The south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1879-1883, 1879-05-06
WASHINGTON.
wAsHrsaros, D. G., April sOa,.

The amount Of talk INDUCED 10
over the army bill in House and Sem
ate is something really enormous, as
any one will be prepared to certify
who has seen the Congressional Rec
ord every day for thrse weeks past.
Streams of cloquence and rhetoric OF
every degree and quality have flown
as freely as the waters of a great
food; but to the patient listner and
reader, who fnew long ago how eve
ry vote would be cast, the thing has
grown monotonous. 1t was BROTH
er of that eminent Jurist in the Senate
from Vermont, who, sitting as judgc
in a case afflicted with long-winded
counsel, rose and said "Whcn you
gentlemen get through with your
speeches, you viii! find my decision
| in this drawer. The court ia going
to dinner" The closing aspect OF
this discussion in the Senate reminds
one of this anecdote. The speeches
may be ever so good, and many are
exceedingly able; but when they 90
over the precise ground no exhaus-
lively canvnssed Ia the House, 1t Ia
hard 10 avoid tho conviction that IL
would be just as well TO cut it short.
Judge Davis came nearer reviving
the interest of daily listeners than any
other Senator this week. His short
speech was surprise to the Repnbli-
cans, who had been led to believe that
he would occupy half way ground
and advocate scompromise. Instead
Of that, he went as far as any Demo-
crat in insisting that the Objectionable
clause should te repealed, and In rid
iculing the absurd cry of revolution.
Mr.. Blaine, apparently anticipating at
least crnmb of comfort from the
Judge, took his scat Immediately In
front OF the latter, and looked right
IN into his face. When in the course
OF his speech. after having condemned
sectional strife, Judge Davis said that
between the sections, and that none
bnt those who Put party above pa
triotism, and who were seeking to do
harm, opened up the past, he stopped
for an instant and looked equarely
and very suggostively down Into Mr..
Blaine's face.
| Probably no man living has bet
ter warrant to speak for Abraham
Lincoln then Judge Davis, and there
is not particle Of doubt that the dec
laration made by him that II Mr..
Lincoln were alive, he would heartily
favor the repeal Of auch war meas
ures as authorized the iaterference
of the army, or any other Federal a'-
thority, with elections. 10 absolutely
true. The ran.ing OF Black Jack
Logan In taking exceptions TO what
he said, annoyed Judge Davis very
, much, and he made no effort to con-
ccal II. lie tried to avoid any dis
cussion with Logan, and even went
30 far as to ignore him for time. but
the latter made himselfso obnoxious
that the Judge was obliged to shut
him up. lie objected 10 Mr.. Davis
assertion that there was peace in all
, the land, and that the laws were obey.
D ed alike North and South. To con-
trovert this he read from the last re-
port of the Revenue Commissioner
figures showing that thousand or
so more arrests for revenue frauds
were made last year in the South
: than in the North. Judge Davis re-
piled that that was no indication of
iawless spirit, us the entire South
, was not responsible for violations OF
, law committed in the mountains OF
: one or two States. Logan persisted.
d and finally the Judge tartly replied
that he knew there were numerous
|, violations Of the revenue laws In
Illinois, and all over the North, where
Illicit distilling and smuggling was
going on all the time. He had no
doubt the revenue officials were mnch
more energetic in hunting out frauds
in tho South. John A. Logan ought
to bc the last man TO talk about vio-
iations Of the internal revenue laws.
lie owes his present position In tho
Senate to the fact that, during Grants
tern, no could jerk whisky thief
$ out from under charge, Indictment
a or sentence. quicker than all the law
n yers In all the States Of the Union.
= lie knows very well, i5o, that tho
Government was defraudcd ont Of
! more money in Illinois during the
: eigh, years Of Grants presidency and
I his Senatorship, than In oil the south
= ern States put together. alija
e All talk ofa short session has van
8 ished, and the flood gates of general
Q legislation were thrown wide open
a last Monday, when nearly fourteen
q hundred bills--1 1856. TO be exact--
were introduced The Republican
y members, who lad made such pre-
|, tense of opposition to general legisla.
: " tion, were as anxious as Democratsto
10 get in measures, and Introduced about
y half Of the total number. Their lead
'e ers, Garfield and Frye, took a willing
d hand in the exercise. and got in billa
i BY the bunch. Mr.. Thomas Turner,
n of Kentucky, was the champion in
"a troducer of the day. Hegot in forty
n five, and didn't seem at all fatigucd
!, Other members put In as many ne 81
!, and 30 apiece. OF the whole number
- Of bills, 750 werc for relief, IN one
y shape or another, either for private
!. individuals, for whole communities.
s or for the DISTRESSED country. Very
few war claims were offered, but, on
the other hand, scycrai propositions
10 cut OFF snch Legislation were pre-.
scnted. About so per cent. of the
bills introduced were before tho las,
Congress. and had either been defeat
y al ~ faftat rf onttnu Tharn q, . 10.