Arkansas weekly mansion., 1884-03-29
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent

WASHINGTON. ID. G., March 2G. 1884.
An unlocked for impetus has been given
to the Greenback movement by the recent
decision of the Supreme Court declaring
the constitutiOnaiity of the Fort bill, the
effect OF which decision may cut no small
Inquire in the approaching Presidential cam
paicn The friends of ga sound currency
and honest money" who foresaw the for
midabIe train of disasters in the financial
world that would result from the passage
OF the Fort bill, have thus far been disap-
pointed; and it was doubtless the fact that
the court, taking judicial notice of the
comfortable state OF things under the oper-
alton of the law, resolved that it were bet
ter not to disturb it. However, it cannot
be denied that the count went out of its
way unnecessarily in its dictum, to say
that the Fort bill was called for by any
such exigency as that which existed dur
ing the prosecution of the war, for there
WAS really no other exigency than 4 gem
eral public demand for u currency having
a legal tender character. When the bill
passed the House with only thirty votes in
opposition, there were no pretensions upon
the part Of any of it's friends that there
was any other possible exigency than this,
which fact is confirmed by the desperate
attempt to defeat the bill in the Senate by
striking from it its legal tender provisions;
and it was MIR. Bayard's speech in behalf
of this amendment that inspired so much
mention of his name in connection with the
Democratic Presidential nomination four
years ago.
The most animated scene in the Senate
u u &l,o Al.
inst, when the vote was taken on the FItz
John Porter bill. Every seat in the CALLER
les was occupied and all who could get
upon the floor were there. There was no
debate, simply three speeches, and during
these the Democratic seats were empty,
their occupants being in the cloak-rooms
with their minds made up. During the
progress of the vote considerable excite
meGt prevailed, and as the result was an
nounced a cheer went up from the friends
of Porter, which was quickly drowned in
an overpoweriEg storm of Kisses, a scene
very much out of place in the Senate cham
ber. A good many Republicans expressed
surprise and indignation at the vote of
Senator Sabin, Chairman of the National
Committee, who despite the appeals of the
G. a. X. posts of his State, voted for Por-
ter, as did six other Republican Senators,
including Mr.. Hoar, of Massachusetts, who
concelVeS tEat Po..nr has been punished
enough. Strangely enough there was no
Democrat, NOrthe rn or Southern, who had
the telnerlty to vote against the bill, not
withstanding the fact that they have all
along protested against the bringing of the
case into the realm OF politics. Porter vas
conspicuous in the gallery of the Senate
during the proceedings, AS he was in the
House during the dreary discussion of the
hill in that body. The bill simply puts
Porter on the retired list with the ran and
pay of colonel, making no allowance what
ever for back pay. As some of the newsps-
pers persist in declaring. The question
whcth. r the President will sign the bill il
being generally discussed and the prevail
ing opinion Is that he will, though many
! incline to the belief that he can gain pO-
litical support bv vetoing it. AS Il candi-
date for denomination guess he would be
glad to be rid of the whole matter without
doing either.
Another avenue to the Treasury surplus
is opened by the appropriation Of moneys
to stay the ravages Of cattle diseases in the
West. With the foot and mouth disease in
Kansas, the Texas fever in the SOutheaS
and the epleuro-pneumonia everywhere, the
quarantine commissie n in the several States
Will have good deal more than they can
do to enforce the provisions of the prUspec-
tive law. With what holy horror would
the fathers OF the Republic view this taking
money from the National Treasury for such
purposes, when they secuted the idea of
possessing authority under the Constitu-
tion OF making internal improvements of
any kind in the several States! 1t really
does seem to be a good deal of Il stretch Of
National authority tor Congress to go into
this animal disease business, but it readily
finds reasons for it, and absolute necessity
Tor it, by the action OF France ana Germany,
whose imputatiOn upon the health of Amer
lean cattle and hogs makes it a matter of
National concern. The bill that recently
passed the House has been taken up in tn Q
Senate, which has reinstated two sections
that the House fought over for four DAYS to
strike out. The vote in the House shows
that the bill could never pass that body
with these sections in it. while The vote in
the Senate makes it equally certain that it
can never get through there without Them
so that MIR. Tucker in the House and Mr.
Coke in the Senate may yet be able to Kill
it with the Constitution. JUNIUs.