Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1876-01-21

a COhBAhlSUH 6EIHE EEN HAhs hhAsA
AND NIB BLAINE.
1 From the Regular Correspondent Of the Ap
| peal.l
WASHINGTON, January 1T,-ThOss o
as who have been congratulsting our
selves, and the country and humanity
that the war is over-thst its sad wounds
are healed, and that we would in this
| hallowed year gather under the roof-tTee
| of our fathers to renew with singleDesS
| OF faith aud purpose the great conf c'
for horeJt government, which they only
! began-were perhaps little too san
! guine. We had not calculated that
| there were politicians in Maine and
| Georgia, or perhars from Maine TO Geor.
! Ria, who, in the lust of ambition, are
ready to Ir0iane everything, wreck
everything to gain point In the Presi'
dental game. Mr.. Blaine will not bs
| outdone; he is too smart for thst. nc
| s1oner is our ssvan President inspired
with q penchdnt for public schools and q
| third term than Mr.. Blaine is even with
| him by bill in the house. When Mr..
Morton waves the bloody-shirt, Mr..
Blaine goes him one better and brand
ishes horrid wirding-sheet. 1t is ter
rife the way these non-combatants,
Blaine aud Hill fight-in words. 1t was
| cruel they were not allowed any fight
during the war. 1t would have
been better fer the country IL
they had met then in mutual
concilation. In Washington 1t is only
necessary for the papers to make an
announcement, in order to insure full
house and OVERLOOKING galleries, in q
verbal mill like this. Who Is so virtu-
GUS that he has not stopped, and taken
sides, when two infuriated market
women have striven for an advantage
in billingsgate? But, when men whom
fate, fanaticism, and the newspapers,
have made what the vulgar call "great, F"
have "set TO-" each with intent to
bacon the mesnness, weakness, and
iittleness OF the other, in good English,
every patriot must regret that their mu-
tual annihilation is only a metaphor.
But I was say ing that the galleries were
crowded. On occasions like this, Wash
inzton transient aud local, diplomatic
and Afric, pours toward the capitol, till
the seats Of the galleries are filled, till
the corridors in the resr of the galleries
are crowded, and until the floor of the
house is inundated by those who
have the usual or temporary privilege Of
coming upon the floor. Hundreds have
always to return, unable to find even
standing room near the doors OF the
galleries. Memt ers and senators are be-
seiged by their friends with requests for
admission to the floor, to the reporters
gallery, the diplomatic gallery-any-
where that there may be possible space
for one more. In cringent times like
this, your correspondent realizes the i'm
portance Of the press. Ii hesrrlves late
he wedges through the dense mass In
the corridors, enters the reporters gal
lery, ard sits down monarchically at a
division OF a long writing desk
observes that Senator Morton, won.
deIfuI to see, has been carried
into the house for the first time, perhaps,
in,ten wears; that old Ben Wade and old
RenrvS. FOote, smouldering fires, have
been accommodated with chairs side by
side on the floor. He makes a note that
there are a number Of senators, three
cabinet officers, and a. many judgss of
the supreme court present. an unusual
occurrence, bstokening more than vul-
gar interest; this, perhaps, makes or un-
makes party success. They are all here
to hear the Republican Presidential pre-
cocity, Mr.. Blaine, OF Maine, illuminate
against poor old imbecile, long since
out of politics and fast passing out OF
memory. And this is the one hundredth
year, in which we celebrate liberty,
equality, fraternity, bankruptcy and
had almost written amnesty! Mr. Blaine
appears to much better advantage in the
speakers chair than upon the floor; there
his readiness, ,poise and immense cRpaci-
ty Of endurance, together with his fair
ness as an arbiter in parliamentary ques-
tiops. made him, while armed with the
gsvel, many friends in both parties, and
thew were no little surprised to see the
once able aud dignified speaker, below
ing, bOisterous, out OF order, q1iVering
with excitement, and, when unable to
ouIroar the majority, cropping wildly in
the air for the departed gavel, and
trampling upon all the parliamentary
rules of which he had been 30 long the
exponent. 1t is humiliating to see our
Idols dethroned, but when they grovel
we despise them. Mr.. Blaine's head
has become dizzy with vanity: his long
tenure of the chair has made him srro-
CANT and dictatorisl. He is not of the
rare few whom the possession OF author
ity sobers, but Of the vulgar many whom
it makes drunk. He mas been petted by
the Republican party, and patted on the
back by Whitelaw Reid, until he ex-
hibits insolence and sffectatiOns that
would hsrdIy be tolerated in a pretty
woman. In a discussion Of q parlia-
mentsry question, he had the bad taste
to bully the speaker, saying, among
other things, that he hoped for his own
(Mr. Kerr's) sake, he would not
decide against him. But Mr..
Kerr calmly ruled against him,
and was approved in his decision
by Ex.Speaker Banks, and the author
Of the very book on rules which Mr..
Blaine had cited. No two men could
be in more striking contrast than Mr..
Kerr and Mr.. Blaine. The difference
that first impress es the observer is ply
sical. Mr.. Blaine has powerful ply
siuue and exhuberant health; Mr.. Kerr
has neither health nor strength. But
here the scale OF advantage changes. II
Mr.. Blaine has better knowledge Oi
the mere letter Of parliamentary law
! Mr.. Kerr has a more profound insight
| into its spirit and the principles which
! underlie its formulas. Mr.. Blaine is re-
markaIly pert; he would be at the hesC
| Of his class In any school, and alwsy:
recite his piece with fiippant ease. Mr.
Kerr would vary from the text and hes
itate, not from deficiency Of knOwledg:
or inability to prehend, but because
OF a philosophic criticism OF the author
ity and a deeper penetration than the
1 book. But these gentlemen have lsf
| school, and one OF them is nimble pol
! itician, while the other is q reflective
statesman and great man.
CUBA.
WASHINGTON, January 1.-THE an
| nouncement is made on excellent au
| thority that our government has already
received from several European nations
REPLIES to its circular note In regard f
affairs in Cuba, transmitted to then
early in December. These replies ar
all said 10 be OF q highly satisfactory
character. Secretary Fish spent al
hour this morning with the house com
mit.ee Cd foreign affairs, discussing th'
relation between the United States snC
Spain, aud explaining TO the committet
the present status OF the Cuban question
| He informed the committee that all lat,
communications received from MadriC
have been OF friendly character. N
open questions now exist that are likel,
to give us any trouble in settlement, ant
Spain has evinced disposition to fulfil
all her obligations 10 the United States
At the same time the proverbial slug
gishuess of the Spanish character II