The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1877-10-30
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.

ARLINGTON, -. ", Oct. 24tn, 1871.
No business of importance has as yet
been transacted by Congress at this great
extra session with any results that are
visible. Last Wednesday the House adj
journed till Saturday when few minutes
session was held-just long enough for the
Chaplain to pray briefly, and to adjourn till
Monday. During the last days of the week
Speaker Randall took trip to Philadel-
phia, for what purpose is not known All
this seems like waste of time, but | sup
pose it is not SO. The days have been oc-
cupied in the making up of Committees
which must be done before anything else
could be accomplished. The Senate held
no session on Saturday and Friday, was
deep in the consideration of that tiresome
old Pinchback case. Poor Pinchback ! He
has one strong characteristic at all events,
that of perseverance. For years and years
he has been knocking at the door of the
Senate, without avail, but he will not give
it up. Perhaps he is thinking that although
they will not rise and give him his desire
lOl odhN3 JCb DSCduSb VI HIS
much knocking they will rise and give him.
Mr.. Thurman has expoused Mr.. Eustis' case
against Pinchback, and after speaking at
some length on the question last Friday he
closed by making the motion, since the
whole case had been under consideration
for so many years and was SO thoroughly
understood, that it be voted on and settled
then and there. But in very unexpected
manner this was stopped by Senator Davis
who rose and calmly stated that he, not
having been in the Senate before was en-
tirely ignorant of the details of the case,
and could not possibly vote upon it with
propriety at present So it had to go over
and Pnchbaclz's case" still exists.
Mr. Blaine received a telegram Satur-
day, stating that his daughter Alice had
been shot by the premature explosion of
toy pistol. He made preparations for an
immediate trip to Maine, but was taken
with severe chill, just before time for the
train to leave, and his physician forbade
his leaving before Monday or to-day. Mr..
Blaine is said to be still ambitious for the
Presidency, but even his friends are not
over sanguine of his success in that drec-
tion. He grows old. His faces shows the
warfares he has been through. He is
growing corpuent and now he has those
same swollen circles under and over his
eyes that Sumner had during the latter
part of his life. His hair is very gray and
his whole face and person have aged at
least twenty years in the last ten. Conk-
ling is still bright and shining Senatorial
light but his glory, physically speaking is
also on the wane. His top-knot of silvery
gold doesn't curl as high and is somewhat
thinned out in the last year or two and
the wrinkles in his handsome face have
pcrceptibly deepened. And yet, he is called
by far the handsomest man in the Senate.
Spencer has q general "slicked up'' ap-
pearance this session. Evidently his wife
has had her dainty hands in his hair for it
no longer lies flat to his head as formerly.
Now it is brushed up and out at the sides,
and even curled into crest on the top, al
most riyaling the style Of Conkling. He
receives his congratulations appreciatively,
and has at once entered upon his own
special business. Conlsling is said to be
his legal adviser.
Stanley Matthews wears gold-bowed
glasses and looks like Brigham Young. He
occupies his new seat with dignity, and
with as apparent comfort as if the rival
images of Ewing and Pendleton did not
loom before him.
Senator Hamlin, old and bent, but clear