Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-06-18
From Our Regular Correspondent. ]
Washington Letter.

| WASHINGTON, ID. C.i June IL, 1913.
The extra session of congress is rapidly
approaching the final scene of the last act.
The drdmatiS person q have passed before
the country and posterity for few brief
months. They have recited their words
with serio-comical effect and defect. On
the 18th of June they will go home for a
summer vacation.
We have too many orators in congress
and for some reason, or want of reason,
they spend too much time in vindication
There is hardly day that some senator
or member is not in n vertical position be-
fore tho country making what is called i
personal explanation, or vindicating him.
self or his party from base aspersions
lies, ETC., that some other honorable sena-
tor has foisted upon the public and history
Yesterday Senator Hill defended himself
from covert and maligu attack upon
his record of fifteen years ago; and Sena-
tor Morrill, was also up to vindcate the
republican party. Our school books tell
US that our system of government was
originally composed of legislative, execu-
tive and judicial branches. But the great
progress that we have made in the last
hundred years seems to demand another
great governmental nccessity,-a branch
for vindication and vituperation. For
certainly this work is becoming a little toe
heavy for the Legislative branch. If all
the vindicaton and vituperation of con-
gress could be turned over to such CO.
ordinate branch of the government as
have suggested, which might be composed
of ill-tempered old women, there would
be great saving Of time and treasure, a
great embarrassment of legislative bust
ness, and an improvement of fraternal
feeling. Who really cares for Senator
Hills record in the confederate Senate,
whether assailed by Senator Blaine or
indicated by himself? What has this to
do with public supplies and systems of
public policy? And why must Senator
Morrill, vindicate the republican party 4?
There is its record, the world knows it by
heart. All parties are good enough in
their individual components. Villainy
and inconsistency is not SO much the fault
of party rs of the human nature that
is mixed up in it. Why will we blind
ourselves with cant and grand prejudices
and dance in professions headed by dem
agogues? 1t is not my intention to be
personal, but rather universal, for the evil
is everywhere. Parties as seen in theil
representatives are not phalanxes of prin-
ciples, but rabbles Of plumber and strife.
Next week congress will pull out from
the capital, and political astronomers and
microscopes will turn their glasses upon
Ohio, where the preliminary skirmishes Of
a national contest have begun. Pardon
the metaphor ab aStra al Thurman md
Sherman, or, is it Grant, sailing up from
the UNDERWORLD Many astute politicians
(the many are always astute) think that it
will be Sherman instead of Grant, but
those who stake their money on popular
opinion, twisted out of all recognition by
wire workers and political machnists, are
not ready to "put up" on either. Maine
and New York have favori:e sons who
will be heard from in the next nominating
convention.
Perhaps no one rejoices more at the ap.
preach of the end of the congressional
session than the newspaper correspondent
Never before has he found the work OIL
making bricks with straw alone so labori-
GUS as during this extra session of eau
cuses and vetoes. lie had exhausted Iii
repertoire of anecdotes, about tho naive
and interesting personality of brilliant ru
raj lawyers, doctors, farmers, etc, etc.
who compose our national Legislative gal
axy, during the regular session, and i
this extra, extraordinary session had con
tinued longer he would not have been able
to send you any more news than your cor
respondent sends you herewith. G.