Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1879-02-12
Our Washington Letter.


Messfs. EdfOS The week Onened WIN tne
exciting contest over the New York custom house
appointments still unsettled. The Conkng men
went into executive session at one o'clock on
Monday with every prospect Of success; they
came ont ut eight o'clock in the evening, after n
six hours fight, completely routed
Combines DEFEAT
was due TO various causes, each OF which was
sufficient reason for the vote given He had made
the attack upon the Presidential nominees from
personal grounds alone He made the question
purely personal one from the very first lie had
called upon the Senate to support him because,
forsooth, his particular friends Arthur and Cor
nell had been displaced by the President; his
perrogative as the Republican Senator from the
great state Of New York had been enroached upon
and his assumed right to name whoever should
hold government positions in that state had been
denied and set aside. It would seem that eight
years experience as dictator" for the Empire
State" had spoiled the Senator for the common
place duties which his colleagues were satisfied to
perform. He had for so long time arrogated to
himself the function peculiar to, and devolving
only upon the Executive, that to be compelled
now to submit to any official, whatever his rank
was :" gall and NORWOOD to his Senatorial
soul His defeat will probably have no other eff
feet upon his future career in the Senate than to
make him more than ever hostile to the admins
tration, while it adds another score to his record
as martyr, in which role he has been hest known
since the Cincinnati convention.
| The vote by which General Merritt was con-
| frmed was thirty-three ayes, to twenty-four
nays. Thirteen Republicans favored the nomina-
ticn and twenty-three opposed it. The first news
/ Ct the confirmation conveyed to the President
by ono OF his secretaries, who drove to the White
| House on hearing the result at the Capitol. He
found the President sitting in the library, read
ing, and told him Of the confirmation The Pres
| ident's countenance did not change, nor did he
betray the slightest emotion. A few moments
afterwards dispatch was handed him giving the
vote, which he read simply remarking that it
was good news
There il growing feeling, which is heard ex-
pressed quite often just now, that
AN EXTRA SESSION
OF Congress is probable II the democrats insist
upon injecting into the sundry civil appropriation
bill clause repeating the test oath for jurors in
the Southern states, the Republicans will resist
it, even II extra session is made necessary, on
the ground that it is new legislation and should
be brought to the attention of Congress its own
| merits without the attempt to whip it through in
one of the most important appropriation bills.
| The democrats are evidently anxious to have an
extra session called and will be only too glad for
an excuse to lay the blame of such a movement
at the door of the Republicans. The democracy
painting for the hour when they shall hold full
sway in both houses Of Congress. The sooner 1t
arrives the quicker will begin the plumber and
the longer will it last. There are upwards of one
hundred candidates for the offices in the gift OF
the new Senate already the ground and the
canvassing is becoming decidedly spirited. The
democrats will have ten majority in the new
Senate, including Judge Davis, usually ranked as
independent" but who generally votes with the
democrats. 1t would quite naturally be expected
that with the accession of dozen new democrats
into the Senate, with that party in the majority,
that such an addition would bring new leaders,
ADLER men and consequent greater intellectual
strength on that side of the chamber Yet it is
very clear that the present leaders of that party
| in the Senate, Messrs Thurman and Bayard, will
not be displaced in influence or power. Aside
| from one two, none of the new democratic
Senators are men of national reputation or of any
particular strength outside their own respective
states. Pendleton of Ohio is the only one who
mas made any record IN congress- ana even nc
| mas none Oh the executive aoiiities possessed oy
such leaders as Thurman Bayard, Gordon OF
| Hill. Wade Hampton may be said to enjoy a
national notoriety, not all of which, however, re-
bounds entirely to his credit and neither is it ex-
pected that he will make anything more than an
| ordinary Senator. There are some half dozen
ex-C,overnors in the list including Vance of North
Carolha, houston Oh Aiaoafha' walker Oh Atkan-
sas' Williams oil kentucky, ana "roome oil Mary
ahd' lhese are all men Oh NJ least average aoi'i'
ties, IN party sense, whiie none are said 10 pos
sess any remarkaoie legal or oratoricai attaih'
"eh's' "h'e 'io ue'nooi'oy III
THE NEW SENATE
| may be said to have gained but little in brains,
upon its representation in the present Senate. The
Republicans it is safe to say, have made decided
| gain In ability even though suffering a loss OF
numbers. Retaining all the present leaders, in
the persons OF Edmunds, Conkling and Blaine, they
| change Howe Tor Carpenter Oglesby Tor Logan
| and, probably, Christiancy for Chandler The
new Republican Senator from Colorado, Hill, Is
also understood to be an acquisition to the brains
OF the Senate, being a man OF liberal education
and superior natural endowments. 1t is matter
of great congratulation that on the democracy as
Stunning control of the Senate they are antagonizec
| by men upon the other side who are able to cop'
| successfully with superior numbers.
| Notwithstanding the fact that the control of thu
Senate is to be in the hands OF the democrats fol
the next two years, return to power, in tina
| body OF Congress, by the Republicans in 1881 II
| now a conceded fact. With this prospect before
| the country, with President and cabinet thor
oughly Republican and steadily growing in public
favor and confidence, the coming two years o
democratic supremacy in Congress does not ap
pear, TO the philosophic mind, particularly fright
full after all. In 1881 the terms of twenty-fou
Senators expire-ten Of whom are Republicans
and fourteen democrats OF the latter Eaton o
| Connecticut Thurman of Ohio, Herman Of New
| York, Wallace of Pennsylvania, and Randolph o
New Jersey ought in the light of recent election
in those states, to be succeeded by Republicans
and also Mcdonald of Indiana although it canno
be so definitely counted upon as the other five
Florida ought, also, to send Republican in plac
of Jones, who goes out in 81 OF the Republican
whose terms expire at that time, but one alone
Bruce of Mississippi, IL likely to be replaced by
democrat. A change of five only being necessar,
| D., ,l,o ,,a ;or;ty - tho nauv from