The Delaware ledger. (Newark, Del.) 1879-19??, 1883-11-10
WASHINGTON GOSSIP.

1t was with feeling of sadness that /
stood looking at the workmen putting the
desks into place in the Senate Chamber
the other day. 1t is customary at the
close of y session of Congress to store
these elegant and in many cases historic,
articles Of furniture in an upper room.
They are now being put back in place
again preparatory to the coming session
of Congress. The desks OF the Senators
are made of Mahogany, and unlike those
of the Representatives, who use their oak
desks very roughly, they are preserved
with great care. The desks used by
Charles Sumner, Oliver p. Morton, Gen
eral Burnside, Roscoe Conkling, Henry
| Wilson, the colored Senator Bruce, and
many others have descended to their sue
Cessors and will be used again this winter.
/ IL is customary to draw lots for choice Of
seats, the winner of the first choice selec-
| ting his favorite place, and the second the
next most desirable and so on to the end
Of tho list Tho desks occupy the same
places usually. The chairs or seats are
changed to suit. ] do not suppose there
will be many applicants for David Davis's
solid and spacious mahogany. 1t will be
remembered that he was tho Jumbo Of
the last session. But these desks though
dumb speak in a language of their own.
They arc like monuments perhaps, or at
least they are a link between the living
and the dead. The habitue of the gal
leries will people them with familiar
| forms, some of which now live only in
history. The crippled giant Morton; the
elegant and courily Conkling; Logan with
| his swarthy face and black locks;
Edmonds, as st. Jerome; Burnside with
! Il. ii oil n1
| tory bearing; Sumner with leonine face
many more springs into existence in mem.
DRY as look down upon this silent cham
Der. But we turn naturally towards the
furture, for those vacant halls will soon
again resound with legislative debate.
Much speculation has been INDUCED in as
| to who will be the leader of the House
this coming winter. But | begin to won
der who will lead the Senate. There is
! hardly commanding figure high above
all others. Logan has strong personal
| ity and great force of character, but he is
not lawyer. In this assembly of Judges
and Expourders Of the Constitution he is
not the first leader. Edmunds shrinlxs
| from leadership, for some cause. He will
be heard on great questions, but the par
tisanship of politics is distasteful TO him.
| Frye and Harrison are strong men, but in
| this old assembly are counted as young
Senators and stand backs. Allison, one
of the Oldest Senators is follower always
| 1t is evident that a leader is to arise,
the place is vacant for some strong man.
to assume. Who will it be?
1t is said TO day that Ben. Butler, the
willy, is trying to capture the colored vote
and to organize it for himself for the
| Presidency. This is what comes of hav-
| ing record wide enough to cover all
cases. Butler aspiring as a Democrat TO
| capture the extreme Southern white vote,
and asking the franchises of the colored
race on his Republican record is n case
which seems to stretch our elastic politics
! to the furtherest extent. But if anyone
can do it, he can. There is a very bitter
| feeling on the part of the colored people
over the Cival Rights decision, and it is
| possible the leaders may go over to the
other side out of revenge. Butler offers
the chance They can compromise with
the Democrats over hisname, but think
by the time election day comes they will
conclude that tho old party is the best
to stand by. l was talking recently to q
prominent Southern man of extensive
reputation. The black vote will not
count for anything in tho South in the
next election he said. The whites are
organized as they never were before, they
have tho colored vote completely under
control, have no fear of it at all. 'Don't
you suppose the North will be indignant
over this suppression Of rights of the
colored Republicans, ! asked "No, do
not, " he replied, "The North is sick of
| the whole subject--you cannot get up
any feeling about it, besides there are no
/ al IN IF -, ~
arranged by peaceabla methods now.
The Southern whites possess the polls
and run the elections to suit themselves.
The blacks might just as well not vote,
but they let them go through the forms
just to satisfy them and to avoid suspic-
ion. 1t is practically = decided question,
that the colorcd people in tho lower tier
Of the Southern States are no longer
power in politics." RI.