Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-02-02

"AS6lNGTONs January ol.-Ino democrats IN
the House, owing to their greatest weakness,
| absenteeism, have been unable to do anything
| towards defining the manner in which the elee-
toral vote will be counted They cannot get a
! quorum of their side together, and, consequent
/ ly, are unable to down the healthy Republic IN
minority, AL of which means that the Bicknell
or Morgan, electoral count resolutions will not
! go through. One week from next Wednesday
i the votes will be counted in the House By Vice
| President Wheeler, in the presence Of both
houses. 1t Is anticipated in some quarters that
there may be trouble in the count. This is
| hardly probable, though doubtless considera-
Bile viii be said about Georgia's vote 1t is not
thought by any considerable number that her
vote will be counted. In fact, there is not the
slightest probability that 1t will be. Aside from
the fact that all the Republicans and many
/ Democrats hold that her vote should
not be coun ed there is a precedent
! not get together on the day designated for the
electoral college to meet. This was on account
! OF heavy snow storm Afterwards Iowa's
| college met and cast its vote, but Congress
| decided that it could not be counted Still the
! question presented In Georgia's case is one of
! such Importance that members OF Congress
! who like to shine in the prints-and they all
| like to beam in the columns of a daily-cannot
/
this most auspicious occasion" The talk
before referred to about there being some
trouble during the proceedings next
Wednesday week grows out Of a
report that it is likely that Vice President
wheeler may attempt to assume extra
judicial functions He says he will do moth
ing OF tne kind; and there is no reason to think
that he viii. He could gain nothing
by 1t except start the row which
would certainly follow. The average
member Of the House would then be at home
/ that a hat
lost whose low descending sun sees not some
| row ended or another begun. The present
House would be entirely at home at Donny-
brook on fair day. This may not be patent to
| the subject under discussion, but, as they say
! In Georgia, lit is mighty true'
TWO DIssATIsFIED.
| There are two prominent government Off
| GERS who have, to use vulgarity, soured upon
Devens. General Sherman is very mad with
Mr. Hayes, Perhaps it would be better to put
! it, that he holds our Chief Executive in sll.
| preme contempt. Sherman labored under the
! impression for some time that as General of
the Army he ought to have some little to say
about its personnel and the management
of its affairs; He knew by past expert
! ence that the Secretary of War gen
orally managed things to suit himself,
consulting him; but really thought until the
! two months past, that at least in the minor
! details his recommendations and opinions
should have some weight But he has had his
| eyes opened. He now knows that he is only a
! ngure head The recent prominent retire
ments and promotions in the army were the
/ cause or his present absolutely bad frame of
| mind In considering these retirements and
| promotions the President went through the
! form of asking General ShermanS views in
! writing. General Sherman gave them with
! his usual vigor and in his naturally telling
| English. He saw at the outset that not the
! least attention was paid to what he said On
! the contrary, exactly what he protested
! against was done and it seemed to him that in
tentionally everything that he recommended
was Ignored Ia such manner as to
convey the hint that he was considered an
1nterioper. Notwithstanding this, the Gene.
raj went personally to the President
and protested against the gross favoritism
that was being shown to Ohio and other pets
in the army, and the injustice to brave and
meritorious officers consequent upon such
favoritisIn. The President received him cold
ly and went on in his narrow minded way
General Sherman made another appeal He
said to the President that the course being pur-
sued was demoralizing to the army. This had
an effect Shortly afterwards Mr. HAYES again
asked for General Sherman's written Opinion
upon some change he had in contemplation
The General wrote back that he saw no good
reason for wasting government paper and ink
in giving his views. AS he knew no attention
would be paid to what he said he respectfully
declined 10 say anything. OF course General
Sherman is right, but he and the President are
out. The Presidents course in dealing with
the army and navy has done those branches
of the service incalcnlable injury His
favoritism in the other departments was
bad enough, but it did not iniure them
as Influence - not merit or capa6iiity. is the
criterion by which appointments are made
there and promotions secured. In the army
and navy there has ever been fayoritism but
not such an open, wholesale and dishearten-
ing exhIb tiOn OF it as there has been under
Hayes. Young and old officers who have no
political influence and only their merits and
records to stand upon for advancement are
heartsick. They have seen men far below
them given promotions over their heads for no
other reason than that the lucky ones were
born in Ohio, married Ohio Qir;s, or were the
friends of some one from Ohio personally
known to the President
The other official who is out with the Presi-
dent is Attorney General DevenS The Attor-
ney General wanted to be United States Circuit
Judge for the New ENGLAND circuit
some two years ago, when there was vacancy
there The President promised it to him. bIr.
