Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-03-05

A visitor to the United States Senate
Thursday night. witnessed the remarkable
sDectacle ftho transaction of business and
the passage OF bills with only five senators
present.
Connecticut people are frightened about
their new state house. 1t has dome and
lofty tower. and it is found that the base is
not strong enough to bear the great weight
The result is the cracking of the granite
blocks. and the builders are injecting
molten type metal to ''lill vacancies" The
legislature has ordered an investigation of
the matter.
Somebody writes anonymous letters to
Mary Clemmer because she wrote against
Grant, and Mary says he is coward.
She says she is not yet ready to believe
that God has so far forsaken this land rs
10 Give it back to u crowd of Babylonians
who degraded its politics. plundered its
treasury. lowered its whole standard of
living and being for eight long years.
The Springfield Republican says: It has
been industriously telegraphed from
Washington that Senator Conkling, in
Thursdays executive session of the SEN
ate, made General Burnside admit
misiudgment, and apologize for his late
sharp attack on the New York boss. The
story is Il canard The old veteran sticks
to it and knows his ground. lie has all
the soldiers contempt for prevarication.
The new Senate of the United States
which convenes March 4lh will be demo-
cratic by eight majority, counting Davis
of Illinois as an Independent. The new
senators (who are not members of the old
Senate) are Houston Of Alabama, Farley
of California, Call of Florida, Williams OF
Kentucky, Vest of Missouri, Groome of
MARYLAND Vance of North Carolina, Slater
of Oregon, Walker Of Arkansas, Jonas of
Louisiana, Pendleton of Ohio Hampton of
South Carolna,-;l democrats; and Plat
of Connecticut, Logan of Illinois, Hill of
Colorado, Chandler of Michigan, Carpenter
of Wisconsin, republicans. One senator
remains 10 be chosen-from New Hamp
shire-who will be republican.
The Washington correspondent of the
Boston Herald is quite certain that Elihu
B. Washburne of Illinois is the republican
dark horse" for 1880, because he has
elements of political strength not possessed
by any other man in the country, and is
absolutely available. He has been for ten
wears entirely separated from the manage
mept of the party, and he is the only man
of prominence and power in theparty who
does occupy such position. Blaine, Conk,
ling and Sherman are out of the question;
and when Gen. Grant finds that he cannot
command the full strength of the party,
he will have an immense influence to
throw in favor of Washburne, who was
his great friend and patron, during and
after the war. So argues the correspond
ent.
A SECOND REGuLUS.-Rogulus kept his
oath to return to his Carthagenian captors
when the Romans would not accept the
terms he bore, and Charles Harris,
II Georgia darkey under arrest, kept his
word almost as valianny. Harris was
arrested on some charge last spring, bnt
not wishing to leave his family alone and
his farm unworked. he got the jlier to
release him until his trial came off, giving
his word of honor to attend it. The court
met this winter. and Harris started to
return. as he had promised. The floods
had been out, however, and washed away
the boat by which he expected to cross
Flint river. There was no time to make
the circuit to another crossing, and 50,
stripping off his clothes, Hurts swan
through the icy torrent, and pressing on,
stepped into The court room Just rs his
case was called. Fortunately the charge
against the gallant fellow proved false,
and lac was acquitted
The coming steamship is 10 be 1900 feet
long, of spindle or knitting needle shape
propelled by engines of 100000 horse
power acting upon twin screws, capable of
making in all kinds of weather twenty
three miles per hour. 1t is to have II
tower one hundred and fifty feet high for
scientific and stnte.room purposes, NE
state-roums to be fitted with circular balco-
MES besides the usual modern improve
ments. / he length OF the spindle Will
enable it to ride on the tops OF several
waves, thus preventing pitching. A nicely
adjusted weight operating in cylinder
within the tower above mentioned will
prevent rolling. There being no pitch
ing and no rolling. there will be
no set sickness and everybody, that is
every ocean trAvcrsing body will patronize
the spindle line. The vessels of which
any number will be constructed after the
first one has been built, tried and proved
successful, will eclipse all others for speed
and will secure the mails and all perishablc
| r. In, ~, # tlnsn soils
originated with Americans, of the name OF
Winans, the utilizing of it-priniul us 1t Is
to relatc-is left to Russia France, Eng
land and other foreign countries.
Charles S. Bell, Il famous union scout in
the campaigns of Grant and Sherman,
has just died ut the Dayton CO.. soldiers
home. lie was known to enlist in the
rebel army, don the gray uniform, and
serve in the ranks for months at Il time
in order to obtain valuable information
for his chief. In the character of II rebel
scout in 1868, he led Gen. Chalmers, now
in congress from Mississippi, into Gen.
Hurlburt's lines, and in the fight which
cnsucd the rebel general was shot in the
face and bears the scar 10 this day In
1862, while serving in the trans Mississippi
deClartmcnt, Bell conducted II large detach-
ment of the enemy across the river on the
ice, ostensibly to surprise Union camp
but, instead, lead them into IL prepared
ambuscade, where the entire force was
captured. One officer, ut the last moment
suspected the deception, but ere he could
make his suspicious known the scout shot
him down. Bell was taken prisoner in
1868, and his real character discovered;
but while on his way to Richmond, heavily
ironcd, he eaped from the train running
at full speed and made his escape.
The report of the minority of the Teller
investigating committee reviews the te5ti-
mony of ninety-one witnesses in Louisiana
and one hundred and seven in South
Carolina. 1t states that the frauds in
South Carolina were by the use of tissue