Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1872-05-02
Our Washington Letter.
WASHINGTON, April 80, 1872.
SENATE CHAMBER.

SENATE CHAMBER.
The world has waited these twelve
years for the historic event which tran
spired last Wednesday. For the first
time since 1860, when members left the
Senate to urge forward their own de-
struction, and the wicked rebellion, has
every seat in Congress been filled, and
every constituency in the country been
represented Ostensibly the work of re-
construction is accomplished-accom-
plished, but, like many other human &C
man accomplishments, its requisite de-
gree of strength and regularity can
come only through the lapse of time
and the development of use. For
long time yet it will need the first at
tention of a nations people Outward
ly the South is in conformity to the let
ter of the constitution in it's established
government; inwardly there are wounds
that ache and yet may OPEN" settled
public convictions which can never be
legislated or governed down, institu-
tons requiring decades to transform,
and hearts fired with prejudices and
hatreds, to which no reasoning can ap-
peal. We must quietly wait for death
to do its work ere we can hope to real
ize anything like the spirit and life of
our constitution and governing princi-
pies in the South. The South must
have time; we must have patience, each
must bear and forbear, hoping for peace
and prosperity to result even from the
two Bears Abbott's case was well de-
Tended by cheap words; but when it
came to square action, his friends were
nowhere. Men who by various indica-
tiOns-indicatiOns louder than words
had given him moral support through
out, and had been counted on to vote
for him, fell back when the rub came
1t is evident that they were governed
more by the consequences of putting
themselves upon black and white i'll ia
yor of a proposition, the only hold of
which is a strained Interpretation of the
letter of the law, but which is in direct
cOntrayentiOn of the spirit of all law
and practice. He received ten votes.
But then he received more than that.
The Senate magnanimously voted him
his-n0, a full salary from the COM
menCement of the term until the pres
ent time. 1t is the general practice to
pay contestants salary or expenses, or
| both. Ransom was admitted the follow
ing day. He is man about fifty years
old, tall, well proportional, a keen,
black eye, high forehead, with hair and
beard of raven hue His whole bearing
is Indicative of force and rapidity. We
should be surprised to learn OF his being
a Ii. D., philosopher, or even great
lawyer; but we should be more sur
priscd if he should turn out to be one of
that class of legislators whose great
mistake in life was in not dying early
and evincing earthly fame in Sunday
school books, instead of earthly failure
in Congress.
"wHAT SHALL HE DO WITH TIP"
Like the Cincinnati convention. not
80 much as what now is a. what may be:
minviting as inevitable. peering out of
the dim misty future, demanding rem
edy, vet seeming irremedible. lust as
skeletons haunt private life, so one of
our public tOrments stalked forth from
the national closet to resume its pledges
of future visits if not vengeance This
a.. - 1,s, NJ MDrr;n -
mont offered an amendment to the de
ticicncy appropriation bill. limiting the
. jurisdiction of the Court of Claims to
cases commenced within two years after
the close of the rebellion, and reQuirinr
proof of loyalty on the part of said
claimant. Opposed by democrats and
some Southern republicans, this amend
tment was carried. The opposition raj
lied upon the following day and another
amendment, offered by Senator AlCOrn.
was passed, practically multiplying the
Morrill, amendment. Another rally and
another amendment by FrClinghuysen.
restored the spirit of the Morrill, amend
mcnt. Then again while some of its
friends were out of the Senate, playing
by the way, we supposed, motion was
sprung and the whole thing rejected,
D(lI mas SUN one tIldIttt OIl Il IlOlltbli 10
reconsider. vet to be voted on This
victory alternated during a heated de-
bate of two DAYS, during which the ne
crssity of abolishing the Court of Claims
entire at no distant day to avoid paying
rebel claims to the tune of twenty-five
millions, was freely put forward by
COnkIing. Sherman and others. Should
Mr.. MOrrilps amendment become law,
it will Ohviate the payment of millions
to old rebels This is but one feature of
the great ocean of claims whose waves
will continue to beat and break upon
our shores, and to unborn generations
will PROFOUND the serious inquiryO of what
to do with it.
Senator AlcOrn, who has been fore
most in opposing Mr.. MOrrill's amend
ment, is the type Of a jolly old Missis-
sippi planter As republican he did
a noble work in assisting the reconstruct
ion of that State. Though unassuming
in manner and deed, he evil
IDENTITY is, and is to be one of the strong
men of the Senate. He is one of the
quiet, deliberate, yet determined oper-
atOrs whose efforts seem so well adapted
to success. We never saw him make
captious or technical opposition to any
thing. or figure for display. We there
fore are forced to accord respect to him
even when obliged to stand in opposition.
Last week the House spent much
wind and time in resolving that the
claim for indirect damages should be
withdrawn. They did not seem to think
that such a course might possibly en-
barrass our government upon the treaty
question. until mildly advised to that
effect by member of the cabinet;
Since then it has vOmited forth small
thunder gusts of eloquence, rhetoric
and buncombe in various other little
ways. The question of printing the
cases arose and furnished small vent
for pent of enthusiasm and animosities
Some were of the opinion that large
numbers should be struck off and sent
,,r1or fropI- tn our constituents Won