The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1879-05-01
Washington Letter.

Washington Letter.
WASHINGTON. d. c., April 26, 1879.
The amount OF talk that has been
indulged in; over the army bill in
House and Senate is Something really
enormous, as any one will be prepared
to certify who has seen the Congress-
ional Record every day for three weeks
past. Streams of eloquence and rhet-
Oric of every degree and quality have
flown as freely as the waters of great
flood but to the patient listener or
reader, who knew long ago how every
| vote would be cast, the thing has grown
monotonous.., 1t was q. brother of that
eminent jurist in the Senate from
| Vermont, who, sitting as judge in a
case afflicted with .long-winded coun-
sci, rose and said: I" When you gen.
tlemen get through with your speech
es you will find my decision in this
drawer. The Court is going to dinner" J"
The closing aspect of this discussion in
the Senate reminds one of this anec-
dote. The speeches may be ever SO
good, and many are exceedingly able;
but when they go over the precise
| ground SO exhaustively canvassed in
the House, it 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 a surprise to the
Republicans, who had been led to be-
lieve,! that he would occupy halfway
ground and. advocate "A compromise.
Instead of that, he went rs far as any
Democrat in insisting that the objec-
tionable clause should be repealed, and
in ridiculing the absurd cry of reyOlu-
ton. Mr.. Blaine, apparently antici-
pating at least crumb of comfort
from the Judge, took his seat immedi-
ateIy in front Of the latter, and looked
right up into his face. When, in the
course of his speech, after having con-
demned sectional strife, Judge Davis
said that sound policy dictated peace
and good will between the sections,
and that none butethose who put party
above patriotisnl, and were seeking to
do harm, opened; up the past, he stop
ped for q moment and looked squarely
and very suggestively. down into Mr..
Blaine's face: s.e-i alyls
Probably no man living has better
warrant to speak for Abraham Lincoln
than Judge Davis, and there is not q
particle of doubt that the declaration
made by him that, if Mr.. Lincoln
were alive, he would heartily favor the
repeal of such war measures as author
ized the interference of the army, or
any other Federal authority, with
electiona, is absolutely true. The rant
ing of Black Jack Logan in taking
exceptions TO what he said, annoyed
Judge Davis very much, and he made
no effort to conceal it. He tried to
avoid any discussion with Logan, and
even went SO far as to ignore him tor
time, but the latter made himself SO
obnoxious that the Judge was obliged
to shut him up. He objected to Mr..
Davis assertion that there was peace
in all the land, and that the laws were
obeyed alike North and South: To con-
trovert this he read from the last re-
port Of the Revenue Commissioner
figures to show that a thousand or 80
more arrests for revenue frauds were
made last year in the South than in
the North. Judge Davis replied that
that was no indication of lawless
spirit, as the entire South was not re-
sponsible for violations of law commit.
ted in the mountains of one or two
States. Logan persisted, 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 much more energetic in hunting
out frauds in the South. John A Lo-
gan ought to be the last man to talk
about violations Of the internal reve-
nue. laws. He owes his present posi-
ton in the Senate to the fact that, dur
ing Grants term, he could jerk a
whisky thief out from under a. charge,
Indictment or sentence, quicker than
all the lawyers in all the States of the
Union. He knows very well, too, that
the Government was defrauded out of
more money in Illinois during the
eight years of Grants presidency and
HIS senatorship, than in all the South
ern States put together.
All talk of short session has van
ished, aud the fOod-gates of genera
Iegislation were thrown wide open last
Monday, when nearly fourteen hun
dred bills-I 1856, to be exact-were in
troduced. The Republican members,
who had made such a pretense of Op-
position to general legislation, were as
anxious as Democrats to get in meas
ures, and introduced about half of the
total number. Their leaders, Garfield
and Frye, took q willing hand in the
exercise, and got in bills by the bunch.
Mr.. Thomas Turner, of Kentucky, was
the champion introducer of the day.
He got in forty-fve, and didn't seem
at all fatigued. Other members put in
as many as 25 and 80 apiece. or the
whole number of bills, $50 were for re-
lief, in one shape or another, either for
private Individuals, for whole COM
munitics, or for the distressed country.
Very few war claims were offered, but
on the other hand, several propositions
to cut off such legislation were pre-
sented. About 80 per cent. of the bills
introduced were before the last Con-
gress, and had either been defeated or
failed of action. There were 175 finan-
cial measures in the number, and about
25 or 80 proposing changes in the rev.
enue laws, especially as they relate to