Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1872-02-21
Correspondence.
Our Washington Letter.
WAsnISGToS, d. c., Feb. 10th, 1872.


The gay season in Washington Is sup
posed to have closed at IL 9. -. Thursday
Q So thoroughly has the season just pas
been observed here, that even the Nation
al Legislators have been effected not in
considerably by it in their labors in anc
out OF Congress. 1t is expected, however
that during the next forty days, the tern
Of the lental season, our law makers will
make good their time lost.
The receptions of Members Of the Cab
met and foreign Ministers have been bet
ter attended, if not grander, than before
for many years. State sociablcs are great.
ly on the increase. Scarcely State but
has given a sociable this year, and sever.
al have given series Of them. At them
are to be seen the President, Vice. Presi.
dent almost always, and generally good.
ly number of representatives of the Cab.
met. Senators, and Representatives in
Congress, Bureau officers and their sub.
ordinates, Department clerks, &c. As
the sociables are intended more to do hon.
or to the citizens Of the respective States
residing here. than pay entertainment
for the citizens of Washington, but few Of
the latter attend and the result is that
strangers from abroad generally imme-
diately on their advent here, when made
acquainted by their States men of this
fact, they seek their State sociable as a
place where they can feel at home.
Senator Morton'S speech to-day in ans
wer to Mr.. Sumner and his resolution, has
attracted crowds to the Senate Chamber.
Mr.. M. has the whole subject by the
horns, and will before he is through show
to the country, not only the unustiiable.
ness of such attacks upon the intelligence
and veracity Of the administration, but
that the animus of the whole thing, is to
impair the confidence the people may have
in the administration and thus defeat
Grants denomination.
The Investigation now going on before
the District Committee of the House, into
the charges against the Board of Public
Works for the District of Columbia. has
ceased to create much anxiety among the
members of the Board and the ring. The
Observation-Disclosures prefering charges
against the Board-seen either unacquaint-
ed with the subject to their charge, or
have no ground to build up prosecution
Tor thus far they have been unable to sus-
.ain an allegation which eliminates either
The members of the Board or any one con.
,ected with improvements which have so
ong been going on in Washington and
Georgetown. The large property owners
ire heavily taxed, "that is what's the
natter" Had the necessary improve
nents been made in years past, it would
lot be necessary to make them now-Our
Board, like Others such in all cities, re-
luire good looking after.
Judge Carter, the Chief Justice of the
District of Columbia, holding the Grimm
j Court has had several important GRIM
nal cases before him this term-nearIy
IL either Government defaulters or in
ONE way connected with deirauding the
Government. As yet only two have been
onvicted and sentenced. Kending, de-
auiter, sentenced two years to the Albany
'enitentiary, and Vic Powell, sentenced v
esterday to pay fine of FIVE hundred
ollars and costs Of the court, which in
II, amounting to some eight or nine hum .
red dollars. Vic Powell, your readers U
i'll doubtless remember, was arraigned =
# receiving five thousand dollars in con. IL
'ction with the Stokes-Beatty frauds, or a.
other words for assisting the prosecu. =
on OF their claims before the Second Au- ~
tors office while clerk in that office. v
ne Judge IN passing such light SEN -
nee upon him, took occasion to observe u
at Powell did not, in receiving the mon. 'e
:, commit an Intentional wrong against 90
e government. OF
The case of Seth johnson, indicted for ue
fault as assistant cashier in Treasury ca
apartment, the court sustained the plea wa
bar to the indictment, ruling that as raj
hnson had testified before Committee pa
Congress touching the same matter for Ill
lch he was then arraigned, he was un- gu
the Statute exempt from prosecution. kn
't on examination to-day the prosecu- org
n has found that the law has been OF
lnged' and the court has consequently acc
lnged his opinion. the
In case ex-Congressman w. B. Stokes en-