The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1878-03-22
WASHINGTON.

Mr.. Blaine heart from again ana
dgdin-An interesting Exposure o.
the Schemes Of some Ante- Betlum mai
ContTact0rs-G Gossip about anderson
" ellis, and the Returning Board Par
donS.- What the Rumo,'S ofa Reura
ofHe Presidential Question amount
to.-A Majority Of Republicans in
both Houses in Fdror Of uaseatine
| Hdyes,-etc.
g WASHINGTON, March 10, 1873.
Since Congress has completed the dry
and heavy legislation, 1t has returned tc
Its pristine liveliness. Mr.. Blaine has
been giving assurance of the old vital
ity, by his attack OH the fisheries award
his denunciation of the report of the
secretary of the Interior in relation tc
depredations on government timber
by his vigorous defence of those whom
it Is said have been stealing the govern
ment timber; and by his effort to SC
amend the Military Academy bill that
the descendants of officers of the y. s.
Army only shall receive appointment
to the cadet corps by the president. In
the House there has been an interesting
exposure by Mr.. Willetts, of Michigan,
of scheme of Southern mail contractors
to be paid twice for ante-bellum mail
service-once by the Confederate gov
ment, and now again by the United
States. Mr.. Reagan, of Texas, who was
the Confederate postmaster general, al
legged that the Confederate government
had made no such payments; but Mr.
Willetts proved from the Confederate
archives in the War Department, that
the payments had been made, and sub
sequent examination has fixed beyond
question the identity of many Of the
present claimants with those who have
been previously paid by the Confeder-
acy.
Ten days ago the pardon ofAnderson
was confidently anticipated here, and
Southern members say his pardon
would have been granted if any reliable
assurance had been given that he would
be removed from office as deputy col
lector of the port of New Orleans.
There was much fear at the South that
the prosecutions of the Returning
Board would "fre the Northern heart,D
and the apprehension was SO strong at
one time that the state authorities of
Louisiana would have been glad to have
gotten rid of its menageric of elephants
at any sacrifice, short of retaining them
as public functionaries. Southern men
say that Wells and Anderson would not
have been brought to trial at all but foi
the provocation committed by the adj
mission of Kellogg to seat in the T..
5. Senate. They insist that this was
the first infraction of the compromise
entered into with the presidents special
commissioners last spring. There is
much gossip and wrangIing in the mat
ter of the Returning Board trial, and an
increasing undercurrent of rumor that
the question of the disputed presidency
is to be re-opened. 1t is impossible, of
course, to predict the surprises of the
future, but, taking into consideration
the recent utteranccs of public men
whose voices and votes would be influ-
entail in such an emergency, and es-
pecially that of Mr.. Hewitt, the sup
posed keeper of the conscience of Mr..
Tilden, no political event is more i'm
probable than reopening of the prcsi-
dental question. Propositions for a
revival of the controversy have never
found favor with a large majority of
Southern Democrats, many Of whom
have been placated with little of that
patronage for which they have SO long
hungered and thirstod. They would
resist any movement TO unseat Mr..
Hayes by every means in their power.
But it Is certain that very strong Re-
publican element would rejoice to see
him unseated. The dissatisfaction of
tho party with his administration is SO
intense that there is not the least doubt
that majority of Republicans in both
houses of Congress would prefer Tilden
to Hayes to-day, and would rejoice at
any miracle that could produce the
change without compromising their
jewel of consistency.
Failure to get control of the Offices is
among congressman, but ii is not the
whole of 1t. The presidents distribu-
ton of offices is considered 10 better
basis for civil service reform, than dis
tribution by members of congress, and
it is very pertinently urged that 1t will
be much less likely to strengthen the
party. 1t is charged that the president
has not only broken up venerable sys-
tenn of distributing appointments, but
that he he has substituted nothing in its
place, and in this way done much to
weaken his party. The president, it is
said, does not see the force of this OBJ
lection, but there are those in his cab-
net who do see it, and who are con-
WINGED that the present antagonism be-
tween the administration and the Re
publican party cannot continue for three
years longer without producing a col
lision of violence sufficient to disturb
the peace that reigns between the pres
ident and himself What the denoue-
ment will be 10 one can tell. 1t Is too
late for Mr.. Hayes to return to the
"good old system" of assessing office
holders for election purposes, and divid-
Ing spells among members of Congress.
The average Congressman, no doubt,
longs to be placated in this way; but
80 many promises have been made to
institute thorough, radical and complete
reform, that no president or party
could Withstand the opprobrium ola re-
treat now.
ST. NICHOLAS FOR APRII.-The sto-