The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1879-03-13
Washington Letter.
From our regular correspondent

larger crowds than usually interest
themselves in the winding up. In
fact both day and night sessions for the
last three days have had packed
galleries and Tuesday morning when
the last hour approached there was
not standing room anywhere within
sight or hearing. The Democrats seem
to have astonished themselves by the
pluck displayed in the determination
to force repeal of the supervisors law,
and they have thereby carried their
point to the extent of securing an
extra session, with a majority in both
houses. 1t was generally believed that
they would weaken at the last moment
and accept compromise, the Senate
having offered to repeal the test oath
and omit the posse con,iatnus clause
of the Army bill if the supervisors law
was permitted to stand. But the
latter is what the Democrats were
chiefly fighting against, and they
stood firm. Mr.. Springer was obliged
to abandon his committees proposed
impeachment of Minister Seward,
because the Republicans proposed to
filabuster the session out in his defense.
But it does really seem, from the
evidence, and from his refusal to
produce the books upon the ground
that they might criminate him, that
Seward must have deserved what he
just missed getting.
The scenes at the last night session
were interesting, but very different
from what was witnessed last June,
when the last night especially in the
Senate, was but narrowly removed
from a drunken carousal. Perhaps
the memorable notoriety that occasion
received served as warning. In the
house, notwithstanding the partisan
feeling which pervaded both sides,
there was a remarkable absence of
personal animosity, on the part of
members toward their political oppon-
ents. Conger, of Michigan, was the
most active and irritating of theantag-
onists, against whose attacks the DEM
ocrats were all the time called upon
to defend themselves. But he and
Springer, of Illinois, whom he seemed
specially intent on annoying, were,
whenever they met in the isle, or when
they acted as tellers together, in as
amicable and pleasant mood as if no
singing sarcasms ever passed between
then. 1t was the same with Atkins
and Foster, with Southard and Gar
field, and with all the other mutually
hostile elements. On one occasion,
when Springer tried to get in some re-
marks out of order, Gen. Butler
planted himself squarely in front of
him, and discharged a vOlley of II
each louder and more
emphatic than the one before and he
kept at it until he carried his point.
And as he walked over to his desk
again he gave, as a reason for his de-
monstration, that he was not going
to listen to abuse of q friend of his.
There was less of tumult and uproar
than at most any other last night of
Congress, and there was not the least
sign of that hilariousness which has
sometimes characterized such night
sessions. The attendance of members
all through the twenty-five
hours of the sitting was quite
large, and when the vote indicated the
absence of quorum it was generally
because members refrained from
voting. Some of the Oldest members,
Gen. Butler, and Messrs,
Patterson and Townsend of New York,
were among those who showed the
least signs of fatigue, and after the
brief recess Of one and three-fourths
hours they were the earliest in atten-
dance. The Speaker was seldom out
of his chair, and he steered the House
through the sudden storms and quick
sands of parliamentary navigation with
great skill, tact, moderation and i'm
partiality.
The extra session of the Forty-sixth
Congress, already called to convene
March ls, will very likely last until
June. There will be lively contest
among the Democrats over the organi-
cation of the two houses. The only
necessary appropriation that failed to
pass the now defunct Congress was
that providing for the legislative, ex-
and judicial expenses of the
government. The proposition of the
Senate to appropriate $3.50, 900 to build
, national museum on the Smithsonian
grounds to receive the present col
lection of Centennial exhibits, donated
by foreign powers, and the constant
additions from all parts of the world
that remain in unopened boxes, was
reeeded from. Something like this
ought to be done, however, and some
of these days, when all our people
dnr for -
position may pass. The failure of the
the House surprised nobody acqaainted
with the situation. Lots of people
don't agree with Blaine and q few
others that such scheme would make
the country rich from trade with
Brazil, though nearly everybody can
see how it would have been good
thing for John Roach and his partners.
Taking all things into consideration,
the lobby has not Jared particularly
well at the hands of the retiring Con-
gress.
1 have not heretofore felt inclined to
criticise the action of executive officers.
But the Commissioner of Pensions has
recently been guilty of so gross an
outrage upon right and decency, that
S'ihoe iSiioih iiohi paying MN
some deserved attention. He has
been urging upon Congress, with all
his strength radical change of the
pension laws, by which he proposes to
do away with the present examin-
ing surgeons and mode of proving
up a pension claim, by dividing the
whole United States into districts, and
assigning. to each one a surgeon and
clerk, before whom all claimants for
pension must appear with their