Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1877-02-03
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our regular correspondent.

This has been a good week for the
manufacture of history. The history
has been hastily made, but the general
verdict seems to be that it will do
that the bill will meet the necessities
of the great occasion, and be valuable
in the future as precedent. Some oil
the ablest speeches that have ever
gone upon the Congressional Record
have been made during the last six
days, and the thoughts, the words, yes
even the looks of the men who have
spoken, will in the future be subjects
of comment and controversy. The
opinion is quite common, the cant is
in almost everybody's mouth, that We
have fallen upon degenerate times
that our legislative halls are no longer
filed with statesmen of the splendid
ability of Webster, Clay, Calhoun and
Benton. But there is little reason to
doubt that our children will as Justly
admire such Senators as Conkling
Edmonds, Thurman and Bayard. II
is on occasions like this, when the
country has been rescued from great
peril by the wisdom of men of diverse
political antecedents and feeling, that
the country realizes how great and
precious are her statesmen and patri-
OTIS, and how despica bic and dangerous
are the selfish partisans who have crept
into the places where only statesmen
ought to BE-. Before this reaches you,
you will have received intelligence OF
the signing of the bill by the Presi-
dent and you will perhaps know the
personnel Of the committee, which tits
now believed will be largely made up
of the gentlemen who served on the
joint conference committee.
The greatest speech of the week was
undoubtedly that of Senator Conkling;
for eloquence, research and logic it
has never been excelled by any effort
that has been made in the United
States Senate-not even by himself.
Mr.. Edmonds management Of the bill
cannot be too highly praised. In the
House the speeches Of Watterson,
Hill, and of Townsend, Of New York,
were listened to with an attention sell
dom accorded by that body. The
speech of Mr.. Watterson was remark
able for its calmness and temperance
of expression that of Mr.. Hill for
these qualities coupled with a grace
of rhetoric for which he has no equal.
Mr.. Townsend's speech was remarka-
bic only for its gross humor and VIC
lent vulgarity. The pacific and un-
partisan speeches of Senator elect Hoar
and of Mr. Field, and the spontaneous
applause which followed them, was an
expression of the universal longing of
the national heart for a new and uu-
partisan era of national politics.
While Mr.. Hill, of Georgia, was re-
oeiving the congratulations of his
friends, just after he had concluded
his speech, he was handed a telegram
from Atlanta announcing his election
to the United States Senate. This re-
suit was unexpected, but the country
will not lose by it. Mr.. Hill is less
partisan than Mr. Norwood, and man
of immeasurably superior ability.
In the Senatorial elections thus far
the Democrats have gained. The fol-
lowing retiring Senators will be sue
ceeded by Democrats on the fourth of
March: from Arkansas, Powell Clay
ton, by A. H. Garland from Illinois,
John A. Logan, by David Davis from
Mississippi, James L. Alcorn, by L.
Q. c. Lamar; from New Jersey, F. T.
Frelinghuysen, by John R. McPher-
son from Texas, Morgan c. Hamil-
ton, by Richard Coke Should the two
Senators to be admitted from Louisi-
ana, and the successor of the Senator
Robertson of South Carolina, be Dem
ocrats, the Senate will stand, after
March 18th, thirty-nine Republicans
and thirty-seven Democrats, but should
they be, as is most probable, Republi-
cans, the latter party would have ma
jority of eight; the present Republi-
can majority is seventeen. The polit-
zeal balance in both houses will, during
the next four years, be more nearly
equal than it has been at any time
since the war. This will have an eff
feet to prevent the growing evil of alb
senteeism; it will stimulate mutual
criticism and impose a wholesome
check on partisan legislation.
Jan. q, u. G.