The south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1879-1883, 1880-05-04
TAE SOUTH KEHTUCKIaH.
ADVERTISING RATE.
WASHINGTON LETTER.
wAsafNaToN, April 81, 1880.


All of the proceedings Ol Congress
during the past week that would be
OF interest to the general reader can
he summed up in one short para.
graph, though much earnest work
has been done. The debate iu tue
Senate over the Gei.e;a Awari bill,
long drawn out and tedius, ha, linally
ended in an indefinite posipoiement
which is mild but positive i"rin
OF deEat. This cast II now t,nds
cert. inly pr 'sents some peculiaf as
poets. The arbitration ut Geneva
awarded heavy damages In favor OF
tie United States, against Great
Britain for the destruction of Amer
lean properly on the seas duyiiig lhc
late war. by vessels fitted outin En-
glish ports. The claims were due TO
private owners OF the properly des-
trOyed, but after settling with oil
whose claims are clear the govern
n,ent still has ten million dollars of
the amount awarded. Insurance
companies aud others have endenv-
ored to establish II rightto this bal
ance, but Congress does not seem dis
posed TO allow their claims. IL
would hardly seem that the money
belongs to the Treasury, because the
government does not pretend 10 have
sustained any Of the damages, yet the
result is that we pocket ten million
dollars obtained rom Great Britain
for specific but illusionary purpose.
Notwithstanding the ability and in
gehuiy Of their advocates, l do not
lhinS the money really belongs to
those who now claim II /. and the con-
clusion naturally is that the award
was excessive. But upon oil these
points there is u wide difference Of
opinion among the ablest members OF
the Senate. Malt. Carpenter who
.orInerly resisted tho claims OF the In
surunco companies has this season
been one ot their most eloquent ad-
vOcates. ....t......, -..i..4.,
Tho Democratic members of tho
Senate Comluiltee On Rules and Of
the Senate subcommittee on the sub
ject OF counting the electoral votes
haye decided TO recommend that the
two houses OF Congress shall adopta
new joint rule providing that in cases
where only one certificate Of tho
electoral vote Of State be present.
cd TO Congress It shall not be rtjsci-
ell except by the affirmative vote of
the two houses, and tha. in case OF
uual returns neither shall be counted
III loss the two houses agree that ono
Of them Is the valid and true return.
This proposition is substantially the
same that was offered by Senator
Morton in the Forty-tourih Congress,
aud then adopted by the Senate IN tho
form OF bill, which, how ever, failed
10 receive final action In that body, IN
consequence of Mr.. Thurman having
entered motion TO reconsider its
passage. The former twenty-second
joint rule on this subject required
every electoral vote TO be rejected to,
which my objection was sustained
by either house. u f1'N'H'" islY l-As
Senator Kirkwood, who generally
wears suit OF clothes which could bu
bought new for twenty dollars, and
would not fetch at second hand
store more than one-fourth that sum,
gave expression to some advanced
sumptuary views in the Senate day
or two since. In answer 10 the OBJ
jections of other Senators that tho
revenue was not sufficient to justify
the addition to the pension list Of
scouts and other army attaches, he
urged that If Unnecessary the tax schc,l-
ulo could easily he extended sufli-
ciently to justify IL. Whiskey, to-
bacco and beer he said now more
than paid the interest on the Nation-
al debt, and for his part he was will
ling III order to obtain the means 10
reward faithful scouts. TO add to the
tax list swallow tailed or claw ham,
nier coats, stove pipe hats and ladies
trails. Stove pipe hats, the Senator
declared were All abomination and q
monstrosity. Senator Blaine, who
always sports glossy Une. turned
uneasily in his seat as the Iowa RUS
ticus made this startling announcer
meni, and the venerable Hannibal
Hamlin who wears plug hat which
he bought on the day that peace was
declared with Mexico, was 30 agf-
tated that he was forced TO retreat TO
the cloak room,
| Representative Clymer who was
married few daysaeo had marrow
escape from disnp pointing the lady
who Is now his wife. Ilehad charge
of the Army appropriation bill in the
IIouse and did not get 1t through by
: the day lie was to leave here for 81
Louis to meet hiso betrothed. lIls
:. woul moi tell anybody his troubles
but at tho delay no became 90 mucll
worried that he called the CHARM Oil
into his confidence and disclosed the
secret. "Go," said Atkins: "why
God bless you, my dear man, why
! did you not tell me soonerl II la nc
} time for words when lady waits,
And Bolster went.
~ tHAH17 sti71'-iA PuoN6.