Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1877-12-12
From our Regulor Correspondent
Washington Letter.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 10.


Washington Letter.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 10.
The few days remaining before the adj
iournment that has been decided upon.
from the 18th of the present month to the
10th of January, will not be crowded with
legislation of exciting interest. The fight
between Senator Conkling and the admin
istration, about which so much has been
written, was RECOMMENDED early in the
morning of the regular session, and will,
in all probability, attract more attention
than the silver and anti.resumption bills.
How the contest will be decided it is diff
cult to predict, but that it is to be stub
born fight, without compromise on the
part of either Of the high contending par
ties, or arbitration by their mutual friends,
seems now inevitable. But while there
are no exciting debates and no big jobs on
the surface of legislation, it must not be
imagined that the lobby has either gone to
sleep or joined the church; with all its
efforts at concealment head of the Hy-
dra may occasionally be seen. For in
stance, there is quiet effort making, ut
present, by parties pecuniarily interested,
to have bill passed, charging book post
age rates on English and other foreign
works re printed in this country, and re-
Gently sold at miraculously low prices.
The protested object of the parties who are
engineering the bill is to "prevent encAn-
bering the mails" The true inwardness
of the bill is that Harper Bros. and other
colossal publishing monopolies have be-
come alarmed at the increasing popularity
of these cheap publications, by which the
reader is supplied with n book" Daniel
Deronda or David Copperfeld," for
instance-for ten or fifteen cents. IIar-
pers and others have waxed rich by sell
ing the same books at from fifty cents to a
dollar. These old firms now have cubic
yards of publications gathering dust in
their warehouses because they cannot COM
pete with the younger and more enter
prising firms.
have been making q careful study Of
the subject, and will venture to predict
that the day is not far distant when clean
new copy of any of the standard foreign
works of history, poetry or fiction can be
bought for less than one-tifth the price they
are sold for by the old publishing houses
1t will be fatal mistake on the part Of
our legislators to do anything that can re.
tard for day the era of widespread stand
ard literature, when the poor man and his
children can have for five or ten dollars
such library as cannot now be enjoyed!
by any but the rich. 1t is II question il
which the educator and moralst, rs well
as every man, woman and child, is inter
ested; for the introduction of standard
works, at prices less than the cost Of thu
pernicious dime novels, will, in time
drive out the latter through the law of thu
survival of the tittest, which holds no les
in literature then in matter. The man Of
the firm that brings the best thoughts o
the best minds within easy reach OF all i
u benefactor like him who cheapens bread
for "man does not live by bread alone;
and the monopolist who endeavors TO con
troll the food of mental life for his owl
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT should no more be toler
ated than those who speculate on the hun
ger of orphans and widows.
TIE BUSIEST MEMBER OF CONGRESS,
l had an opportunity yesterday to Sc
: the busiest member of Congress at work
: went with friend who was from tn
members state, and who desired to Sc
: him on business; we sent II card to hin
} from the west lobby of the House of Rep
| resentAtives, but General B. f. Butler re
turned an answer that he was too busy t
5 come out, and could be seen ut his otlic
! in the evening at five o'clock.
l AT the appointed time we called at tn
: office, modest little one-story bricl
5 building, quite overshadowed by his ac
5 joining palatial Marblehead granite mar
D sion. There were at least twenty Other
waiting for an interview, but we were 500
= shown into a neat and Systematically al
: ranged office, where the General, assiste
t by two clerks. attends to his multilariou
\ legal and legislative business. Chester
0 field says it is the mark of a petty man t
| be in hurry, since tits an Indication thu
: he has undertaken more than he Ca
a creditabiy accomplish. General ButI'
u did not seem to be at all pressed for time
n and, after a talk of thirty minutes aske
S us to stay longer, Notwithstanding the ia,
: that two members of Congress had sent
= their cards, and were waiting without.
e mention this last incident because thr
e it may be suggestive of the Generals e
:, timation of the comparative Importance
st a member of Congress and constituent
U Yesterday Mrs. Belva Lockwood mac
an argument before the House judicial
Committee, urging legislation to secu
~ her admission TO the bar Of the Supren
" Court, and General Butler will at an ear
y day present bill covering the case. C.