Congress.
This subject drew its ponderous, weary
length along until Thursday night, when
theoend came. 1t came from sheer ex-
haustion. Arguments and replies had
been gone over and over again, until it
seemed rs if the only point of contention
was, which side should have the last
word. For a few days public interest
had waned and the last day the galleries
held hardly a respectable audience for
an appropriation bill, From a question
of the highest charactcr-if it were
founded on fact and prompted by good
faith-ono involving nothing less than
our foreign policy, the discussion de-
soended to the quaggy ground of party
politics and personal warfare. As it as
sumed this shape, of course, the public
showed its good taste by turning its at
tention to the lively tussels in the House
over Pacific railroad jobs, and other lit
tie pastimes of its lively corps of lobby
lists. On Wednesday, Sumner reviewed
the entire case, and succeeded in gather
ing the mutilated question in from the
by and befoggcd paths of partizan i'll
terests, and setting it up once moreupon
It's legs and its merits before the world.
The public seemed to expect something
beside political thunder; they left otAer
little amusements and came, and were
not disappointed. His heart may have
been full of political sin and wicked de-
signs, as he is accused by his opponents,
but, if so, he is certainly the greatest of
dissemblers, for he not only kept his
tongue untarnished with political filth,
but he scared high up above the sweet
savors of party virtues and the foul
stencil of political corruption, into the
pure cher of intellectual space. He
spoke not of party, not of men, but of
O principles that are more enduring than
either; of duty, whose still small voiceis
10 be heard above the din of popular
elamor, and not to be discarded for the
gipgling tlnselry of personal gain. He
would have us do unto France even as
we would that England had done unto
US. He would root out and punish fraud
and corruption everywhere, and Ihc
would do it because it ia right to do it.
and will ensure the confidence of all
good men. Sumner is never troubled
with sixtecn-year-old modcsty. He nev.
o er asks for half a loaf when he has Il
right to the whole, and being a firm be.
lever in the immutability of principles
he applies them in full. So he woulC
apply the principle of investigation
which, he says, is the peoples cry OF
. the day But the truth is, dear reader
if this were applied to the endless ex
tent, we don't know just where and how
it might hit
Carpenters speech on the following
day was decidedly the best effort of hi
in the S&ate of which we have an,
knowledge. That portion of it which
O rose above the policy of the hour an,
considered the merits of the question a
issue without delying and gropingabou
upon its belly TO mpugn the motives o.
his opponents, struck upon the higl
ground of Summers argument and wen
far towards being an effective reply.
The galleries, which were choked tn,
o day before, looked discouraging. Tn,
ungracious public which has PLAYED q,
important role in this affair from first +,
last, went out of its way to play littl,
a joke on itself. 1t had seemed to tire o.
political tragedy, so quietly stayed ava,
as if expecting little, but the Joke turn
, ed in the Senator's favor. The ungraci
Gus public Were sold Like the boy VIII,
was convulsed, with laughter, Will
Being logged by the old pedagogue, be
cause as he said, chats a good 'un q,
old Specs, . 'twant me as did it nd h,
logged the wrong boy that time, t-he-be,
50 the laugh turned in this case. Tn,
speech was one Of the best of the season
and the, crowds that didn't come LOST q,
intellectual traat ThaSy, anoroo1 =.