The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1878-06-28
our UasHington Letter.
WASHINGTON, D. c., June "a, 1878.
THE NEW CONGRESS.

The opening of new Congress never
fails to attract great crowds to the CaPltoi'
More especially were the opening OF the
44rh and 45th Congresses witnessed by un-
usually large numbers, gathered from all
sections of this vast country, the crowd be-
J ing no doubt increased on account OF these
being the first Democratic Congresses that
have convened for many years. On the
) 18th of December last, when the 45th Con-
! gress entered on its career, vast indeed was
+ the multitude gathered to witness Its open
ing. At an early hour in the day Penn-
/ sylvania avenue was thronged Win car
riages and pedestrians. Several hours De-
+ fore noon the corridors of the Capital were
thronged with thousands anxious to secure
gallery seats. For hours that vast throng
waited patiently for the opening OF the
doors of the House. For several hours
/ before high noon the House had been oc'
/ cupied by the Republican members gong
through the motions of caucus. and IL
required but short time after they had
/ concluded their programme to fill the ball
of the House with a molly crowd of new
and old members, and to pack the galleries
to overflowing with all classes and condi-
tions of men and women, the women OF
course pTedOminating.
THE CLOSING SCENE.
The first session of the 45th Congress
adjourned sine de at o. clock on the morn
ing of the Goth, after noisy all night ses-
sion. The crowd at the capitol was simply
overwhelming, every available space being
choked with people. The floor of the
House was a scene of indescTibable confu-
sion and disorder. The Speaker was una
BILE to preserve a semblance of ORDER
Members in their zeal 70 pass bills in which
they were interested, forgot entirely the
proprieties of the place. During the en-
tire session the House had its daily scene
of confusion and disorder, but on the last
days of the session the disorder and turmoil
vas 6isgraCeful in the extreme. Members
would shout at each other and a. the chair,
while the members generally kept up
chorus of yells. The sergeant at arms
marched up and down the aisles with his
mace lifted high above his head, some of
the members at the same time ranting in
anger and others roaring in laughter and
ciapping their hands In high glee and with
vim The scene was indescribably dis
graceful, the Speakers Taps and appeals
having no effect on the bowling mob. 1t
was confusion worse than cOnfounded !;
brains were muddled and tongues were
thick, and the atmosphere wild with maud
lin music. In describing it, Dom Piatt
says: ''The scene might be termed a
mental pandemonium, except that such a
Term would preSuppOse brain, aud we
know our Congress too well to attribute to
it such an accomplishment"
THE CROwNING SPECTACLE.
The House perpetrated an inexcusable
! piece of demaEogueism in passing So
| called pension bill, which will take from
/ fifteen to twenty millions of dollars out of
/ the treasury. Only three Northern men,
/ bers voted against the bill, and only three
| Southern members voted for it, and they
/ were the three South Carolina negroes.
! Tho ol tR-aS To tho a CIV
manner in which our able statesmen voted
away the public money in order to bring
/ the session to a close quickly, so they could
/ bury home before some other able states
man could pack the conventions in their
districts against them. The Democrats of
/ the House put the appropriation bills
| through Just as the Republicans desired.
They voted with the Republicans so as to
hurry things through and get home and
look after their nominations There is
nothing so gloTious-indeed it is the crown
ing spectacle Of legislation-to see able
statesmen voting away public money il
| the bulk.
| A VIEW OF THE "CHUNKs OF WISDOM"
To sit in the galleries of the Senate and
| House and look down upon the concentra
ted "chunks of wisdom of the country
one is apt to muse and think of how MANY
of those intellectual giants should have beer
left at home. The thoughts that are
brought to mind while gazing upon thi,
molly assemblage of natural legislators
are wonderful indeed. There are seen mel
from every section of this vast Union. =
They are here from the mining settlement,
of the Pacific slope from the wheat field
of the great west from the Commercial
cities of the east from the regions o
sparkling frost where sleigh bells Jingle
from the sunny lands scented with th,
| from the sugar and cotton fields, and from
the wild, free life of the remote prairi
E. plateaus. Think of several hundred m Ell
of such varied phases of life, of such diver
= SIfieo interests, familiaTly commingling il
legislation. In language they are one ant
the same, and even in dialect thew ar
nearly akin, or at least the difference is les
than is found in the citizens of any othe
5 country in the world. Any where else Al
assemblage from so many parts and so wild
an area would represent Sodom of differ
ent languages, spoken by as many people
having little communion with or knowledg o
> of each other. No other body of legisla
tors in the world can bring to their officia
task the knowledge of so great a variety O
natural and social conditions as-the Ameri
t can Congress.
t THE PERSONAL OF THE 45TH CONGRESS.
9 1t may be said with great truth that tn
s personal of the 45th Congress does no
7 compare favOrably with Congresser of for
mer years. The present Congress presents
large array of lawyers, doctors, merchants
! farmers, mechanics, manufacturers, miners
S soldiers, cattle dealers, horse Jockeys. mul
o drivers, gamblers, and all grades and class
es OF men. 1t is a curious mixture of whit
and black, of old and young. of grave an
II gay, of wisdom and ignorance, of modest
J. and arrogance, of virtue and vice, of pal
f simony and profligacy, of honesty and vi
lainy, of honor and meauneSs, and of mar
{ illness and sycophaucy. The constituepc
. Of large number Of districts througbor
; tie Union have spoiled common place mer
such as wOod-choppers, log rollers, Goa
: beavers, ETC., by electing them as fifth ra,
{ lawmakers. Many of them are rare spe,
e linens of Gods marvellous system of iufic
ing punishment on ignorant and innocer
constituencies. Take for instance the wor
: of the people of a Pennsylvania district. ,
! whose representative the New York Tr
= bURe remarks, ian uncommon good bake
: has been lost in very poor statesman"
= DEMOCRATIC MEMBERS AND THEIR B1r,
/, MERs.
Is There are few indeed of the Pennsvlv;