Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1880-01-21
From Our Regular Correspondent
Washington ietter.
WASHINGTON, d. G, Jan. II, 1880.

ASIIINGrON, ID. = Jan. IL, 1880.
This week in congress has been un,.vrnl q.
iul. from II political point of view, and III,
other side Of Washington life. the soca,
side. is such rs few beyond the precinct,
of the capital lave Il very great interest
in. But it is not nnimprrtnnl rs IN indi
cation and II symp ON, suggestive oi
health or disease, and reaching lnnrh far.
,lrr in It's ulerior influences than this
narrow field. Manners are So sub,ilrl,
related to morals; custom has such !,
cumulative force AMI course, that no on
interested in The sign, of The times and
the future of his country can aft ,rl 10
ignore them.
There was II greenhack conference here
last week. Some one hundred and twenty
live delrg ties, incluiinS the thirteen
Srrenbark congressman, were present
and The proceedings illustrated pandemo
mum with tolerable accuracy and com
pleteness. Congressman Murch Of Maine
presided; The Rev. De l.. Matyr oilitiatrd
nS chaplain. greatly TO the disgust, yigor-
oGsly expressed, of II strong minority
and among the chief participants in til,
So. called discussions WAS, of Course
Krarney. What he had to say WAS simph
and familiar, and insisted merely of eX
pI' ssing II desire to see rrpubllrnns. dem
ocrats, and the national b,nks in hri
together and II determination To send then,
thilhcr SINS ceremony. llu alo wnnle,
John Sherman hanged. Resolutions which
were inu ouced approving IIrndIirk
Wriyhl's land bill and Viewers five
hundred million dollars solIicrs' relh
fund Dr. ect. seem 10 have been the only
ones carried, though every thing else in
the domain Of hum IN Thought WAS del ut
ell. and these resolutions were iurg'eu
through by the ch ,irman. if indeed one OF
Il H. m di'' not finally fail. A call for Tie
national convention ut G lie ,go June 0 Ii
next WIS adopted with little opposition
ii is in the usual vein Of such ,oruntn .
and contains nothing worth remark. |,
seems hardly possible that such - body o
men should have any considerable COZ it.
uency among sober people, however il.
nurant.
The House committee on military affairs
held II fall meeting Thursday morning
Fav )rable reports were mule Ivy sub.
committees, and adopted on he resolution
of Representative AtheIton, calling on til,
secretary of war To report to the Hons,
the number. rank and names Of all officer,
on the retired list, the total amount uli,
to each officer, AMI the aggregate paid I,
all officers on the retired list since sai,
retired list was created" This rppor
will create more profound astonishmrn
among the plain, practical tax p,yin.
people thar any volume ever sent out o
the government printing office. 1t vii
show IL rapid and alarming tendency /,
copy the worst features of the old wOrl,
nipnarches. Men who never saw IL pal,
lie enemy, never set II squadron in tn
field or trod the deck of II ship in action
are dubbed with sonorJus titles, inlicaiiv
o. high rank and heavy pay, and quarter
ell for life, II life of luxurious ease, on I'll
retired list 1t is impol lnnt that the peopl
shall see that rapid promotion and mrre
pu hing IN to the retired lists is now til
regular order of business" in order I,
MIKE Io' m for tho snperlupus products {
the West Point and Annapolis factories.