Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1884-07-09
from our regular corrospondon,
WASHINGTON LETTER.
Washington, ID. c., July, 3, "a

Washington, ID. c., July, 8, "a.
Mr.. Springer's investigating commit
tee at Washington, has found so much
to investigate that it will have no OPP
portunity of making report this SEES
sion, and if it does its work thoroughly
its report will be postponed indefinitely.
The Star Route cases alone ARE alto
gether beyond Mr.. Springer's depth,
and cxaspcrates him and his committee
beyond all finding out. Taking the
lawyers engaged in these cases alto
gethcr, they form an admirable speci-
men group of blackguards and black
mailcrs, such as get hold of the big
cases in which the Government plays
part. Here was Bliss receiving $50
per day from the Government to get
the Star Reuters convicted, while he
was actually under pay from the other
side tc get the rascals acquitted ! The
sequel of this portion of the investigo-
ton will be vitality interesting.
The power Of Mr.. Randall as lead
or was again tested in the House on
Tuesday, when the Republicans with
no small number of Democrats at
tempted to substitute the minority for
the majority report on the approprio-
tons for Notifications and dcfenccs.
The report of the minority was an
amendment providing for the cxpend-
itnra Of some S3 600. 900 in II coutinu-
ancc of the miserable jobbery we have
already had in the war vessels turned
out by John Roach--a work that has
cost us $5,000,0 900 or more, and for
which there was never q more worth
less appropriation Of the peoples mon
ey. Mr.. Randall boldly took this bull
by the horns, showing up the compli-
city of Chandler and others in the q
gantic scheme to rob the Government,
and demonstrating the folly of going on
and repeating the failures that had al
ready cost lis so much. The House,
by vote of AZ to 90, took Mr. Ran,
dall's views of the business and reject
cd Mr.. Bill Chambers overturcs.
As ] predicted some weeks ago, the
President did not dare to sign the bill
to restore Fitz John Porter to the
army. He waited until the last day at
which the bill would become IA law
without his signature and then vetoed
it. While he had the Senate and
House and good part of the Cabinet
to sustain him in signing the bill, there
was the more potent political influence
-of which the Republican party stands
in most dread, the Grard Army cabal,
thousands of whom have sent in re-
monstrances of the most eXasperating
character against the Presidents APP
proval of the Porter bill. Therefore
the end of the Fitz John Porter bust
ness is not yet in sight. While the
House may possibly pass the bill over
the Presidents veto, it is not likely
that the Senate can, the vote standing
in that body 81 to &c, with Logan, the
candidate of the party, as its presiding
officer for the next Presidential term.
From tins standpoint it looks to-day
as if Governor Cleveland was about to
carry everything before him in the
Convention at Chicago, while to-mor-
row the sentiment will shift all at once
over to somebody else. Barring the
prominent leaders of the party here
who scout the idea, there is all express
sion quite prevalent among Democrats
that Ben Butler is gong to make
trouble in the Convention for Cleveland
and everybody else. There are a plenty
of voters in and out of the party, who
would like to see Butler in the cXecu-
tive chair Just to see what the old tcl-
low would do, but the experiment
might be a very hazardous one, unless
his Cabinet could be selected by him
and his patronage dispensed by some
body else. So far as shaping the az
fairs Of state is concerned, l am in
clined to think that Butler would be as
good as the best of our statesmen, and
in other things he is not half as bad as
he is painted. PHONo.