Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1880-04-03
WASHINGTO,y LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, Apr. ], 1850

tu1b w NlSpUcc VI bllG tllOuSdIluS d.
ready on hand. Neither house has
accomplished much business during
the last week, the deficiency bills and
contested election cases still occupy
ing most of the time. The most ex-
citing topic just now is the attempt
of the Senate Elections Committee
to turn out Kellogg of Louisiana.
kellogg credits Ben Hill with the
principal effort in this case, which he
says is wholly personal, and scene
between them on the floor of the
Senate the other day was highly in
teresting. There were some whisp-
erings of probable duel, but it
hasn't come off yet.
If the Senate Committee on Indian
Affairs has its way there is consider
able probability of new Indian war.
The committee has decided that the
annuity money now past due to the
White River Utes shall not be paid
them until they have brought in the
guilty members of their band. The
agreement or offer of the Utes, SUBJ
mitted by Secretary Schurz to Con-
gress, provides that the Utes will do
their best to secure and surrender
the criminals, and they are willing
that the United States authorities
shall come among them and use all
efforts to capture the guilty men the
Utes promising their assistance.
Ouray, it is understood, claims that
this is all that would be asked of
white community and all that can
be expected of the Indians, and that
as they have agreed to surrender
their lands and to settle on home
steads, and to do all in their power
to assist in the capture of the fugi-
tive criminals, they can do no more,
and ought now to receive the money
which has been withheld. Those
agreement submitted by their chiefs
and head men will be accepted by the
tribe, but that if Congress attempts
to change it so as to fix greater re-
sponsibility on the Indians, it may
be difficult to secure their acceptance,
and the result may be suspicious of
the motives of the whites, and posi-
BILE a new outbreak, which would
cost several millions of dollars to put
down.
The inaction of the Ways and
Means Committee of the House is
complained of by that section of the
House which would like to at least
see propositions for lowering the
scale of duties discussed at this ses-
sion. 1t is said that the Ways and
Means Committee, to whom all bills
of this kind are in the order of bust
ness referred, simply bury every
thing, and this is true. 1t is, under
the rules of the House, within their
discretion to do this and thus pre-
vent discussion, and this is the pre-
else object of a majority of its mem
bers. MeSsrs. Tucker, of Virginia
Morrison, of Illinois; Hills, of Tex
as, and Carlisle, of Kentucky, are
four men out of thirteen who strong
ly desire to bring the tariff into de-
bate before the House. They are all
Democrats. OF the remaining Dem
ocrats Mr.. Gibson, of Louisiana,
wants protection for sugar; Mr..
Phelps, of Connecticut, like ex-Sena-
tor Barnum, of the same State, the
Chairman of the National Democrat
ic Committee, wants protection for
manufactures of his State, and Mr..
FELTON, is understood to take little
interest in the question. OF the Re-
publicans Mr.. Garfield was formerly
counted a revenue reformer, but he
apparently now feels inclined to fol-
low his party, and the remainder of
his side on the committee are all pro-
nounced protectionists. Mr.. Wood,
the chairman, has ideas of his own
for which he has never been able to
gain the support of either side. 1t is
no secret that the Committee is a
sort of happy family, the members of
which do not tear each other to
pieces, simply because that would be
imprudent.
A recent lecture delivered here by
Mrs. NJ. Cora Bland entitled "Wo-
men Who Think, attracted good
deal of interest among Congressman
and other public men, and COM
mittee is circulating request to
have it repeated. Washington has
been peculiarly favored in the lecture
line this season though it is not, as
one would suppose, the most success
full field for lectures. We have had
Professor Denton in course on &C.
ology, Professor Proctor on Astron-
omy, Professor Carpenter on Mes
merism and those two eminent the
ologians Bob Ingersoll and Rev. Jo-
seph Cook on Theology. These are
only few of the more prominent
out of at least a dozen. Professor