Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1874-01-15
Letter from Washington.

| Is il too late for New Years greeting:
| If not then consider the words spoken.
and 1.-THE compliments of the season" made
| in due form. All, TO how many heart
| does the New Year bring sadness. and
! how many eyes are moisteued at the
memory of the vanished hand" and the
! voice which is Still" Can any anniyers-
AIRY bring unalloyed Joy to mortal hearts
while recollection holds its own?
| But these are not thoughts betting the
| New Year. which comes so joyiully upon
us. promising much to Us all, and we Will
not cherish them. rather see how ii has
commenced with Us here. Merrily and
| pleasantly the chimes welcomed the new
| year. and as the cheerful tones rang out on
! the midnight air. one felt involuntarily that
old things had passed away, ana a new era
! had commenced, giving more time for good
| or III deeds the case may be. fhe bur-
den OF good resolutions the new year has
/ to bear would be fatal TO it, did they not
lessen with such strange rapidity, but as
/ 1t is, the burden bearing is easy enough,
/ and would not add greatly 10 the pangs of
the expiring year, could they be transferred
! from one 10 the other, by any magic.
The festivities OF the day commenced AZ
an early hour, and in every direction could
be seen gentlemen di-chargEg their social
duties, aud squarng their accounts with
/ their friends by opening new ones.
How far the ultra temperance people
would approve of all the entertainment, is
a query. but all things considered, the day
passed quietly and creditably 10 it, rest,
! leaving no alarming number Of aching
heads for the morrow. Al the White
/ House the usual forms of reception were
/ observed. and Diplomatic Corps dazzied
republican ewes with their splendor. 10 be
/ in turn succeeded by the veterans who
7 have suffered for the country's good, and
| they by the "unwashed crowd" 10 use the
/ .nobbish words oil 4 reporter who evident
/ ~ had not the fear of the public before his
/ eyes. The receiving elsewhere the city
! over continued into the night, and there
must have been many weary hand and
/ head caused by obedience to the customs
/ comes once 4 year. Now the new year is
a week old. and already the receptions are
thin. of the past, with New Years
wishes and greetings half forgotten.
DISCUSSION on CIVIL RIGHTS.
/ Congress recommended lis work on
| Monday with discussion on the Civil
/ Rights Bill, in which Mr.. stephens shonr
| cuu>plcuou>ly in "a speech of over an
Z hours length. His argument was an able
/ one from hi poin. OF view. but iabored
under the disadvantage that the Hon.
/ gentleman hardly accepts the present
status OF Affairs. and does not quite realize
! how much the world has moved OF late;
/ he believes in equality of right, and legal
| justice. but not in identity of privileges;
! If any person buys ticket on a railroad,
| he Is entitled To such passage a, the ticket
| de>iguates, but the company has a right
10 ,ay what car it shall be in, and can
/ separate the passengers at discretion, SO
! of hotels and places of amusement. schools
and Asylums. and he would not have the
! mixture OF races, anywhere. although pro-
/ Tossing to abide by the issues Of the war
/ Neither i. IL constitutional In his opinion
| for the L. :. Government 10 interfere in
/ these matters, they being under local rule
and he believes in State rights, as We all
/ q
| State 10 be under the control of the State
Government, which gives the proper place
| to all. and interference by the Geneyal
| Cover nment is only calculated to SOW the
seeds OF discord and rouse new distur-
| Dances: in short, his idea of equality is
/ that each man should do TO others. as he
| would have them do to him. If situations
were reversed. and his motto is the great
est good 10 all without detriment to any,
His illusions to the principles OF the
founders of the Government were happy,
and he closed with an eloquent appeal To
the dominant party not TO depart from the
old Jefiersonian principles which must be
the basis of any party triumph, and (which
| alone lead TO peace, liberty. and safety"
| He was answered by Mr.. Ransisr in a
| pithy speech. claiming for the people of
his race equal rights aud privileges with
the whites, as had been promised to Tia EN-
by both parties, and calling upon the
Geneyal Government TO remove the dis
abilities imposed upon them by the State
laws. and give them the opportunity TO
prove themselves equal in ability with
those of other races; he asserted that the
! laws in the Southern States were no pro-
lection to them nor ever would be. with
out the Interference Of the central power,
and as the amendments to the constitution
had made them citizens. they had right
to all the privileges OF citizenship thereby
conferred. and by the loyalty his people
had shown to the Government, they had
right TO ask for its protec' ion against local
laws inimcal to their rights, qncopstitu-
tional as they were unjust.
Mr.. Elliott of s. c., was to follow him,
but by the lateness Of the hour was COM
PEELED TO wait till the next day, when the
galleries were filled at an early hour by
spectators on the qui rire to know what
the negro would have to say for himself;
1t was strange to look over the sea of faces
in the immense crowd and see the pre-
ponderance of black in all its shades over
white, and to watch the eagerness with
which they listened o their champion, who
was indeed "a hero in the strife" brilliant
and unanswerable in argument, his speech
contained many sharp. Keen rapier thrusts
against his opponents. which showed him
a master of his subject, and proved his
ability to compete successfully with any-l
man upon the floor. His illusions to the
patriotism and loyalty displayed BY his
people not only In the last but in the pre-
ceding vars were well received, and his
analysis Of the distinction between citizen |
ships Of q State and OF the whole country |
was cOnfutati0u of Mr.. Stephens argu- |
ment, worthy of the applause 1t received. |
The perOratiOn was . comparison OF his |
own race with Ruth cleaning in The field |
of her kinsman Boaz. and II his people |
could, like her, find favor. they would be |
grateful and join In her prayer: "Entreat |
me not to leave thee or TO turn from fol- |
lowing after thee. for whittier thou goest | |
will 20, and where thou lodgest I will
lodge thy people shall be my people and |
thy God my God, When thou diest will |