Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-04-01
LETTER FROM WASHINGTON.
'gular Correspondent.

WAsuINGToN, d. c., March 30, so.
The House has been the scene of con-
siderable excitement since the ODD, over
the bill proposing to amend the tariff.
1t drew the lines between the protec.
tionists and free. traders, without regard
to party, and caused the first real fill.
clustering Of the session. MIR. Town.
shend, OF Illinois, introduced the bill
on Monday, but merely indorsed it to
amend certain enumerated sections of
the Revised Statutes, upon which the
chairman referred it to the Committee
on Revision of the Laws, instead of to
the Committee on Ways and Means, its
proper place, and where it would have
gone had any protectionist suspicioned
its real intent and purport. On Tues
day, Mr.. Garfield accused Mr.. Town.
shend of deception, which ELECTED a
warm rejoinder, but Mr.. Garfield per-
sisting in his charges OF bad faith, Mr..
Townshend grew terribly indignant,
and asserted that Mr.. g., or anybody
else who charged him with deceit, was
certainly not "a saint, either in actions
or in words. Mr.. 4. had Just stated
that he dared not write tariff on his
bill, because he knew that would suffice
to kill il, and he took the plan pursued
in order to get the tariff bill where il
would be acted on. Such inconsistent
statements enabled Mr.. Townshend's
opponents to puncture him on every
| turn, and il is no wonder he lost his
temper and INDUCED in his Saxon epi.
thets. lie evidently felt badly. Upon
the question OF sending the bill to the
Committee on Ways and Means fill.
clustering ensued, for the free.traders
were determined il should remain with
its friends, but they failed, after several
days struggle, and went to their quar-.
ters beaten men. Protection has the
sympathy of the House, as the recent
wrangle and dead lock indIsputably
prove. On one side was NJ. Cofiroth,
Of Pennsylvania, and the other, Mr..
Black burD. The latter denounced Sam
Randall as traitor TO his party. to
which Mr.. Coffroth replied that "if Mr..
Kendall was traitor to his party, he
was no traitor 10 his country" This
little episode was the only incident OF
a serious nature occurring during the
last hours of the final session, and but
for the interposition OF friends ii would
have ended in blows Aside from this,
much Of the proceeding were of most
farcial nature. A call of the House was
made, and the Sergeant.atarms brought
in score or more of the members un.
der arrest, whose excuses for being
absent were often Of most laughable
nature. One recited Tam O'Shanter
and insisted that he was not in Tam's
"fou" condition, yet he declined to
have the contents of the glass from
which lie drank analyzed. Another
excused himself in Dutch, which, Of
course, everybody understood. An.
other appeared in full dress, with white
kids, etc, and said he arrayed himself
in festal attire, and was happy in hav-
| ing his first opportunity of catching
the Speakers eye. These comicalities
were the only pleasant variation in the
/ dry and mon0tonous chapter of the
dead lock, with its screed of calling the
| yeas and nays. As usual, there was
much to indicate that our good temper.
ance friends had need to convert Con-
gressmen rs well as plebeian, az there.
were some members evidently greatly
wearied by the immense fatigue inyolv.
ed in going to and fro from the floor of
the hall to some adjacent committee
room. IL is almost strange how tired
some great statesmen become under
such effort, and yet no one dares insin
uate that such grand orator and legis
lator was ever guilty of Noah's weak.
ness for wine.
The Senate has been pursuing the
even tenor OF its digniiied way since our
last, and cannot show that ripple has
distui bed its placid surface, aside from
Senator Kellogg's fiery speech made 10
his own defence, in opposition to the
report OF the elections committee.
which declared him unseated and Spot
ford the legally elected Senator.
Miss Raymond, who has been hound.
ing Senator Hill with her illegitimate
son, has left the city, and now We have
promise of an end of the offensive
matter. The Senator made an affidavit
declaring his innocence of her charges.
But as she has disappeared, we presume
the whole affair will only figure hereaf.
ter as one OF the many Washington scan.
dals which the prominence of one or
the other Of the participants bring into
public notice.
lt now seems that Stone, The wife
murderer, will be hanged on April I'd.
The President is disinclined 10 interfere
with the sentence. and all preparations
are made 10 swing the felon into the
next world 1t the appointed time.
Stone says he is resigned TO his fate,
and apparently will die as cody as he
has lived under the suspense OF the past
I nine months. Eeffw