Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1881-02-16
WASHINGTON LETTER.
wlsHISaIos, ID, o., Feb ~, 1851

entrances OI tue thpitpi iiph III vary """'
In the morning. aud ~ early as 10 O'CLOCK
every available space IN the galleries was
occupied, The spacious area OF Tue TO-
tunda was 30 packed that scarcely room
TO walk around was afforded, and the Old
hall OF the House, now known ~ statuafy
Hall, was equally crowded, At ~ O'clock
the hour fixed for the meeting OF the joint
convention OF the t1o houses, the vast
hall Of the House and the tiers OF CALLER
les which rise above II presented an anl'
mated aud interesting spectacle, The A.
tendance OF members OF the House was
unusually llarge, and there would have
been no such trouble ~ has been ex'
perlenesd no often during this session OF
obtaining q quorum, The diplomatic gal
lery had large proportion OF the attaches
of the Chinese aud Japanese legations,
and sprlnkled amongst them were great
many who do not belong TO tho dlplo'
matte corps, but who, somehow or other
always manage TO avail themselves OF the
diplomatic gallery whc never Desirable
There was q noticeable absence OF any
members Of the Presidents household,
who, lby courtesy ARE always accorded
seats In the diplomatic gallery, and q
promlnent member OF the House on the
Republican side, In commenting on thls'
said, "Or course they don't care to see
fair count; It might make them feel
badly"
Just before the hour arrived, permission
was accorded to tho anxious crowd OF
ladies, wIyos, daughters, aud friends OF
members, who were waiting In the cor
rIdors unable to find room In the galleries,
to come In on the floor, and they ruthcd
In pell.mell, sweeping everything before
them like pent-up watcr-coursc when
has broken It's confines. Sofas, chairs,
md the seats of members were taken pos
session OF without Formally OF request
The lwasplsh Mr.. Conger, who' true to
himself, had objected to the admission OF
the ladies' aud called for division when
the question was put by the Speaker.
stood surveying the scene with grim
satisfaction, but took good care to defend
his own seat against all attacks. The
dignified and solemn procession Of Sen
ators came In promptly at the hour, head
ed by Vicc-Prcsident Wheeler leaning on
the arm of Secretary Burch, close behind
whom came the venerable Isaac Bassctt,
the faithful major-domo Of the Senate,
bearing, as he has on 50 mauy OCCASIONS
the mahogany boxes which are the re-
ccptacles for the electoral votes. Four
wears ago, when he came into the hall or
the House with the boxes containing these
precious documents, he was In the middle
ola solid phalanx Of determined men,
armed to tho teeth and ready to DEFEND
the cutody of the boxes against all assail-
ants. This Is not the only respect IN
which the count Of Wednesday differed
from that of four years ago, which was
prolonged through three weeks ofanXie'y
and excitement and terminated In wild
scene upon the floor OF the House and the
final shame of inaugurating the wrong
man. On the present occasion there was
no excitement, and after the count began,
the proceedings were decidedly monoto-
nous and uninteresting.
1t seems pretty certain that, among
other important matters to fail with the
end of the session, the nomination OF
Stanley Matthews is one. There isno
longer any doubt that the judiciary Com
mittee of the Senate Is opposed to him.
Both Senators Thurman and Edmunds are
among his most earnest opponents. Mr..
Matthew's ability and fitness Is not ques-
toned but his views upon the relations
of railway corporations to the people, as
indicated by his course pending the Thur
man bill two years ago, renders his noml-
ton Objectionable, especially at this time
when conflict Is felt to be pending. 1t
Is understood here that in addition to the
other influences working against him, in
fential friends of General Garfield are
moving in the same line. 1t Is held that
the new President ought to have some
thing to soy in the matter. The idea
which is animating his friends who are
active, is that 1t would be proper and
expedient thing for the South to have
this appointment in the person Of one OF
her representative Democrats, several Of
whose names are mentioned in this con.
nection. As 1t Is settled that Justice
Clifford will never be abe to resume his
seat on the bench, Justice Field is left as
the only Democratic member of the court.
1t would therefore, to that extent atleast,
dvest the CO urt Of Its present almost abb
solute and entire partisanship. |,
Now that the appropriation bills are
under consideration in Congress, mem
bers of both houses are expressing some
curiosity as to where the money came
from to pay the expenses of the extensive
trip made by President Hayes and suite
to the Pacific coast and back last summer
and fall. The actual expenses Of the trip
are said to have been in excess of $780,
300, and members of Congress seem to
think that the appropriations for the army
were drawn on, although 1t Is not seen I
under what authority of law this could be s
done. There is talk ola resolution OF in
quiry on the subject being introduced. 1t
surely was an expensive jaunt, and Mr.. t
Hayes's well known parsimony renders 1t y
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