The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1876-02-04


broglio between. Two Important Com
mittees-The Military Academy APpro
priation BiII-An Act of National Goo
Faith-sIow Work by Committees-Per
sonal.
tFrom Our Own Correspondence
WASHINGTON CRY, Jan. 30, 1876.
When the report of the special com
mittee on the Centennial was made t.
the House, and was unanimous for al
appropriation Of 81, 500, 900, it was sup
posed, rs stated at the time, that tn
bill would go through with hurrah
But before it came up, the amnest.
debate had occurred, and had aroused
partisan ana sectional feelings tt
such an extent that hand-claspinf
and love-making were not so much
in vogue as they had been. The Cen
tennial bill suffered much in conse
quence. Conciliatory speeches by
Banks, of the North, and Lamar, of the
South, had great deal to do with the
final success of the bill in the House.
Its passage in the Senate is not at this
time doubted. Party lines were disre-
garded in the vote on the bill, but q
majority of the Republicans voted for it,
and majority of the Democrats against
it. 1t is noticeable fact that the four
great States of the Northwest bordering
on Lake Michigan-Illinois, Indiana,
Michigan, and Wisconsin-gave only
II votes for the Centennial appropria-
ton to "a against it. of you scratch
New York." said popular writer once,
"you will find the Commune" A ma
| jority of the members from these Lake
States thought they saw little stock
gambling job under the Centennial bill,
| and so went against it.
A COMMITTEE INIBRoGLIo.
The situation of the Committee on
Appropriations and on Foreign Affairs
toward each other anent the Consular
and Diplomatic Appropriation bill may
be said to make very pretty quarrel as
it stands. The Appropriation Commit
tee proposed to very considerably, quite
slashingly in fact, cut down the salaries
and expenses generally of our Consular
and diplomatic establishment. The Com
mittee on Foreign Relations is opposed
to any such wholesale and indiscriminate
changes, as members assert, as are con-
tcmplated by Mr.. Randall's committee.
And there is an internecine war in con-
sequence, which will probably result in
miscellaneous ordinations and recrim-
nations, general ventilation of the con-
duct of our affairs abroad, and lively
time all around.
The truth is, there is q wide diversity
of opinion among men of all parties, in
and out of Congress, in respect to our
diplomatic establishment. There are
those who assert that it is q
supernumerary concern anyhow, and
ought to be totally abolished that di-
plomacy originated in the cowardice and
falsehood of the Italians in the time of
Machaevelli, and from that time to this
has done constant credit to its igno-
minious origin. On the other hand,
men say it is a necessity of modern civil
ization, an aid i'll the cause of universal
peace among nations, and that its rep
resentatives ought to be maintained in
dignity and honor. Between these ex-
treme views on the subject there are
others claiming that diplomatic estab-
hshment is indeed necessity,
but that American representatives
abroad ought to maintain their respec-
tive offices not only with dignity
but in style of republican simplicity
and economy. The advocates of these
and other views will probably take adj
vantage of the pending imbroglio be-
tween the committees to air their opin-
ions on the floor. Let us hope the
anticipated debate will be as instructive
= al 30 h1
THE WEST POINT APPROPRIATION BILL.
The appropriation bill for the support
of the Military Academy, as reported
by the Appropriation Committee, cuts
down the salaries OF professors, the pay of
cadets, and economies in other re-
spects, so that the estimates of the War
Department are reduced about one half.
There is much opposition to these pro-
posed sweeping changes, and some of
them will probably be modified before
the final passage of the bills. There used
to be a strong feeling against West Point
in Congress, but it has not manifested
itself for long time till now. Men are
curious to see whether the old state of
feeling will be revived by this discus
sion.
AN ACT OF NATIONAL GOOD FAITH.
must regard the passage of the bill
providing ways aud means for the pay
ment of the February interest on the 1866
bonds of the District of Columbia as an
act of national good faith. The Senate,
at this writing, has amended the bill,
but not in such q way as to endanger
concurrence by the House. Indeed
it will have passed, most likely, before
this epistle shall be deposited in the
mails. The success of the measure is @
gratifying guaranty of the maintenance
of our public credit by either political
party of the country.
SLOW COMMITTEES.
The most of the committees of thu
House may be said to be extravaganza,
slow i'll preparing their work for actor
on the floor. 1t is no ground for JUS
criticism that but few bills have yet beer
acted on by the House. On account o.
the long debates which have occurred
this has been impossible, even if Their,
were no other satisfactory reasons fo
such situation. But it is astonishing
that the committees have done so little
We have had about two months of SEES
sion, and not more than eight or ten
reports, on matters of general interest