Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1876-01-14

Congress re.assembled on Wednesday of
last week The business of the first day
consisted mostly in offering resolutions
calling for the investigation of Republican
legislation for several years past. Judging
by what they have already undertaken TO
do, the Democrats will create work enough
of the kind to keep men busy Till the COM
ing about of the close of the second CEN
fury of the Republic. The principle bust
ness of the Senate was tho introduction Of
Mr.. Morrills bill for the redemption of
legal tender notes in accordance with the
existing law, and for an amendment of the
national currency act
On Thursday the Senate devoted nearly
its whole session TO financial discussion,
the principle feature of which was the
speech by Mr.. Morrill, of this state in sup
port OF his bill of the day previous. The
speech was an able one, and receives the
approval of the friends of hard money and
honest currency. Mr.. Morrill, believes in
the possibility and duty of a speedy return
TO specie payments ; and that the time now
fixed by law, the LIST Of January, 1879, is
"noue to early" The plan he favors is by
redemption and funding of the legal ten
der notes in 30-year or Al per cent bonds,
and the bill introduced by him authorizes
the issue of such bonds for such purpose,
and provides that on and after January lst,
1878, all contracts shall be payable "in ac-
cordance with the legal-tender standard Of
gold" unless otherwise provided in the
contract.
The great question now before the House
is that Of general amnesty. Mr.. Randall
prepared and presented a bill granting full
amnesty to everybody, but this cannot
pass by the necessary two-thrds majority
without some Republican votes. Mr..
Blaine proposed as a substitute bill which
will restore the political rights of all the
exc onfederates except Jefferson Davis, On
their taking an oath of allegiance, and OF,
Monday, by the exercise of sharp parl-
mentary tactics, in which he outwitted the
Democratic leaders, Mr.. Blaine secured
chan ce 10 deliver speech of an hours
length on the amnesty question. The
speech was fiery one, and showed that
the Republican party had been the party
of magnanimity in respect TO amnesty;
that of the $4,000 who had been disfrdn
chised by the fourteenth amendment only
80 still labor under tie disability Of their
treason, and CT these he would only now
leave JEFF Davis alone under disability;
and he would do this not because he was
the conspicuous and Inefficient head of the
Confederacy, but because his murderous
crimes at Andersonville had placed him
beyond the recognition of humanity, and
had made him the rival in barbarous afro
city Of Duke Alva, of the instigators Of
ST. Bartholomew, and Of the authors of the
Spanish Inquisition.
The amnesty debate was continued ON
Thursday when Ben Hill of Georgia, no.
t orious for his connection with the Conied-
crate Congress, replied TO Mr.. Blaine's ar
IA ignment Of Jeff. Davis, and defended
his oil d leader. Ho endeavUred 10 make 1t
a ppear that Davis was not responsible for
the horrors OF Andersonville, and then had
the a udacity TO say that Andersonville
prise faIed no worse, aside from the
la OK of medicine, than did the rebel pris-
OF ers.
Ii is evident that the new Congress will
be famous for its numerous bills, If for
nothing else. Usually, during ono session
of Congress, as many as nine hundred
bills are introduced, and when, on rare oc-
casions, il has produced one thousand bills,
the one thousandth has been regarded as a
curiosity of legislative fecundiy in this re-
spect. But the present Congress has hard
ly got 10 work, and over nine hundred
bills and resolutions of various sorts have
already been introduced OF these, rs
might be expected, more than three
fourtbs have come from the house of Rep
resentatives, and thirty Per cent of the
House bills are in the nature of claims up
on the Treasury, mostly from the South
The Democrats of the House began by
Dragging that they would be able 10 reduce
the expenditures not less than forty mil
lions, but the more intelligent ones admit
that If, wien the session ends, ten millions
have been saved over the expenditures OF
last year, they will do well.