Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1874-03-26
OUR W1SIiINTPON LETTER.
From cur own Correspondent
WASHINGTON, March 2lat, 1874.

WASHINGTON, March 2lat, 1874.
The death of Charles Sumner leaves
Il gap here in the ranks of our states
nIen tha; Cannot be easily filled. We
nave no one his equal and we wonder
who Will succeed him. Occupying a
a niche i'll the history of our nation as
prominent and as glorious as that of
Web.ter or Clay, We can but feel his
loss is irreparaLle. He has been the
grand exponent of Democracy or Re-
pablicanism, and in his answering
consistent devotion 10 the doctrines of
equality and freedom to all, and in his
intense opposition to everything favor
ing corruption or tyranny he has gain
ell renown as permanent as that of
Webster or Clay, and Il gratitude
amounting to devotion from the en-
shaved of the past. He kas been called
"the impractlcable." But in no one
measure looking To freedom to all has
he failed to see the nation adopt #. To
him President Lincoln owed the sug-
gestion OF the Emancipation Proclama-
tion; and had he lived Il few years he
would have seen the adoption of his
Civil Rights Bill as fully and complete
iy as the freedom of the slave. and the
Ieniranchisement OF the colored man.
Mr.. summers sagacity simply placed
him in advance instead of being i'm
practicable, his wisdom and insight
simply put him where the people surely
| followed, and when history writes the
record of our statesman Charles Sum-
tiers impress UP n cur politics will be
Noted as great as that of any who have
ever spoken in our Senate. Congress
at last indicates an intention to meet
the iuOmentuuS question of finance and
move the great burden imposed on
the Country by its failure to adopt some
kind of financial policy.
mir. Dawes gave roiice thai on Mon
day next he would ask the House to
take up the S400, 900, ,U00 bill which has
been on the calender for several
weeks, and that he committee has in
structed him to receive any amend
inent proposing a less amount. He
himself would propose $3.50, 900, 900.
Il seems now that Mr.. Merriam's bill
Will be adopted; it proposes $40J, ,000,-
00O us the sum ofOur currency, S25, ,09D.-
900 of which shall be held as a reserve
not to be us d Ir issued until the Presi-
dent shall nave proclaimed for period
of thirty days, that the revenues are
insufficient to meet the expenditures.
Ehen enacts that the Secretary of the
Treasury shall, after supplying all de-
ticiencieS from the reserve, apply re-
ceipts to restoring the amount taken.
It is to be hoped some definite policy
may be adopted. While Congress is
devoiing months TO the discussion of
lgE + ~
suffers severely owing to the Ancertain-
ty felt by all as to the future OF our f.
nances. 1t is better to expand rather
tnan nof to have any financial policy.
The investigation into the affairs of
the First National Bank of Washing
ton proves ii criminal neglect on the
part Of its officers. Jay Cooke d Co
were allowed to absorb all its deposits |
a5 the books shOy them indebted near
ly $500, ,003. The Committee of Inves-
igation will report TO Congress an
TO the present law placing |
rigid restrictions upon matters of loans |
and confining banks strictly to the ten |
per cent limit tG individuals or corpo-
rations. The Investigation into the
District Government affairs has as yet
developed no wrong; the Memorialists
having so lar Jailed To sustain single |
they failed SO signally on
the matter of School Fund through
their principal witness that they
would examine no other. They went
INTO the matter without case and en-
ieavortd to obtain private papers on
which 10 found it. This, Of course,
was refused by the Committee as we
lave not reached the point where we
an violate the sanctity of private !
ana affairs simply because .
charge corruption.
Judge Dent, the Presidents brother
n-law, lies hopelessly i'll from an in
ernal tumor, his death having been I
hourly tor several days past. -,
The Whisky War has not developed !
iere as yet, though several ladies have
,etitiontd the Senate for hearing. 1t
; not likely the movement can accOm- '
lish much here owing to the peculiar
of our cosmopolitan society.
n recent trip through Massachusetts .
WAS led 10 conclude its prohibitory v
NV as in the main dead letter, and /
merely trust that our Ohio women
lay accomplish through their meas