Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1878-12-02
LETTER FROM WASHINGTON.
EsPEcIAL CORRESPONDENCE OF THE MONITOR
WASHINGTON, Nov. 26, 1873.


Preliminary meetings of several of
the Congressional Committees have al
ready been held to get the particular
work with which they are charged we'll
in hand, in anticipation Of the reassem-
bling of the National Legislature next
Monday. The usual lack of interest
was shown by the failure to secure
quorum at several of the meetings In
question. In keeping with Democratic
brag and buster about reform we
We're assured prior to the meeting of the
three last sessions that the appropriation
bills were all to be in shape to be re-
ported before the holidays. But we all
remember that at the last two sessions
some of them were not reported from
the committees until late in the follow
ing spring or even summer. Hence the
repetition Of former boasts excite very
little else but derision and incredulity.
One of the most important matters
that came over from the last session is
the bill in aid of the construction of the
Texas Pacific R. r., by mutual agree
ment in the senate the first Wednesday
of the present session was assigned for
its consideration. The main feature of
the bill is the guarantee of the interest
Of that roads construction bond, at 5.
per cent and among the condition prece-
dent to granting that limited aid are the
following, which seem to amply guard
the government from possible los in
the premises. The road is to surrender
previous land grants, covering more
than 100000 acres of land the abb
solute surrender of the control Of the
road to government, till every claim it
may have against the company shall
have been satisfied, this provision car
rying with it the right of government to
fix the prices for such transportation,
| postal and other service as it may re-
quire. The bill also provides for the
creation of sinking fund to satisfy all
claims the government may have against
the road, and as an additional security
a first mortgage is to be executed in its
favor on the road and all its equipments.
The House bill is very similar only a
little more strict relative to the roads
Eastern connections. The purpose q
Central Pacific monopoly to hold on t.
its present control of all transcontinental
trade has become so apparent that .
steady reaction has been provoked il
favor of the Texas Pacific, extending, i,
is said, to many member of congress
heretofore hostile to it; and this reac.
tionary movement of public sentiment
has received decided impetus from the
publicity given Auditor French's report,
detailing the point blank refusal of M.
Huntlngton's Central Pacific Company
to comply with the laws of Congress.
Most everybody will agree with Mr.
Evarts that the months intervening be-
tween Presidential nominations and the
following November is about all the
time we can proftably devote to The
red-hot work of presidential campaign
Blu: it is noticeable that the present dis
cussion of availability of Gen. Grant a
Republican nominee to succeed Nj
Hayes, has been precipitated by Demo
Gratis. 1t also requires no stretch of th
memory to recall the fact that the YER
men and papers pretending to fire
knowledge of Grants purpose to over
turn our free government and establis
a military despotism, are precisely tn
men and organs that fought hardest an
acclaimed loudest for the destructio
of the Republic and the establishment
on its ruins of an oligarchy founded 0
slavery as its corner stone. We kno
! how Grant gave the lie to all their pr,
, dictions by quietly slipping out of tt
place now occupied by President Haye
! And to their everlasting shame and col
fusion it is known that the men an
papers who have revived the old tall
of Grants intended coup d etat his pu
pose to merge representative governmel
into Caesarism are the ones who ha'
most loudly applauded or most object
j.. apologized for the wretched burlesque {
free suffrage enacted in the South I
= the 9th inst. Nor has it escaped publ
notice that it is these men and orga
who are responsible for the diabolic
murders and terrorism which have cha
= acterized the bloody rule of southe
democracy since it wrested control fro
. the hands of peaceable majority al
! reduced it to a condition infinitely wor
- in many respects, than the legaliz
: slavery existing less than two decad
ago. The re-opening of the illicit d
!. tillers war on revenue officials, sho
what an unsubstantial base southe
"pledges" are upon which to base
! government policy. '.De po' VIII
trash" which contribute most of
"moonshiners" has followed the dist
guished example of the "great and goo
men who pledged it to cheer
:. submission Of the laws as part of
:. programme of their lawless usurpatio
n -