The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1880-04-01
Washington Letter.
[From our regular Correspondent

protectionists and free-traders, with
out regard to party; and caused the
first real fillibustering of the session.
Mr.. Townsend, of Illinois, introduced
the bill on Monday, but merely in
dorsed 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 the Committee on Ways
and Means, its proper place, and where
it would have gone had any protect
ionist suspicioned its real intent and
purport. On Tuesday, Mr.. Garfield
accused Mr.. Townsend of deception
which ELECTED warm rejoinder, but
Mr.. Garfield persisting in his charges
of bad faith, Mr.. Townsend grew
terrible indignant, and asserted that
Mr. c., or anybody else who charged
him with deceit, was certainly not
saint either in actions or in words.
Mr.. 7. had just stated that he dared
not write tariff on his bill, because he
knew that would suffice to kill it, and
he took the plan pursued in order to
get the tariff bill where it would be
acted on. Such inconsistent state
ments enable Mr.. Townsend's oppo-
nents to puncture him on every turn
and it is no wonder he lost his temper
and INDUCED in his Saxon epithets.
He evidently felt badly. Upon the
question of sending the bill to the
Committee on Ways and Means
filibustering ensued, for the free trad
ers were determined it should remain
with its friends, but they failed, after
several days struggle, and went to
their quarters beaten men. Protect
ion has the sympathy of the House,
as the recent wrangle and deadlock
indisputable prove. On one side was
Mr.. Cofiroth, of Pennsylvania, and
the other, Mr.. Blackburn. The latter
denounced Sam Randall as traitor
to his party, to which Mr. Coffroth
replied that 'if Mr.. Randall was
traitor to his party, he was no traitor
to 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 it would have
ended in blows. Aside from this,
much of the proceedings were of
most farcial nature. A call of the
House was made, and the Sergeant.
at-Arms brought in a score or more
of members under arrest, whose ex-
cuses for being absent were often of a
most laughable nature. One recited
Tom O'Sharter, and insisted that he
was not in Tam's "furn condition, yet
he declined to have the contents of
the glass from which he drank ana
lyzed. Another excused himself in
Dutch, which, of course everybody
understood. Another appeared in full
dress, with white kids, ETC., and said
he arrayed himself in festal attire, and
was happy in having his first oppor-
tunity of catching the Speakers eye.
These comicalities were the only
pleasant variation in the dry and mo-
nOtonOus chapter of the deadlock,
with its screcd of calling the yeas and
nays. AS usual, there was much to
indicate that our good temperance
friends had need to convert Congress
men as well as plcbeian, as there were
some members evidently greatly wear
ed by the immense fatigue involved
in going to and fro from the floor of
the hall to some adjacent committee
room. 1t is almost strange how tired
some great statesman becomes under
such efforts, and yet no one dares in
sinuate that such grand orator and
legislator was ever guilty of Noah's
weakness for wine.
The Senate has been pursuing the
even tenor of its dignified way since
our last, and cannot show that a rip
pie has disturbed its placid surface,
aside from Senator Kellogg's fiery
speech made in his own defence, in
opposition to the report of the election
committee which declared him un-
seated and Spofford the legally elected
| Senator.
Miss Raymond, who has been
bounding Senator Hill with her il.
legitimate son, has left the city, and
now we have a promise of an end OF
the offensive matter. The Senator
made an affidavit, declaring his limo.
cence of her charges. But as she has
disappeared, we presume the whole
affair will only figure hereafter as one
of the many Washington scandals
which the prominence of one or the
other of the participants bring into
public notice.
1t now seems that Stone, the wife
murderer, will be hung on April I'd
The President is disinclined to inter
fere with the sentence, and all prepa
rations are made to swing the felor
into the next world at the appointed
time. Stone says he is resigned tt
his fate, and apparently will die al
coolly as he has lived under the sus
pense of the past nine months.
A singular petition, signed by Mrs
Spencer, Mrs. Lockwood, and othe
leading woman's Fighters, has beeI
presented to the Senate. 1t pray
that the punishment of rape may b.