The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1876-12-21
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
Washington, D. C., Dec. Is, 1876

JUN W LII law
Washington, D. C., Dec. Is, as7s. 81
For f fear ,thas:the inves;sig igaa.iions q of the
committees appointed blythe. House toin,
quire into the late elections in Loaisian.
ma, South Carolina, and Florida. might
developsome facts calculated to conflict
with the so called returns from those
States, the Senate has deemed it necessa-
ry to anticipate their reports and supply
q remedy for the .malady which is to be
feared by the Republican party, in ap-
pointing Senate committees to go over
the same ground with generally under
stood instructions-to contradict anything
that the House committees may report.
This is very digni6ed and. patriotic in the
Senate and shows an alacrity in that
body to promote unity of action between
the two branches Of Congress. 80, -.
The charge widely published by the
Republican press that the House Appro-
priation Committee did not intend re-
porting any bills until the Presidential
question WAS finally settled, thereby in.
tending to intimidate the calculating and
money making element of the country by
a prospect of even harder times than we
now suffer, has been positively denied
and refuted by Judge Holman, chairman
of that committee, who assures US that
there shall be no delay upon their part
in reporting all necessary appropriations.
Tue Radicals cannot shoulder the Demo.
cratic party with the responsibility for
the,fnancial distress of the country.
The Senate has split on the Edmunds
resolution for count of the electoral
vote by the Supreme Court of the United
States, and it has been practically
swamped. Morton, Spencer, Conover
and Patterson are opposed to it, and that
of course settles it. It certainly would
be very dangerous measure to organize
the Supreme Court into permanent re-
turning board. The unsettled condition
OF the Senate upon the Presidential ques-
ton has given rise to great hopes here
that the final issue may be peaceably and
fairly met and determined, and it is ex-
pected that the first step in that direction
is to be taken by Conkling. There seems
to be but little doubt that he. Is
at variance with his Republican asso.
ciates, and as he can afford to be indie
pendent we may expect to hear from him
som.
On Wednesday the House passed the
"Silver bill" by vote of l67 to So, the
members voting according to interests or
locality of representation without regard
to party lines.
Senator Mitchell, of Oregon, intro.
duced a resolution charging fraud and
ualfeasance upon Governor Grover,
which has given rise to some debate for
the past two days without any result. In
the meantime Senator Morton has dis
covered set off il New Jersey in the
case of Benjamin Williamson, elector,
whom he alleges was a U. S. Commits
sioner at the time of his appointment,
and the Senate Committee on Privileges
and Elections have summoned all the
parties here for examination.
Colorado is still denied admission ia
the House, and will probaly be kept out
until the Presidential issue is met
The Sherman-Garheld report on the
Louisiana election afforded the subject ol
an exciting and heated debate in the
Senate Yesterday, and Stephenson, Bay:
ard aud Thurman completely routed
Sherman, Morton and Wells, who at
tempted to defend it. In point of fac,
it is the very fimsiest excuse for viola.
tion of constitutional law that was ever
presented to a reasoning people. The
''outrages" are mere ghosts of trifiing
disturbances, occurring in many instan.
ces a year and more before the elec-
tion.
The President has replied to the reso-
luton Of inquiry regarding the occupa-
tion of Petersburg, Va, by United States
troops on the day Of election, and his
reply is insolent, defiant and insulting.
His excuse is similar to the one offered
in the Louisiana case. There was dis
turbance in Petersburg some time last
May, and therefore there was great danger
of intimidation. The whole tenor and
language of the message is outrageous,
and it should have been returned to the
President without any action upon it.
The President has broken all bounds
of law and decorum, andrants and swears
like anything else but the "silent man"
he has been so often called. He declares
publicly that the large majority of the
voters in the country, viz. those who
voted against Hayes, are unworthy Of
trust, dishonest and disloyal, and adds
his determination to inaugurate his can
didates at all hazards.
Men are now engaged in erecting q
line of telegraph to. connect the Capitol
building with the United States Arsenal.
What this eau mean we can onl y surmise.
It is quite certain. that Congress has no
desire to communicate with the occupants
of the barrack.
Notwithstanding all these outrages and
evidences of determination to resort to
violence on the part of the Administra:
ton, everything remains very quiet, and
there is no evidence whatever of excite