Hayes then had q sentimental idea that he
would like to keep his Cabinet intact during
his four years He told General D vens that
If he would remain In the Cabinet until near
close of the four years, he would appoint him
Justice on the Supreme Court bench Natll-
rally the promise in lien of the Circuit Judge
ship was accepted. Time rolled on and Justice
ton: Attorney General Devens looked for the
fulhllment of the promise given him 1t did
not come. Judge Woods was the lucky man
The President then told the Attorney General,
in way that led the latter to believe that it
was all right yet, that there would soon be
another vacancy on the bench'' That vacan-
cy came the other day. Justice Swayne re-
signed NOW was the accepted time, thought
the Attorney General The time was all
right, but the nomination was not The
vacancy was filed by the appointment OF
Stanley Matthews, an Ohio man and visiting
statesman The Attorney General most peo-
pie viii think, has a right to be mad Wheth
er that right is his or not, he certainly is mad
CoEKLING AND HAYES.
The principal topic Of interest politically is
just now the manner in which President
IlStlVQtad EhQFpT0 w
Is plllng 1t on Conkling, or "Conky," as the
street boys now point out the perfumed and
proud Senatorial boss of Republican mankind
in the great State of New York Some time
ago, nr. Hayes sent two nominations to the
Senate that were of particular interest to
Conkling; One was to succeed Conkling
the other to succeed Conkling man as Post
master at Albany. Both of the noIni-
nraions made were those OF anti-Conk
one day. Mr.. Conkling has So fr
been able to prevent the confirmation of the
anti-Conkling successors to his henchmen, by
other. The latter part of last week came an
other blow. Stewart L. Woodford the Turvey-
drop District Attorney at New York, stumbled |
upon an expiration of his term OF office and
triedto get reappolnted. But Mr.. Hayes sent
to the Senate the name of George Fl. Forster |
for the place. Forster is notoriously on anti |
Conkling man. he has been the principal op-
ponent in New York Of the Republican ma |
chine OF course anti-Conkling demonstra-
tions meant practically a challenge. Conk-
ling cannot but take it up. He will eRdeavor !
to defeat the confirmation of the anti machine |
men. He will work his best He is hardly |
strong enough In the Senate to secure open |
rejection. but may be able to prevent
gress. Mr. COnkling viii have to make a few |
remarks before the Senate in executive session |
In support of his side of the fght. His treat
ment in these remarks of the President and his
administration VIII doubtless make most lively |
reading. Additional interest is given the inn
minent conflict by the remembrance that there !
have previously been two fights between the |
parties concerned. In the first Conkling came
out vic orious In the second the administra-
ton waved the banner of victory. Conkling is
not as steady now as he was in either of his |
former contests. The shotgun policy inaugu- |
rated couple OF years back by Governor |
Sprague at Canonchet and several other things |
have about taken away from him all his Demo |
cratic friends. Without Democratic aid he is
whipped. His only chance is to secure delay
OF action until Mr. Hayes goes out of Office.
FISH FOR GEORGIA.
Ir. Cary. Of LaGrange was here the other |
day, and took back with him another install |
ment OF carp for distribution in Georgia, He
reports that great interest is felt all over the
State IN the carp question, and that the de- |
mand for the young fish to stock ponds and |
sluggish streams is much greater than he is /
able to supply. He is, however, getting all the 1
carp he can from the government, and dis !
tributes those he gets as equtably as possible. /
GENERAL BLoUNF FOR GOVERNOR.
Among Georgians here it is regarded as a |
settled fact that Representative Biount will |
be candidate for Governor of the State next |
time While not exactly sin the hands of his |
friends" he has been broached on the subject |