The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1876-06-02
WASHINGT0N LETTER.

| NAsH1NGToN, ID. g., May 30, 1876.
The proceedings in the Congress last week
were not of great interest The Senate dis
cussed the Belknap case all the week and
will come to vote to-day. The Committee
on Appropriations reported the bill to pay
the salaries of the Legislative, Executive
and Judicial officers. Over one thousand
amendments were made IN the House bill
All the salaries were put back to the present
| figures and all the reduction. made by the
House were stricken out. The Republicans
of the Senate ale determined not to permit
any retrenchm9nt in expenses. They need
the money to run the present campaign.
The conference committee on the consular
and diplomatic bill could not agree and the
House discharged it. The prospects are that
there will be a dead lock on these bills and
that the first of July will arrive before any
conclusion can be reached. The Democrats
III the House should stand firm and refuse
to give way one inch. The country will
sustain them in their honest efforts to reduce
the expenses of the Government, and will
administer fitting rebuke to the Republi.
cans in the November election
Gen Banning called up his bill to organize
the army on Saturday. 1t provides for a
saving Of millions annually by reducing the
number of regiments and consequently of Of
ficers, and does away with the distinction of
white and colored regiments, allowing en-
iistments Of either color in any regiment
The Republicans commenced fllibusterng
and continued it until the House adjourned
To break the force of the corruption PROV
en- in almost every department of the Gov.
ernment, a charge has been made that Mr..
Speaker Kerr some years ago received six
hundred dollars for securing the appoint
ment of man named Green to the position
of lieutenant in the army. OF course there
is not a word of truth in the charge, the only
foundation for it being that Mr.. Kerr recon-.
mended Green, and President johnson ap-
pointed him.
The plot in favor of Conkling by the terms
of which Don Cameron was made Secretary
of War has failed and the reaction has been
so great that Conking is virtually out of the
race. 1t is said that Senator Morton was es-
pecially indignant and had some sharp words
with President Grant on the subject, remind
ing him of his promise not to make any
changes in the Cabinet with the view of
helping any of the aspirants.
The change of ownership in the New York
World and its very marked change in rela
tion to the candidates before the St. Louis
Convention is the cause of much gossip.
Both the IVorH and the ErpreSs, the two
leading Democratic papers of New York, are
now set down as advocating Senator Bayard.
This opposition at home weakens Tilden,
and he may well exclaim, 81 have been
slaughtered in the house of my friends"
The situation in Europe is alarming
England refuses to accede to the terms
agreed upon at the imperial conerfence at
Berlin to settle the Turkish question. To
emphasize her refusal she sends q powerful
reinforcement to her fleet in the Mediterra-
mean, and more troops to Malta and Gibra-
tar. France, Spain and Italy side with her.
In the meantime Austria is concentrating
troops on the lower Dsnnbe, and Russia is
putting her army in perfect order, while
Germany launches her iron-clads and an in.
ferna! machine in the way of torpedo boat
that is propelled by engines of thousand
horse power. 1t would seem that northern
and eastern Europe is about to enter into
war with southern and western Europe and
try to force its way to the Summer Sea-"
Should war ensue it will be the most gigan-
tic the world ever saw and would necessarily |
benefit this country to very great extent. |
The strongest indication that war is coming |
is in the condition of the money market. |
Everywhere, in London, Paris, Vienna, Ber- |
lin and st. Petersburg, there is autter
among the money kings, ard all kinds of
European securities are dropping. If this
continues long immense sums of gold will |
seek investments here and relieve the finan-
cial pressure, so that some good would come
from even so direful an evil as general
European war.
RENO