Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1862-02-13
Letter from Washington.

WAsIiINGToN, D. c., Jan. 81, 1862.
Mr. E. O. GooDRICH-Dear SIR Al
though cannot send the /" local items" which
you are asking perhaps | may be aole some
times, to scribbIe a line for your valuable pa
per which will not be altogether uuiuteresting
to your readers-as great number of them
are among those | have been proud and happy
to consider my personal friends they would
readily excuse eny thing that seem to require
apology. | hope you Will sacceed in coaxiDg
our people to send you local items, for they
render the paper an object of such increased
interest to subscribers abroad Your paper
to me, (wheu get it, is like a streak of sun
shine On a stormy day. say, when | get it:
well, ! get it very regularly now at first |
was only able to get one oIce in two or three
weeks from some cause, | could not guess
what perhaps the railroad track was torn up,
or else it was owing to the crookedness of the
Susquehanua river. But one thing is certain,
they always came, and in good time when the
quarter was euded-the postage due. But |
am not inclined to think they were contscated
by the clerks, and packed away for wrapping
paper Oh, no no one would do such a
thing as that not at Washington, sure.
Now if any of our people ask for war news
from Head Quarters" why, All is q~let on
the Potomac" OF course ; we are 2Caltlag for
the mud to dry up, which will probably be
next July, when it will be too warm aud QUE
half our soldiers have Sickened and died by in
action Well, so it is. Perhaps it is all for
the best somehow, but we do not see how
Oh for the spirit of Old Hickory, to rise up
and cry, "Ill fight them, by the Eternal !"
but fault finding looks ill-natured the dark
cloud may have silver lining. Patience is
the lesson now being taught. | do not believe
in rebellion, unless as a last resort to secure
rights Unless this waiting is to give our enc
mics time 20 make sure thing of their Con
federacy, then we had better wait with pa
tience otherwise the people seem to demand,
not only change of Cabinet, but change of
President and Generals. AS we are people
resolved to be free people we ao1H not lay
supinely upon our backs, and permit the chains
of despotism to be riveted upon US. The war,
no matter what destruction it has been in other
places, so far it is the making of Washington !;
there never was so much business here as
now. 1t amuses me sometimes to see the
figuring oftwo-faced people; they are Secession
lists, when they think England will help the
South but good Union people when they want
employment under Government, or favor from
those in office.
Oh this Washington City mean the
streets, are full of mud-not that the minds, or
principles of the people are at all unciear.-
Washington has by some means had hard
name ior "a few years past ] do not see the
reason why-the people here are all of the
q properest kind" Members of Congress ex'
cepted. What pity it is that the States
cannot find good men to send to Congress
Perhaps they think it would only spoil good
men, therefore better to send those that are
already spoiled As whether good or bad'
they are doomed to be the scape goats, upon
which the sins of the city are laid. BY the
way, l went up to Congress few days ago to
take look at the nations swelled heads IN
the Senate they were as usual, quiet aud or
derIy, more polite and respectful than ever