Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1855-12-17
WASHINGTON NEWS AND GOSSIP.


rarely fail to find of evenings, knots of army
and navy officers, foreigners of wealth and
distinction, leading men from all sections OF
the country, who, while aiming to exert effec-
tive influence upon American public affairs,
studiously avoid being seen by the world so
engaged-the men who, when in Washington,
spend so much time clOseted with the President,
cabinet officers, foreign ministers or leading
politicians of the Senate and House. One al
so sees there tonish people from all the States
whocome here for recreation and amusement.
That is, the class of them who habitually avoid
the slap-dash habits of the miscellaneous
thousands, as being essentially vulgar. Yet
for a peep at life as it is, with those who live
right in the middle ont" the saloons of the
downtown hotels are the places for observa-
ton.
Thus, on Saturday evening last, in one of
them, we made one Of a crowd of perhaps two
hundred persons-members of Congress, claim
agents, newspaper men, folks who had come to
Westinghouse see the fun of the thing Office
holders under the House with trembling hearts,
and officers seekers under the House with giz-
yards sunk, (by the delay in the organization,)
almost down into the pits of their stomachs'
the celebrated corps of fifty spinal-disease
doctors from the northern legislatures ct i'd
omne genus. 1t was misting and drizzling out
of doors, and reeking and steaming within.
A no less distinguished man than orator (Pop)
EmmOns, was holding forth at the top of his
voice in a raphsodical speech to a crowd Of
strangers and men about town-wonderers,
gassers, and quizzers, commingled-all as
tonished at the volubility with which the
venerable curiosity who seemed suddenly to
have come to life for tho purpose of giving us
little fun on so disasreeabIe night
spOuted unadultersted nonsense and unmiti-
gated balderdash.
In another part of the huge hall some
young sOutherner, leetle "by the head"
had chung" our venerable, conspicuous and
always-apparently-s ood-natured however-ve-
nomously inclined may be for the time-be-
ing friend, Horace Greeley. The young man
buckled the philosopher for an argument on
slavery, and being utterly incompetent to de-
fend his cause against so adroit an antagonist
at best, suffered it to be mauled most unmerci-
fully by the acute and practiced logician he
had SO unnecessarily picked up. This was
done to the great modification of a dozen
Southern gentlemen, on the outskirts of the
crowd, and amid the laughter and cheers of
as many abolitiOnists who pressed eagerly
around the gladiators. Deep excitement con
corning the chances Of the different candi-
dates and parties involved in the protracted
struggle in the House Hall was manifestly the
secret Of bringing together the crowd Of per-
sons there assembled. This excitement is in
such circles if possible greater to-day, than
when the first ballot for q Speaker for TIE
Thirty fourth Congress was cast.
The Annual Report Of the Secretary Of
the Treasury.-The nteiigcncer Of Satur-
day last, in commenting on a paragraph in a
late Washington letter Of the Boston Post, la
bors to create wrong impressions with refer
ence to the annual report Of the Secretary Of
the Treasury, doubtless with the belief of the
correctness Of its allegations. Its editor ina
gines that the Secretary, or those under his
Immediate control, have promuiged his report
or important portions Of it. We understand
on inquiry, that this is not So. No one con-
nected with the Department has failed to OBJ
| servo the implied obligation of secrecy in
| connection with it. If an abstract of its
| contents has really been published, which
we by 10 means believe, it did rot come
from or through the Department. Our belief
is that the abstract in question is made up al
most wholly of shrewd guesSes upon statistical
| facts connected with the government revenue
AID the public expenditures which are ever
| concealed from those who ask information
| concerning them. As far as the alleged re-
| concentrations stated in the abstract in ques-
ton, they must be, for the most part, mere
surmises, and nothing else, we take it.
The annual estimates on which we presume
they are principally based, are, by law, re-
quired to be placed on the desks Of the mem
bers on the first day Of o session, whether
| Congress be, or be not, organised the law
| making no provision for the state of things now
| existing In the House, it will be recoIlected
1t strikes us that our neighbor must be ex-
ceedingly anxious to find fault with the Score
| tary, to find him basing slurs Of that officer,
upon the allegation that though the law pro-
vides that ne shall place Oh tho desks Of mem
bers of Congress his estimates on the e rst day it
meets, he should have refrained from 50 doing
until the officer to whom they are nomin alIy
addressed had been chosen.
Hope Deferred Maketh the Heart Sick"
The eternal truth of this venerable biblical
adago is being hourly verified around the
hotels of Washington, by the countenances of
most of the two or three hundred Office seek
ers attracted hither by the meeting of Con-
gress, a fortnight ago. Such persons are
usually rather short of cash, and have any
quantity Of hope instead of it, when "setting
down" before the object of their attacks.