Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1879-03-26
Washington Letter,
nashAgloar d, O., MareA, ~, 1870,
Irrom our regular eOnsspondsnl.

Now that Congress 10 organized iof lhe
extra session, II Is clear that there has
been some disappointment among the Re-
publleans Al The turn things have taken
with reference 70 the organization OF the
House Of Representatives, When the
extra session became inevitable there was
q hasty putting together Of heads among
the radical leaders ~ accord with the Al
ministratiOn, and the conclusion reached
that IL the new Congress was assembled
on short notice II would catch the Demo'
Gratis At q disadvantage, There we're Tour
Or five sick Democrats, ana Mr., Whitaker,
Of Oregon, II was thought, would not be
able 10 get there by the 18th, the day
liked upon, This, with the active co.
operation Of q few Republican Greenback'
ers, was expected TO give the Democrats
trouble, hut "the best laid plans ofmiee
aud men gang an aglee," Mr, Whitaker
chartered q special train from San Fran
cisco to Omaha, making q remarkably
quick trip, ana arrived just In time while
the sick ores hastened 10 get well IN q
manner that must have made Garfield aud
Rutherford very unhappy,
The Greehbaekers are, think, some
what disappointed also, Unless their
leaders here were playing desperate
gume Of blum they must really have ex'
pected 10 hold the balance OF power, and
that they would DO able 10 name the
Speaker The twenty odd votes they
counted upon, However, dropped down 10
thirteen, ana lclt the Democrats IN q clear
majority Over all, II Is safe To assume
now that, with u few exceptions, the
Grecnback members will hnd that they
can best serve the people by casting their
votes with the Democrats, IL Is here
only that they will find an opportunity to
vote successfully for measures Of eeono'
my, anti.subsldy, and Of relief from the
burdens that now Cypress tue land II
the people are TO obtrIn relief within the
next two years II must come through TIC
Democratic party, There are evidences
that the wise ones among the Grcenback
leaders begin TO appreciate this, and, Sc
far as their action In Congress Is con
ccrncd, at least l do not think they Will
throw away their votes, though among
them arc men whose object Is to aid the
Republican party by drawing on Dcmu'
Gratis into outside movements,
Speaker Randall had a hard contest for
his reelection and that he succeeded in
retaining Ills hold upon the gavel is large
~ due to Il combination Of circumstances
lie is an admirable presiding officer, com
binlng remarkable fairness with great
skill and ability. But in the organization
Of the committees, after his former cleo
ton, he Is thought to have made some
grave mistakes In retiring to the rear men
who should have been placed ut the front
1t Is not believed that he will repeat this
error. Mr.. Randall was said to be the
Tildcn candidate and the hard money
candidate; but, In my opinion, neither OF
these things entered into the contest
Certainly financial questions had nothing
to do with It, The issues were Randall
and anti.Randall, to which was added the
question whether the party wanted to
elect an confederate to so high an Of
Acc. This was negatived by the ex-Con-
federates themselves, most of whom vo-
ted for northern man. The manly and
magnanimous course of Mr.. Blackburn,
after his defeat, has elevated him still
higher than ever in the esteem Of all
Democrats. His speech to the caucus
was an exceedingly neat affair, and when
he cast his vote for Mr.. Randall the mex,
day, rounds Of applause greeted him from
both sides of the House. His desk was
loaded with floral tributes, conspicuous
among which was magnificent basket OF
violcts, with his initials wrought in the
center
The chief topic ofinterest here just now
is the widow divers breach Of promise
suit against the venerable Simon Cam
eron, now in progress. Gen. Butler ap
pears as Cameron's chief counsel, and
there is always an expectant crowd
gathered to gethgether when Butler has
any thing to say or do. The impression
seems to be that the General will make II
lively for the festive widow before he gets
through with the case. She claims that
Simon promised to marry her and make
things comfortable for her generally, and,
with that understanding, he was granted
privileges which he shouldn't have had.
In support of this claim she presents,
among other things, two or three rather
dubious love letters. The naughty old
man, on the contrary, thinks it a case OF
Dlackmall, and says he mas ALREADY palo
her $1,000 rather than to have fuss
about 1t. To make 1t still more warm
for the widow, they present in court Mr..
Thos. M. Oliver, who was once supposed
to be her husband, and who is now alive
and well. This complexities matters con-
ciderably, as it is hard to understand how
Mrs. Oliver has been damaged by the re.
fusal OF an old man like Cameron to marry
her, when she already has husband alive
and well, and better looking man, any
how.
There is a general disposition to con-
fine the business Of the session to the ap-
preparations that failed before the adjourn
ment, including Of course. the repeating
acts that caused the disagreement. No
doubt the bills, with the measures attach