The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1879-04-24
Washington Letter.
From our regular Correspondent


House occupied on the army bill, and
the discussion is quite as vigorous.
Senators Logan and Blaine were ex-
tremely free in their charges of at
! tempted revolution 10y the democrats,
while Senators Withers and Beck
repclled i'm equally strong terms, all
imputations of the kind. Mr.. Beck
astonishes us with the statement, in
the midst of his Speech that he desired
the Senate to adjourn until the next
day, in order. to collect his thoughts,
and be able thereby to condense and
his remarks. Daniel Webster once
apologized to the Supreme Court for
having prolonged his argument, as
signing as the cause that he was COM
PEELED to speak without proper prcpa-
ration. The force of such statement
can be appreciated in connection with
u legal argument before the highest of
our courts. But when IL Senator re-
peats it while making a buncomb
speech, it seems more than passing
strange. Empty benches tolerate long
speeches in either legislative body, and
apologies for rambling remarks seem
necessary. Mr.. Beck is vigorous de-
batter but lacks the polish of Mr.. Bay
ard and incisveness of Mr.. Blaine.
:, Monday was to be the grand bill
day in the house, and no doubt each
member had at least twelve bills in
his pocket to Offer. But Mr.. Conger
checked that move with II point of
order, and, to the infinite disgust of
the members, they could not get one
introduced, savein the ecircumbendibus
manner suggested by Mr.. Stephens, of
petition. Like Pandora's box, the evil
is most mischievous, for the flood
of bills seems greater than if the
stream had been allowed to take its
own course. The Greenbackers are
happy, for their various measures can
be spread upon the records of the
Finance Committee, and can be re-
ported any day the members are found
lacking in speech-making material
Whether any of these will assume
definite form depends upon the will of
the minority, for it possesses much the
same power now that it had two years
ago, when Mr.. Conger smashed Mr.
Ewing's anti-resumption bill, which
was so proudly reported to the House
by him, with the refusal to permit the
oppositiolIto amend in any particular
Faster Sunday came brightly and
pleasantly to us, giving US every indi-
cation that spring, with her violets
winters breath would cease to chill
until many months hence. Our
churches celebrated the glad day with
choicest music and costiest floral dec
orations. We attended st. AuguStiue's
the colored Catholic church, to hear
its choir celebrate the various masses,
and were most agreeably surprised
to realize that the reputation of
the singers was well deserving,
for we doubt if any choir in the
city eXcels this one in real artistic
merit and execution. But, rs usual
where the colorod race is concerned,
whatever superiority is found seems to
be IN the mulatto, and due to the infu-
sion of the white blood. Here in this
performers, all of which We're abore
half blools, and Just as among our
colored citizens, whose talents and
force of character have elevated them
above the common herd, with rarest
exceptions indeed, the impress of
white blood Enthusiastically appears.
Is the future advancement in excel
lence and greatness of the colored race
to depend alone on the admiXture of
Caucasian strength and vigor? is IL
query which has now but an affirma-
tive answer in Washington, for all
that are making their mark here by
their brains, or with such special fac
ulties as their voices in st. Augustine's
choir, are most largely endowed with
mixed blood. Our Fred. Douglass is
the son of Il Maryland Senator by n
mulattO mother, and John NJ. Lang
stOn, whose eloquence obtained him
the mission to Hayti, is IS white.
From the barber pole upward superior
skill, success, and advancement shows
itself in the mixed blood.
Our courts are still busted with the
many criminal cases which have been
burdening the criminal docket. Some
half Il dozen persons, charged with
murder, were acquitted or given short
sentences of imprisonment, but col
Ored woman named Julia Wallace,
who murdered her infant child, was
sentenced to be hung in June next.
The jury, however recommended her
to clemency, which doubtless will be
exercised by the President, inasmuch
as she is hardly possessed of reason
sufficient to make her responsible
being. The pardon of OBrien, who
was guilty of one of the most cold
blooded murders ever committed in
the District, first by General Grant,
the sentence of death to
life Imprisonment, and next by Mr..
Hayes liberating him, sets a precedent
of clemency that should forever put
stop to hanging here, particularly so of