The Portland daily press., 1877-02-13
From Our Regular Correspondent
Our Washington Letter.
The Third House-The Electoral Com
n'issiOn-The Louisiana Case-Prepar-
Ing for Lent
WASHINGTON, Feb. 9, 1877.

WASHINGTON. Feb. 9, 1877.
The third House, as the lobby is called, is
about the only branch of the legislative depart
ment that takes any interest in what is going
IN Congress Just now There is barely a quo
rum in the House and Senate. The electoral
commission, that holds its sessions in the Su-
preme Court room, draws many members aud
senators away from their legislative duties. 1t
is not every day that representatives have the
opportunity to hear Charles O'Conor, Wm
M. Evarts, Judge Black, Matt. Carpenter, and
other scarcely less distinguished luminaries ON
so momentous subject The Supreme Court
room is crowded to its utmost capacity, many
Influential men and women sue in vain for ad-
mission, while all the doors and corridors are
surrounded and filled by crowd which, if less
respectable, would be called mob. Every
transient visitor to Washington imagnes that
it is the duty of his omnipotent representative
to secure him admission to the Supreme Court
room, while the fact is that the representative
is frequently unable to get in himself The
great interests involved and the intensity of
feeling and excitement on the subject of the
count, finds expression in unreasonable des-
pondency or elation at every slight oscillation
OF the scale which the blind goddess is said to
hold. At present the despondency is with the
Democrats, while the elation is with the Re
publicans. Whatever may be the final result
of the count it is certain that it will decide the
political fortune of others than Tilden and
Hayes.
The Investigations into alleged election
frauds have, to some extent, lost their interest
since it has been decided that the commission
will not 60 behind the returns. Before that de-
cison, they had been prosecuted With great
vIgor by the committee of which Mr.. Knott is
chairman, and it was expected that the testi-
mony of Littlefeld and Maddox would be
brought before the commission but the decis-
ion IN the Florida case, it is conceded, will
cover that of Louisiana also, and there will be
no enquiry except into the right of the Return
ing Board under the laws of that state to
count the electoral vote, and also into the con.
stitution of the Board. The Democrats insist
that the law requires that it shall be composed
of men from both parties The general opin-
ION here is that the Louisiana case will not re-
quire longer time for consideration than has
been given to Florida, and that after next
Thursday the houses in joint session will again
be ready to proceed with the count, without
interruption, until they come to Oregon,
though, in the opinion of many, Mississippi
will be referred to the commission. The Su-
preme Court has been adjourned until the 10Th
inst, and it is expected that, by that time, the
feverish agony will be over and the great ques-
ton irrevocably decided.
As the season of Lent approaches, social
gayety becomes more abandoned and reckless
than ever, and it seems in strange contrast with
the gloom and anxiety which pervades the
country. Masked balls are attended by all
classes. Tie masks are worn until about IL
o'clock at night when the butterfly sheds her
domino, and comes forth resplendent in real
diamonds, and marvellous upholstery. The
domino is the favorte. as it is the most effec.
tive disguise, for either sex, but there is no end
to the Variety beauty or grotesqueness of the
Costumes O.