The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1880-03-25
LBTTBR FROM WASHINGTON.
lFRoM OUR REGULAR CORRESPONDENT

/ lFRoN OUR REGULAR coRREsPoNDENT
WASHINGTON, D. c., March 5. 1850.
To THE EDITOR oF TIRE NEW NORTHWEST:
The new rules OF the House are un
doubiediy open TO fair and Independent
criticism, Notwithstanding the many
Improvements made in pruning then
Of obsolete and useless provisions. y,
appropriation Of public moneys shoul,
be permitted save upon yea and nay
vote, aud no appropriation bill should
contain general legislation on any pre-.
text whatever-the specified permission
Of re;renching expenditures is a apeciou.
one which will permit easy evasion. Ii
other, though minor respects, too much
latitude Is given for depletion Of the
Treasury 10y designing persons. and I
predict that the most peFnicious legis-
l9tion Of The future will, as in the past,
be rushed through Congress by means
OF The loop-holes afforded by the lack OF
the safeguards above.
Senator Randolph opened up the ball
on the FiIz John Porter case in the
Senate with an able aud ingenious
defense. Senator Logan's rejoinder
occupied several days. This discus
sion was not upon the House bill, which
proposed pardon and reinstatement and
back pay 10 the amount OF SO 600, but
upon substitute offered by Senator
Randolph, which offered pardon with
reinstatement on the retired list. THE
case is laid over for the present session.
EDITOR New NORTHWEST
The pension question is becoming a
most serious one 20 Congress, and how
to best dispose OF it perplexes the minds
Of no few of the soions. Mr.. Cofroth
has Introduced into the House bill
providing Tor the establishment OF
Pension Court, to which shall be referred
the many cases rejected By the Pension
Office. This is a most judicious and
commeuiable measure Tie Pension
Onics cannot, in the nature OF things,
be otherwise than technical hence the
need Of another tribunal empowered TO
ruie upon the equities Of a case. Con-
grssss in view Of the immense national
business before it, is certainly not the
place to- hear aud adjudica;e upon such
small matters as rejected pension cases.
since it is clearly within the province Of
an ordinary Court or Board If Judges TO
perform such du;y, and il is to be hoped
Mr.. C.'s bill will saon become a law.
Soldiers will then have a proper court
Of appeal, instead Of the present most
unsatisfactory course Of procedure.
The citizens Of the northeastern por-
tiou of the city are intensely excited
over brutal and murderous assault
aud rape committed recently on a young
woman by a negro. Within the last
three years. several similar outruses
have been committed i'm this locality,
aud naturally its citizens are aroused to
a fever heat, aud are demanding in
creased protection. Senator Harris has
taken one step in that direction by in
Producing bill making rape punishable
with death. The supposed perpetrator
ia this case has been arrested, and is
strongly guarded to prevent his being
IyncheI The evidence against him is
circum-tantiali but almost conclusive.
Oar Courts present Us with u most
incident. A Miss Jessie Ray .
moni filed a bill by her attorney, Mrs. |
Lockwood, against Senator Hill, charg- /
ing him with her seduction in Atlanta, .
Ga, in November, 1877, and with being
the father Of her young child. Bot the
next day our city papers contained a
card, signed by the plaintiff, denying
the whole charge, aud alleging that
Ms Lockwood filed the bill without
her knowledge or consent, and stating, F.
further, that she never made oath to it. /
ThereuPon Mrs. lockwood appears in 4
card to the contrary, and supports her
statement with the indispn,able proofs. I.
TIE notary certiies that Miss Raymond F.
lid lake the oath. Mrs lockwood is |
one Of the most persistent and pertina- /
c.0u8 attorneys o. our bar, and now that
her professional conduct is impugued, [
Senator Hill will find himself in hot
water before he has done with her, and
viii undoubtedly have cause to regret
this feature, 90 least, OF the fight. Such
% direc, charge might do when made
against Sampson Brass, but not against
Mrs. Lockwood, and this nnsavory
chapter Of scandal will be rehashcd in
many bearings before it is ended, now
chat size is on her mettle.
Tie tiiai Of the Hirth murderers ter
minated with verd.ct OF guilty; but,
as hanging is played out" here, of
eouIse they will luxuriate a year or two
in the peuitentlary preparatory to a re-
turn TO former haunts aud vices. An
other negro murderer, Stone, under SEN
tence OF death for killing his wife and /
cutting the throat Of her sister, has been .
given respite Of thirty days, and
Doubtless he too viii soon be snugiy .
euscoucsi at Slug Sing.
DON PEDRO.
ss-----a---sa---
An old lady, after long life OF OBJ
seTvation, remarks that sssha has .I