The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1880-01-31
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our regular correspondento
WASHINGTON, D. c., Jan. 10, 1881

WASHINGTON, ID. e., Jan. ~, 1851.
The Senate has not been in session since las,
Thursday; but it must not be supposed that
our venerable and dignifed upper house has
been idle for three days. An adjournmen,
from Thursday to Monday does not necessarily
mean rest and recreation to eur legislative so
Ions The toll Of a Senator does not consist
exclusively in making dull speeches to his
listless and unlisenlng brothers. There is
committee work to perform; knotty questions
of law, Of finance, and of all the multfarious
questions that come within the Perview of ma
tional polity are discu 5ed and partially di
gested before they are reported to the house OF
Congress IN session assembled.
To-day it is understood that the President
will send in a long list of nominations of cen.
sus supervisors, and it is probable that much
Of the time of the Senate during the present
week will be occupied in the consideration of
these nominations.
In the matter Of political intelligence of a
sensational character, this is the dullest winter
in the memory of the greyesthalred denizen
of newspaper row. Congress will not be agl-
tatca. The warfare of sections seems actually
to be over. Whether this state of things has
been brought about by an exhaustion of the
question, by the return Of prosperity, or by the
counter lrritant in Maine, 1t is impossible to
tell, but peace in our large domestic heteroge-
nicty, or something like it, has come at last.
The House committee on education and la
ber discussed for four hours on Saturday
morning Representative Goodies bill prohib-
lting Chinese immigration, and finally decided
to report favorably upon it, striking out the
section which provides for the abrogation of
articles five and SIX Of the Burlingame treaty.
The bill prohibits the landing within the ju-
risdiction of the United States, or taking on
board at any point in China or any foreign
port for the purpose of landing in the United
States, greater number than fifteen Chinese
passengers upon any vessel, under penalty of
500 fine and Imprisonment for Blk months
for each Chinese passenger above the number
of fifteen. 1t requires the masters OF vessels
to accompany their manitests Of cargo with Il
sworn list of Chinese passengers. 1t also pro-
vldes that the penalties imposed for the VIOLA
ton of the provisions of the bill shall be liens
on the vessels violating them. 1t excludes
from the restrictions of the bill persons official
ly connected with the Chinese government or
any embassy thereof, or to persons rescued
from shipwreck during the voyage of and by
the vessels bringing the same within the juris-
dlction of the United States.
The Ute chief Ouray has been IN the city
for some days, and has had frequent confer
ences with the Secretary Of the Interior. He
has confessed his inability to deliver over to
justice the murderers and ravlshers of the
Meeker family, but proposes to select band
of his own tribe and hunt to death the male
factors, He deprecates the idea that his whole
race should suffer for the outrages committed
by a few. 1t is not the policy of Secretary
Schurz to hurry the matter, but to delay, if
possible to secure surrender of the guilty In.
dians, until the weather shall favor military
operations.