Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1879-03-28
THE NATIONAL CAPITAL.
The Extra Session OF Congress and
Ihs Prospects Of \ Long One-The
OIIVeF-J,amerOn Case-A New Pict-
uFe OF Ex-PresIdent Grant.

Congress is at it again. Sam. Randall is
once more Speaker and with the promise
Of being such as long as the glorious Dem
.ocratie party holds the reins of power in
the House Though the opposition for
weeks have been concentrating their forces
against him and the cry has been at all
times anything to beat Randall" yet it
was evident TO the outsider that he had
the inside track and would win unless
something wholly unexpected lntervened.
Our letters have so indicated, and the proof
Of the pudding is in the fact that he was
not beaten and sits majestically and Sc
renely in the chair. As chief of organizers
and wire-pullers, defeat to him would nee
essarily be the result of desperate strug-
gle-one which the opposition has clearly
proved itself unable to make-fOr had the
Republicans Joined theil forces with the
blatant Greenbackers, who threatened all
kinds of destructive combinations, he
would still have been elected over all The
fight is over so far as election is concern
ed. But Sam. will incur much displeasure
and provoke many deadly enmities through
his selection of ehairmen for the various
House committees. Only about one in ten
of the members who voted for him can be
a chairman and yet each and every Demo-
crat, particularly each one from the South,
naturally deems himself as Just the man
who should have been selected, hence the
future, as the past, will show Mr.. Randall
that Speaker who does not promote his
whole rank and file, and make up his
whole army of officers, will create heart
burnings which will hereafter come back
TO him to plague and annoy.
At the opening of the session no one
supposed that Congress would drift into
general legislation, yet Nr. Blackburn has
lust assured US that it viii and that the
session promises to be of an indefinite
length as q consequence. II We may judge
the House by what we have seen of its rank
and file, that body will at once enter upon
the creation of volumes of Congressional
Records by the dozen, for we verify believe
that no new set Of members ever came here
half so well supplied with national safety
preservatives in the shape of buncombe
speeches than these agitating themselves IN
the House daily over the knotty problems
put before them by the shrevd Republi-
cans. Hence the idea Of a short session is
preposierous and you may prepare for the
deluge. The old French saw, "After the
deluge, what?" repeats itself in the House
for the Democracy are no longer the ''un-
LeIIluEu, uESIlbulc u AChuCLoulP Will q
majority so small as to require most care
full husbandry of forces in every exigency
and with the opposition led by Garfield,
whose lieutenants Conger and Frye are in
vulnerable in fight, the proceedings, as
constructed by Mr.. McMahJn in the case
of Mr.. Butterworth, of Ohio, showed indis-
putably that the Democrats are without a
leader. a mere mob which can succeed only
~ nd fhof fbnU
act on every point with fear and trembling.
So in the Senate, Mr.. Edmund's resolution
condemnatory of general legislation and
the united front presented by him and Mr..
Blaine has changed the whole congression-
al aspect and made the Democrats as timid
as hares. If the exhibitions Of weakness
were ever apparent in men they are to be
seen in the Senate and House. Every
thing shows that the Democrats realize
their inferiority in leadership and in
strength of case.
The filthiest case ever appearing in our
courts is now being tried and it is docketed
as Oliver VS.. Cameron. On its face it ap-
pears that the widow Oliver is sueing ex-
Senator Simon Cameron for breach of
promise to marry, but in fact it is woman
of perhaps several husbands and lovers
without number, against Senator who
was besought to obtain an Office by one Of
the thousands who are always here seeking
position and endeavoring to involve offie-
ials in all manner Of intrigue. Her ad-
missions as to liasons with scores Of men
and her actions generally, the appearance
of her husband from whom she has never
had a divorce, and the general nasty de-
velopments of the cross examination tC
which she has been subjected by the de-
fendant's attorney, Ben. Butler, give a
hideousness to the whole matter that
arouses a wish that such infamous proceed
ings could be hid from publicity. Yet it is
ali conducted before q crowded court room.
1e.d1 6,er, as our people have curiosity
wbiob ohtains eveTvvhere when q scandal