Smyrna times., 1858-02-04
Washington City-Lts Changes.

" |SOAEA%IS sOI S4Cy It's GndUg2S,
lion. Erastus Brooks, formcrly member OF
Congress-, while on visit last week to The
CAPITOL, pepned the following Interesting
sketch:
1t is several years since was permanent
locker on oi the proceedings cf Congress, and
lhe change IN many respects Is painful enough.
! Our country has grown, but eur countrynlen
have degenerated look at The seats once C.
| cupled by Clay Webster and Calhoun, by Ben
ton, Robins aud Smith by Wright, Rlvcs and
fazeweI, by White, Porterund Poindcxtcr. bv
Preston Ewing and Clayton, by the Kings of
Alabama aud Georgia, and By other men more
or less distinguished, only to see strange f,ccs
ana 10 near strange voices, where once both
were most familiar TO my sght and ears Here
ana there is link in the chain which binds the
old TO the new. Crittenden, of Ky.. Bell ,t
Tenn, Pearce, of Md, were then pron,npn,
members in the Senate or House, but twenty or
twenty-five gears of time has rcyolut loniZ,d nor
sons, appearances, and In measure opinions.
Mr Buchanan was then IN the Senate, IA hIuh
tar'H man, very conservative in his opinions
dhd though a warm parIsan he would not have
sloopcu 10 advance doctrines he has proclaimed
ior the constitution Of a band OF d.sorganlzcrs
against the known will of the people. The
city too has changed from a population of IS
O0O IN lS35-'36, to three times that number in
lSo7-' 80. But 1t has grown without method.
and expands as unequally as seed sown by the
Winds The marked change, however, is in
the new public buildings; the Patent Office,
WIN us new wings, Is very teautitui, un-
equalled IN the country and unsurpassed in the
world. The white marble Post Office is also
growing to more than twice lis original size.
and is gradually stretching over whole SQUARE
OF land; while the new Treasury BuI!dinr is
gradually extending over the vacant grounds
adjoining The masterpiece of work, how |
ever, Is the new capItol-aud of that more
anon. Ii Is, III its decorations, severely .ud
justly crItlclZed-and these are ~ no resnrct in !
accordance with good taste or the simplicity of
IA Republican government. 1t has improve
ments over the old Hall, but is in no way equal |
to the old Hall IN stately elegance. One can
hear better, but there are more difficulties in
easy speaking. See better on the floor of the
House, as whole, but it is not so easy to dis
llngush the members Considering the en-
Ormous sums of money expended and 10 be ex.
pended, the absence of many beautiful things
which money would buy, and the presence of Il
many tawdry things which were better omitted.
IS deeply to be regretted. But ona who remem-
Ders the Uni,ed States Senate as it was twen
~ odd years ago, is most struck with the
changes Of the public men oflhe country. We
recall the trumpet-toned voice and persuasive
nunners of Clay, the terse and stntcntious
reasoning OF Calhoun, the powerful and logical
w ebster, the fiery denunciatrbns of Benton, the
classical and gesticulatng Preston, the rapid
and earnest Porter, of Louisiana, the constitu
ional Rives-the friend and pupil of Madison
the solid mind aud clear head of Wright. the
plain spoken Z" Honest John Davis" the equally
honest and patriarchal looking Hugh Lamsun
White, of tennessee, the old English dress of
Nathan Smith, OF COnn.-and so | might 90 on
o recall the names OF the eminent men of the
Senate from 1870 10 1910, only ong or two now
emaln. Nearly all have passed away from {
he public service, and the majority of the num- |
,er are in their graves. t
he changes in the Supreme Court are I
equally striking. None Of the presiding Judges
late further back than General Jackson's ad t
and Taney, the Chief Justice, !
udge Mclean, who sits upon his right, and
udge Wayne, upon left, are all that are left I
t the Bench of 1885 and sc There was Il
reat contrast then to those who had seen and
cmembered the judicial powers of the men on r
he Bench in the days ofOliver Ellsworth and b
ohm Marshall. d
1t would be difficult TO name a country where a
D many changes have been made in the Der. a
onnet OF the government, in the places If
usness, in the details of service. The White b
louise stands still the chaste, simple and beau a
ful building 1t was when erected, surrounded c.
y elegant and highly cultivated public grounds. l.
verything at "the West End" which is the e
shlonable part ofthe city, has beon improving
ntll the Heads of Departments, Foreign Am.
lssadors and Ministers, have become the II
nceus of the gay and visiting portion of resi- in
en's and visitors. The city starts by freaks, CT
nd, under the impetus of fashion, the master "
brit OF all social advancement, selfinteresi III
nd speculation. Pennsylvania Avenue, the al
reat thoroughtare, and one of the widest ell
venues in the world, does not improve at all, ht
Or do any of the other prominent avenues, in
saring here all the names of the leading as
tates of the Union, and meant as an equal III
'nor 10 pll. The city has territory for two W
'Gf4i14t}l 1t ~ E