Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-06-25
From Our Regular Correspondent
Washington Letter.
WASHINGTON. D. c., June 10, 1879.


Twice a week, on Wednesdays in thu
capitol grounds and on Saturdays in TIN
White House grounds, the citizens o
Washington are treated to music by tina
gaudy superfuity-the marine band. Thu
band discourses selections from the operas
waltzes, marches. and invariably play!
Pinafore. At the capitol they play vulgal
music, at the White House their roper
toire is more classic. At the one plac,
their audience is mostly nurses with thei
baby carriages, little boys with velocipedes
awkward young girls from the public
schools, and colored lazaroni; at th,
White House the audience is, to all ap
pearances, more respectable, consisting o
grades from the level of government clerk
TO the exalted station of army and navl
people.
Yesterday the capitol grounds presented
a gay and motley scene. In the centre o
the broad, smooth asphalt plaza stood in +
circle the relocated musicians, while GOV
ering the marble steps of the capitol, o.
circling around the band, in endless prom
enade. was the democratic audience; Blu
the chief attraction was an old gray-haired
lame "sport" with very red nose, who
bad gathered around him a score of juve
nile velocipedists and was improvisine
races, giving the winner in each race a
quarter OF dollar. The old man was
evidently a " Thoroughbred and he en-
tered into the sport with as much zeal as
if the stake was the grand pri9 or the gold
cup, and the spectators shouted, waved
hats and enjoyed the fun as intensely as (
Goldsmith's Maid and Parole had been the
competitors. Velocipedes were over
thrown and one baby carriage was smash
ed up, fortunately without serious injury
to its occupant. These were scenes enacted
outside, while the flag foated over dead
locked Senate. rs the sun went down on
the beginning of the most exciting and
boisterous debate Of the present congress
The cause of the deadlock was Senator
Conkling's unwillingness to allow vote
on the army bill. Senators Beck, Blaine,
Vance and Voorhees, had made frey
speeches. About o'clock Mr.. Wi.her,
moved IN adj ,urnment, with the under
standing that vote should be taken on
the army bill to-day. An hour was spent
in filibustering under the lead of Mr.
Conkling who would not agree upon any
hour for vote. Senator Davis, of Hi
nos, endeavored to effect compromise.
saying that he had consulted with all the
democratic senators, who were willing to
allow full discussion provided IN hour for
voting could be agreed upon. All the re.
publican senators except MIR. Conkline
were willing to agree upon fixed hour.
and. if he would consent to these terms.
the deadlock would be at an end. Mr.
Conkling sitting at his desk brought his
hand down with thump and said h,
would not consent even if every other re-
publican senator might do so. The session
continued until after midnight when Il
very serious personal difficulty occurred.
Mr.. Conkling had been speaking for near
ly an hour and, in the course of his re-
marks, said that Senator Lamar in getting
up his Mississippi levee bill and then vol.
ing for an adjournment, had been guilty
of bad faith. Mr.. Lamar replied that il
the senator from New York charged him
with bad faith, or implied bad faith against
him, 81 say TO the senator from New
York, he is guilty Of falsehood, and l re-
pei it with all the contempt | feel for it.
author" Senator Conkling who had been
walking back and forth in the rear of hi,
desk said: Mr.. President, did not hea,
what the senator from Mississippi said in
the beginning, but if understood him
alright, he charged me with intentiona
misstatement, or implied it; what did the
senator from Mississippi say?" Senate,
Lamar arose and tried to get the attention
of the chair, but Senator Conkling yer,
much excited turned his back and said h,
would have no further communication
with the senator from Mississippi, and
continued, Il have only to say that if h,
should charge me by intimation with tell
ing n falsehood would denounce him as
IL coward, blackguard, and q liar" SEN
ator Lamar replied very deliberately, al
have only 10 say to the senator from New
York that he understood me correctly. ]
said precisely the word he understood me.
My language was harsh and unparia.
mentary and beg pardon of the Senate
for it, but my language was such as no
good man would deserve and no brave
man would wear" At this point the en-
element in the Senate and in the galleries
was intense. Applause and Kisses followed
the remarks of the belligerent senators,
and the chair seemed, for moment, 10 be
unable to preserve order, while reporters
rushed for the wires, and there is much
talk of duel. G.