The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1856-01-30
wAsHISaTos, Sunday night, jan

WASHINGTON, Sunday night, jan Sc
what II should, In writing from Washington
write little letter about washington
,W.h:a,., contains about sixty thousand per
SON. knew IL when IL contained bur seventeen
thousand The proprietors OF teai estate, VINO
800 then moor are in many instances now rich
;,hor. h,pine toiled to become so. The city has
80, and the prices Of city lots have grown with
4. and tbe character and worth Of the people have
also grown in more than equai degree Inc PEP
bonored guests. and they are yet so. have naee
3 acquaintance with number of communities IN
this country. but never with people OF more In@
II than find here.
This ts contrary 10 the representations of NOT a
e.vx bcs n true. The criminal and pauPer TO
..is make suf rsesgre exhibit conPalIs. ~,
hsis - names found uTon them are ;.s. p.
NhIe ", tbosa Of permanent residents. oet
oogn'Lea % 49,, -ches scd schools of all Kind are
Ssu - tSsse Indsstry psacei nnsess, quieI AUG
ainn,tv Characterize the people ss ,sron. Hnu
their homes are alike comfortab-S 80"
Al go nj vour readers have never thoe Sht
,hn. i. no fsul, of mine nor of theirs peYnaes.-
TsIJars and writers have misrepresented, Rhe'ner
,antionalIy or otherwise. But il il little Tsenoer
,h.s strangers are deceived by the seemi ug pre-
nanted TO them. What often appears to be sshrn
aha society of Washington is only the fashio vaoie
society In Washington, and Is not unfrequt MY
made up In some degree OF persons OF but indiI W
ami reuute in their respective towns and Villages,
and who if not sustained by official position~
flourish but brief season here. That Aey
are recognized TO any considerable extent, Is
owing In great part to the fact that members Oh
Congress and others OF solid social position at
home cannot afford to bring their families at Wash
ington with thcu1 and are therefore less c1rclni-
spect in the matter Of associations than they oer
wise would be- A dubious fame Is OF course an
awkward thing anywhere and partial social pro
scriptior Is not unfrequenfly the penalty hdy
pays among ladies for her too great popularity
among gentlemen; but, were il not for the reason
have assigned this thing would be reformed, not
"indifferently wei" bat altogether.
This city Is also severely denounced because OF
She Justly termed ''cutfhroat" practice OF those IN
tyftce or in pursuit of oazce. How unjust this
Charge IL toward the people of Washington oeghf
to appear 10 every intelligent person at Single
glance Residence here is OF course essential TO
the performance of tffciat duties i'll the depart
Inent< and the welfare a this ahOf every city, re-
uuires that those who reside In it should take an
Interest In its municipal management But OF la1e
wears the fierce contest for every siEce under rue
government, has originated the ideS rs partnlon-
ing them among the citizens of the several States
In consequence of this, not only are the sazefs OF
this district measurably cut OFF from parfsipa ton
iu the future appointments, but they VINO ass no"
appointed to office thus precluded from 11 King
part In the administration of our city aftan 5,
thing of no small moment, where about one-eyghth
or oneseventh of the male adults, and they OF the
more intelligent and influential kind, are thus pro-
scribed or rather prevented from comforting hene-
fits upon the city.
1t is not the people of Washington, therefore, but
the incumbents of Offices and the seekers OF Oh
chargeable the practices pursued, which are GER
tainly base enough in all conscience. Were man.
protesting to be a clerk or salesman, to seek en-
ployent in any of the stores OF your city, ana tor
the advancement of his cause to fortify himself
with documentary proof of the disqualification and
unworthiness of the incumbent of whatever place
he might desire how would he be regarded socially
IL your community and what encouragement
would he receive from even those for whose vel
fare he had manifested such interest Yet this is
the daily practice of large number of the office
seekers who come to this city There Is probably
not man in official position here whose vulnera-
BILE points are not noted down by every one OF the
horde of wolves who are ravenous for the food
mon which he subsists; whose history from boy
hood up they are not familiar with; nay, the de-
merits of whose parentage and kindred are not in
readiness to be cited against him in his hour of add
versity. Indeed, general are these practices,
that often, when applications have been made I'M
der influential auspices, the Secretaries themselves
have suggested the preferring OF charges against
persons in Office the legitimate mode OF obtain
ing their places.
These things which are among the evils of party
politics throughout the country, produce most
depressing influence upon Washington, yet strange
TO cay, do not degrade the character of its people
proper, and even resisted and condemned by a
very large number of those who are in office.
Whatever evils necessarily incident to the
legislation and administration of government here,
win hereafter relatively diminish for the percep
tible influence of government affairs upon the CON-
munity will be less and less the city grows in
extent population and business.
It Is sometimes alleged that Washington Is not
healthy. Its bills of mortality always prove the
contrary Middle aged and elderly men from other
States sometimes dieIhere, after brief residence
return to their homes to die. But middle-aged and
elderly men ought not TO do such violence to their
condition of health as to suddenly and Thoroughly
change their habits of life to accommodate the new
society into which they enter. We are here. how
ever, reminded of an Inconvenience to which
have already alluded. Men accustomed to dweh
In the midst of their families ought net to De de-
prived of the security, tranquility and comforts
that are realised in other condition. When
they and their families shall be borne on all the
mail-carrying conveyances to and from the Capi-
tai without charge, and when they shall learn to
disregard costlness of appearance in their style OF
living and to be content to dwell in plain and com
Portable habitations, then will II be found that
Washington is equally healthy to all, whether old
or young. a. D. y.