The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1879-04-15

oapihcl minister was General GrantS secre-
tary of the navy, the other was jefferson
Davis's post master general. They are both
able men with large stomachs. Regain was
speaking yesterday, of-hand on very dry
subject, that of changing the rules, and he
was frequently interrupted by men of
his own party who were opposed to bis
views, who piled him with questions and
sought to entrap him in contradictions
But he was equal to all his opponents and
met every one of them with ready reply
While he was speaking, Mr.. Stephens, of
Georgia, tried to interjcct little speech,
but the ex-cabinet officer was not much dis-
posed to yield to the ex-vice president, who
sits in a three wheeled chair. Suppose
some lunatic had told those two gentlemen,
10 years ago, when one presided over the
Confederate senate and the other sat in the
confederate cabinet, that the day would
come when they would both sit in the U. s.
congress. They would not have believed
the lunatic, nor would anybody in the world
have believed him. Then there is another
little, old, but remarkably we'll preserved
man, whom nobody ever expected to see IN
this congress or any other congress- When
this man dawned upon history,or was it his
tory that dawned upon him? Well either
way-eightcen years ago, it was as great
military leader, a consummate strategist
twin sphinx and phenix of war. Those of
us who do not pretend to be young ladies
remember well enough, what giants Of
promise rumor and the press made the
Johnsons, McClellans, and Beauregards to
be in those early, untried days of the war
But it is not my intention to depreciate the
military ability of Gen. Joseph e. Johnson
1t was he that forced Mcclellan back from
the foothold that Grant finally maintained
and had he not been removed from the
front of Sherman, as he was moving on At
lanta, the present General of the army
would not have had such an easy promen-
ade to the sea. Gen. johnson has not yet
made speech. | don't think he is much
of an orator, but once heard him in that
role. 1t was sixteen years ago when he WAS
in command of the army Of Tennessee,
with headquarters at Tulahoma. Business
had called MIN 10 Knoxville, where the en-
thusiastic citizens serenaded HIM late at
night. He appeared on the balcony of the
hotel and told them, as we'll as can re-
member,-that little fighting was worth
more than all that music aud enthusiasm,
that they would better be in bed,
but that he was glad to see so many able
bodied men from whom the confederate
ranks could be recruited. That was the
kind of demagogue Gen. Jos. E. John
son was sixteen years ago. He has doubt
less changed since, with the rest of the
world, and would scarcely browbeat band
of his constituents il they should give him
serenade now. In his new role OF
statesman he has more need of ballots than
bayonets To make the historic tableau
complete Gen. Sherman was on the floor IS
a spectator, and here are many OF them, the
victorious and vanqushed, living reminis
cnces of those heroic days. Yesterday,
fourteen years ago Lee surrendered 2,,S0S
men, the remnant of the confederate army,
at Appomattox, and yesterday a Virginia
military company were the guests of
Washington company, parading the princi
pal streets In the evening band Of cit-
zens met and drafted denunciatory resolu-
tons and made speeches condcming both
the Washington and Virginia companies tor
emitting to carry the U. s. flag in their
parade.
But to get back to congress Mr.. S. \.
Cox made the only effective reply to Mr..
Reagan, OF Texas. When he arose to
speak there was observed on his desk =
large, very old looking volume, it proved
to he tho bible. If it was Mr.. Cox's own
book it had certainly been we'll thumbed.
He read nearly chapter and brought down
the house and galleries when he repeated
the text "Thou who sayest q man should
not steal, dost thoul" looking at Mr. Rea-
gan, he said; will not say 'steal," be-
cause that would not be parlia-
mentary. Such an unheard Of perfor.
nance as reading the bible produced
marked impression on the floor and man
in the gallery, unable to control his excite
ment, rose and cursed congress in o loud