Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1872-02-22
Our Washington letter.
WAsHINGTON, Feb. Il
SENATE CHAMBER.

oENA In NIlAhhEhs
Editor Rutland Herald :-AnOther cry
for investigation. Like a malady it
seems to rage and spread, reaching out
and upward. 1t bids fair to continue
until Congress will be exhausted, and
recourse will have to be had to the
worlds ople-"common plugs for
material wherewith to investigate. This
time it is not Trumbull with his impOli-
tic retrenchment and reform resolution,
but Sumner braying loudly upon the
track of apprehendcd international and
original sin We beg pardon for the use
of the word ''original," for if all that
Sumner suspects be true, there is moth
ing original about it, we only use it be-
cause its a good expression, and rare
with all. 1t seems that in disposing of
one of our old tools, after we had COM
pleted the determination of original sin
and rebellion in the sunny South, some
of those frog-loving Frcnchmen were so
sharp and unprinCipled as to buy some
ten million dollars worth of orr old guns,
and that the same did transpire while
Prussia and France were at IOggerhcadS.
Summers resolution whereases thatthe
circumstances and evidences of the case
tend to cast suspicion upon men init
mately associated or connected with, and
tends to compromise the government in
its good faith towards other nations, and
proposes that an investigation be made
that the truth whatever it may be shall
be known. As we were saying, invcsti-
cation is the fashion just now, and while
like all fashions it has its objective fea-
lures like most of them it has itsredeem-
ing ones. Investigations are usually in
stituted to expose fraud and unwarranta-
bic uses of the peoples power. Of
course where such things exist it is one
of your remedies for the impositions
which you unjustly suffer; where they
do not exist it has the happifying effect
to establish just that fact, to restore
confidence Ca priceless blessing) and to
relieve the innocent from the odium of
unjust suspicion. All of this may be
reasonably hoped from the reign of this
new fashion, provided it be conducted
with the single desire of justice to all,
and the unprecedented wish to arrive at
the truth as it is without fear or favor
Whatever may be the immediate result
of this fashion, and however, it may for
the time being be perverted to
ignoblc ends, we hope for one
good result; namely: that it may
tend to familiarize the outside
world; men Of gigantic business circles :;
men of every day pursuits, like the solid
farmers of Vermont lawyers, doc
tors, buffers, bakers, and candlestick-
makers, their wives and all their rela-
tions, with the internal working of our
system of government. Give us the
right kind of an investigating committee
we don't mean a Congressional COM
mittee, but mixed committee composed
of say, thirtyor forty millions of Amer
lean citizens, each member intent upon
independently arriving at the truth as
it is, having full power to send for per
son and papers, i. e, such persons as see
fit to respond, and such papers as, news
papers. Such a committee as that
would not allow One-half of the voters
to stay away from the polls, and nine
tenths Of the ballots cast mechanically,
but they would bring tears to the eyes of
large crop of diplomats now floating
upon the political surface No more
would 1.-THE wicked rule and the people
mourn.
If this fashion shall be carried to the
extreme point that some of our Paris
fashions are, say chignons and paniers,
as perhaps it may, from its French asso-
citation, why, dear reader, before we
have grown gray in its use we may
know more than we do now. Think of
that and be comfOrted Sumner seemed
to think that the circumstances point to
nest of corruption, and he proceeded
to prick it with his usual deliberation.
His deliberation, however is much like
that of the alleg0rical bull. With head
down and heels in the air he drives
straight on for whatever doesn't square
with his high toned principles, regardless
OF all party or personal crockery that
may happen to be i'll the way. Don't
think us personally interested in devot
ing 50 much space for so little real in
formation upon this subject. The Sen
ate spent the whole week and gave but
little more. The Senate never seemed
to get the knack of despatching business
unless it be once in a while upon adj
Journment or something of such trifling
nature. Now we conld have passed or
rejected that resolution, done all the
work ourself, inside of thirty minutes
i'll an hour with one hand tied behind
us, easy, and we never pretended to be
much on voting either We would have
been glad to have done it for ten dollars