Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1874-03-12
Correspondence.
Letters from Washington.
WASHINGTON. d. c.. Ma

WASHINGTON. ID. c.. Mar. 3.
The chief topic of interest, and the sem
sation Of the week, as everybody knows,
has been the Boston Collectorship. which
ended in an assured triumph for Gen. But
ler,as everybody might have known from
the first would be the case. Fruitful In expe-
dents beyond any other man. unscrupu-
lous in the use Of means for a desired end,
and an interchangeable worker, the gentle
man whose cause was entrusted to him
could be sure of success, were II In mortal
power. for no stone would be left unturned
TO secure 1t, and no effort spared which
could in any way avail that Mr.. Simmons
was not the unanimous choice of the dele
CATION, and was even obnoxious to the ma
jority Of them mattered not; that the dis
ruption OF the Republican party in Massa-
chusetts was threatened was OF small
moment, as neither he nor his friends would
leave it, but he had pledged his word that
Mr.. Simmons should be victorious. aud the
position should be his, however hard the
battle, so the committee from Boston were
g-aciously received and their objections
met with the firm answer. that he would
not desert a fellow soldier and An honest
man, who deserved the position, and
against whose character no reproach could
be brought. The President was not induce
ed to withdraw the nomination. and Ben
could use his powers of persuasion in the
Senate unreservedly, as he did. until the
majority were brough. TO see the right way
as he saw it. While Sen. Sumner was
Grating against the centennial bill, Butler
and Hooper were using their best endcav-
ors to convert the Legislators, and succeed
ed so we'll, that when the question came
the voting was quick and decisive, giving
not only success but victory, all the more
gratifying because won in the face of al
most insurmountable obstacles, and show
ing the dlsaffected. that Ben Butler can
hold his own against any or all OF them,
when he chooses to exert his power. A
wonderful influence has this man. TO which
even those OF the opposite party yield, and
defer 10 his opinions as 10 those of lead
er. A member from one of the Southern
states, lifelong Democrat, said Il don't
know anything about this man Simmons.
but Gen. Butler endorses him, and he shall
have my influence on that account" and
such is the feeling with many of them.
that whether they can trust him morally or
not. his political judgment is sound anl
they can rely on him. IL is plain that thi,
success must strengthen hi. power, aud
give him better prospects when next he
home.
The restoration OF the Frankins Privi-
lege came near becoming a Law, but WAS
dismissed for the present To be brought up
vas eager and earnest, enliyencd by the
exhibition OF several huge baskets of petit
tions about il, which gave variety TO the
discussion, and served A. a mark for the
without harming any body. something al
ways 10 be desired Ia such frantic dis
charges OF verbal artillery as are INDUCED
in st times by the members That there
was an abuse Of the Frankiny Privilege
cannot be denied. but Its total abolition
seems An abuse In the other direction. and
equally productive OF evil; while the ma
ton would hardly be willing TO allow mein-
bers TO frank their furniture or their dirty
linen, as Is said 10 have been done by some.
yet there should be some provision, where
by the constituents can communicate with
the member free of expense TO him or 10
themselves on their own business; the dis
tribution OF public documents, too. about
which so much objection was made. does
much good in many quarters. aud should
not be entirely abolished. Some change
could be made in the law TO suit all parties
one would suppose. and doubtless there
will be when it Is seen TO be needed really
The law as il now stands fosters the Post
office Department At the expense of the
others and one can hardly see why this
should be the case. unless indeed IL i in
capable OF self-support, and needs TO be
cherished more than the Others: II so. let
it be warmed and led till it grows.
The Centennial Bill evidently Is no favor
lite, and meets little approval, As originally
proposed though n looker-on would think
that a great nation like ours would wish -
celebrate such an anniversary and invite
all the world TO join in the festivities ofthe
occasion, but not so our wise men, and so
many objections are raised to il, that we
seem ashamed of our hundredth birthday.
and unwilling to notice it. This treme H.
dous spasm Of economy ought not TO be so
jar-reaching as 10 cause national pride To
be forgotten, or to have our place among
the nations ingloriously filed, even should
one city be little unduiy exalted-this IS
no place for jealousy and local pride to in
ierfere, but il should be for the whole coun-
try. and at such point as is most fitting our
history and the past which we seek to COM
memorate, in which all sections can unite.
only don't have the Congress of the United
States wandering like an itinerant puppet-
show.
Gen. Shurtz ventilated his financial ideas
in carefully elaborated speech on Tues
day, elegant liz diction, with rounded peri
DDS and polished sentences, but the fair
structure was quickly assailed by few
thrusts from Mr.. Morton. who differed in
many respects from the ideas of his Ger
man friend, and the debate gradually be-
came quite personal, ending in matters so
far outside OF tho a"ssiion at issue that it
was impossible TO tell how they were ar
rived II, or what possible connection there
could be found in one and the other.
Congress had the grace to recognize the
I'D by adjourning, but most of the Depart