, 1877-01-06
OUR wAsnImcrom LETTER.

| SOMETHING ABOUT THE CONSERVATIVE
| INFLUENCE OF 15-NcH SHE'LL =
| ADJOURNMENT TALK - how COUNTER
FEIr PLATES AND MONEY ARE DISPOSED
OF - CREMATION Va. MACERArIoN =
WHOLESALE DISCHARGE OF GOVERN
| MENT EMPLOYEEs---ETC,.k kTC.
WASHINGTON. D. c., Dec. 20. 1876.
Snow. of the real good old-fashioned
kind. which by an association of ideas
involuntarily calls to mind sleigh-bells.
buffaloes, fur collars, fnot to speak of
bright eyes and bright red cheeks). and
all that sort of thing.is SO rare in Wash
ington. even in midwinter, a. to amount
to curiosity almost. 1t is true that
We often have a thin sprinkling of it,
temporarily whitening the streets and
housetops; but it invariably melts under
the genial influence of the sun within
few hours. leaving our broad thorough
fares in sloppy and slushy condition
that is equally inimical to sleighing and
warm feet. This time, however, old
Father Winter has given US a genuine
toucn of the north pole, and the smooth
and whitened surface of Pennsylvania
Avenue, with its hundreds of sleighs,
skipping in and out among each other
on their way to the Capitol without re-
gard to race, color or Il was going to
say previous condition of servitude'')
anything else. is joyous and exhila-
rating sight, worthy of the frozen Nova!
The fall of snow may have had the
effect of cooling off the hot heads in
Congress, for it is notable that the ex-
citement and acrimony in debate, which
characterized the first week or two after
assembling. has materially subsidized.
The leading southern Democrats notably
preserve calm and dignifed repose,
and evidently do not want any war.
1t was only the other day that Senator
Gordon, of Georgia. in the caucus of
Democratic senators, gave Inference to
the following words, which are we'll
worth recording and now appear in
PRINT for the first time, and that "unbe-
knowust" TO the Senator himself. ''Gen
tlemen," said he, earnestly addressing
his colleagues, who had gathered in a
knot around him, ''have you ever ex-
perienced the conservative influence
of fitteen-inch shell in process OF
combustion; IN process of combustion,
with the prospect of its Immediately
dropping into your household ? 1t has
highly conservative influence, and
we down South know what it is. We've
had enough of it. Now, if you want to
fight, try it; this time neil stay at
home, and make the money"
As the holidays approach, debates on
the adjournment question grow more
frequent. Heretofore it has been GUS
tomary for both Houses to adjourn over
from day or two before Christmas till
about week after New Year s; but this
time, in view of the existing complicated
state Of affairs politically, there will be
no regular holiday recess. In all prob.
ability the House will adjourn on FRI
day (day after Tomorrow till Wednes-
day, the 9Th; if no business of extraor-
binary importance compels it to remain
in session.. it will then, most likely, i'm.
mediately adjourn again till the Satur-
day following, when it will adjourn till
tie first Wednesday in January. 1t is
probable that this programme will be
adopted in the House to-day. and that
the Senate will do likewise.
Last Monday was the occasion of an
interesting event. something in the ma
ture of a cremation, and something in
the nature of maceration. During the
past ten years all the steel and copper
plates. transfer-rolls, dies and other
paraphernalia. captured from counter
feiters of bank notes, legal tenders. and
gold. silver, and nickel coin, by the Off
GERS OF the Secret Service of the Treas
ury Department, several hundreds in
number. were cremated. Or, to speak
more correctly, melted. in the furnaces
at the navy yard. At the same time,
nearly a million dollars worth of cnun-
terfeit bills, ranging from tweuty-five-
cent fractional currency to hundred
dollar bills were macerated or reduced
to pulp'by the sixty horsepower engine
recently provided at the treasury for
that purpose. Formerly all captured
counterfeit money, as we'll as all re-
deemed notes were destroyed by fire in
a large furnace located in the basement
of the treasury building; but this pro-
cess gave rise to very unpleasant odors
permeating the entire building and the
vicinity thereof during the combustion
of the filthy and greasy payer money;
and the macerating process, which is
odorless, was substituted, and works
like a charm. Aristocratic five hun
dred and thousand dollar bills go
through the hopper into the resolving
trough or cylinder in company with