The weekly Butte record., 1861-10-12
Doessieks in Washington.

actly like spider-web, in the corner of q rail
fence; the whole plan Of the town is exactly
that Of spiderweb the Capitol building is
the fat old spider in the middle, and all the
other houses are huge flies that have got into
the web and can't get out. The whole coun-
try round is dotted with little white tents, as
thick as if there had been q snowstorm that
hadn't melted away yet; or, as if one of the
huge old heather gods, before tossing off an
ocean of beer at one tremendous gulp, had
blown the froth all over the surrounding
country.
Nobody, in ordinary times, Tires in Wash
ington; folks only stay here and talk when
Congress goes away, everybody goes with it;
just as if everybody thought he was a Con-
gress. The public buildings are taken down
and put away, and the people have to pay the
storage. When Congress is gone there isn't
any city here nothing but patch of ground,
covered with empty champagne and beer bot
ties; and with pieces of paper, which are bills
that didn't pay; and with red tape-as if the
whole place had been seeded down with these
interesting articles, in the hope that they would
grow up in a splendid crop.
Washington, just now, however, is full Of
military men-soldiers and such gaudy animals.
As to officers, suppose there must be at least
thirty officers to every soldier. In fact. think
there are million officers at Wizards Hotel
every day; and l understand there are as
many as hundred soldiers in the different
camps about; but the soldiers don't come to
Wizards much; I suppose they don't know
Willard.
You can't migrate a rod without running
over few Colonels, or knocking over Major
or SO. This morning l stepped on the toe Of
Lieutenant; and, as I turned TO apologize, I
rammed one of my elbows into the stomach of
General, and the other into the eye of
Captain, who tumbed ever little knot of
Lieutenant Colonels, who fell in blue and
gold heap, dragging down with them some En-
signs and Major-General Of Division; saw I
had done mischief and turned to run. when
tangled my feet in the swords of a couple of
other Generals, which pitched me head first
into the ribs Of another General, who also fell
down, tripping up in his fall two Or three other
Generals. I expected to have guard Of Gen
erals sent after me, with park Of artillery or
two, to put me in the guardhouse quite to
the contrary; they thought from the way
knocked people about, that | was certainly
Commander in Chief so some of the Generals
picked me up, and they all touched their hats.
There are three sizes Of Generals; Brigadcr
General, with one star on the shoulder; Major
Generals, with two stars on the shoulder; and
Generals of Division, with three dittos on ditto.
l now pump handle to single-barreled Generals,
and to donble-barreled Generals and to the
high pressure Generals, with three stars but
no fellow that hasn't at least one star on his
shoulder strap ever gets any more pump-handle
out me.
have heard so much talk about the rebels
attacking Washington, that I go nervous
about it and for few days l flew to arms
(put on my boots and got ready to traveD
about twenty~one times day. For instance,
early one morning heard heavy cannona-
dng-few to arms in q big -cannonade
proved to be runaway army wagon lumber
ing along on the sidewalk went and saw
Willard and got my scare off.
IMMENSE CosT OF THE TERR1roR1Es CLAIMED
BY SECESSION. Florida, Louisiana, Texas, and
the entire coast of Alabama and Mississippi,
vast regions acquired from France, Spain, and
Mexico, within sixty years. Louisiana cost
S15,000,000 when our population was 5,000,
900, representing, Of course, S90,000000 at
the present day. Florida cost S5,000000 in
1920, when our population was less than 10
100000, equal to $15,000,000 at the present
day, besides the expenses Of General Jackson's
war in 1918, and the Florida war in 1910, in
which some S80,O00,O00 were thrown away
for the purpose Of driving handful ofstarving
Siminoles from the everglades. Texas cost
$500, ,000,000, expended in the Mexican war,
in addition to the lives Of thousands Of brave
men, besides $4,000 600 paid to her in 1850,
for ceding track of land, which was not hers,
to New Mexico. A great part of the military
establishment of the United States has been
incurred in defending the southwestern from
tier The troops meanly surprised and betray-
ed in Texas, were sent there to protect her
defenseless border settlements from the toma
hawk and scalpiDg- knife. If to all this expen-
dtare, we add that Of the forts, the navy yards,
the court-houses, the custom-houses, and the
other public houses in these regions, S300,000,
900 of the public funds, of which at least
fye-sixths are levied by indirect taxation from
the North and Northwest, have been expend-
ed in and for the Gulf States in this century.
Would England, would France-would any
government on the face Of the earth surrender
without a death-struggle such dear bought
Territory ?--EvereH.
Ike GoEs FOR A SoLDIER-MRs. PARTING
TON MAKES A FAREWELL ADDRESS, Ike,
my son, stand up while dress you-hold my
bonnet and specks."] @Felow soldiers: 1t
is the abandoned duty Of all to be patriarchal