The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1863-04-01
COMMUNICATIONS.
Impressions in Washington.
WASHINGTON, d. c., March 2e, Is

NAShiNuloNs ~ ", nldICn 70, 1000.
To the Editors Of the Press
A weeks detention at the Capital-as my
provost marshal's pass says, "uponpublic SER
vice and important private business'-has Civ
en- me an opportunity to observe some things
which may be OF interest to your numerous
readers The fact Is, | am victim of red
tape and obliged to recreate myself by stroll
ing here and there, visiting the different OBJ
jects of interest in the metropolis, and calling
on such acquaintances, as are at present rep
resenting the Pine Tree State in the various
departments of government
The weather, topic always of prime inter-
est, especially in war times, has been for a
month past exceedingly cold and stormy.
Even within the last three weeks we have
had several light falls of snow; and on Sun
day, 18th instant, severe hail storm attended
by lightning and thunder. The season isquite
backward, as / am told ii is usual at this time
In the spring to have early vegetables in an
advanced stage of growth. As yet have seen
no signs of garden making, except glimpse
OF a hot-bed in the garden OF the Jesuit Col
lege in Georgetown, containing some nice
looking plants for early setting. The lawns in
front of the Executive mansion, and in the
public squares, are beginning to look green,
but the tree-buds seem 10th to unfold them
selves while wintry blasts buffet them as of
late.
nN muu iu w dSuiBkbOu - lit1utilii1 cpDhtu
OF as remarkably deep. 1t is no exaggeration
TO say, that the Capital is probably unequalled
by any other city of the Union in this particu-
lar. In addition to the regular business travel
the movements of numerous bodies of troops
through the streets and the many army wagons
continually passing and deploying in every d-
rection to the numerous camps near the city,
stir up the wet soil and make it of the con-
sistency of porridge. Big hogs and little hogs,
black, white and parti-colored hogs, promenade
the streets and sidewalks with perfect nom
chalance and thrive upon the offal which they
find in the streets and backyards. The swine
is the cosmopolitan among animals, and wheth-
er in the city streets or in the oak forests of
the interior, he preserves the same stolid in
difference TO all interests but his own. Here
he has carte blanche from the municipal au-
thorities, TO roam wherever his propensity TO
be useful may lead him. Looking at it as
utiltarian, one would say, that considering
the absence of street scavengers, and the great
amount Of filth all about, the hogs are at least
useful Il not agreeable, and may with tar bet
ter reason be tolerated in the splendid aven-
ues of Washington than the grog-seilers, gam
blers and pckpockets that infest those thor
pughfares.
An Eastern man, who has been nurtured in
the principles of total abstinence and prohibi-
tion, will be amazed at the immense number
of restaurants, saloons, lager beer shops, &c,
In this city, all apparently doing thriving
business, liquor being the article mainly in de-
mand. As direct result OF this great dispro-
portion of the agencies of vice over institutions
for the encouragement of mental refinement
and good morals, the police stations are liter
ally crowded with persons arrested for drunk
eness, fighting, stealing, assaults, etc. The
local columns Of the daily papers present a
sickening array of crimes and misdemeanors,
directly traceable to these ante-rooms of the
jail and penitentiary, the liquor shops. Drunk
en- men stagger along the sidewalks day and
night, and rutlians are abroad at all hours.
recent act Of the municipal government allows
the liquor establishments TO be kept open until
midnight.
Did you ever hear Marylander talk? 1t
affords Infinite amusement to our soldiers
who, whether accustomed TO use correct lam
guage or not, can readily detect Inaccuracies
In others. The almost universal "yer, for
here Is perhaps among the least OF their impro-
prieties of speech. The Yankees are accused
OF nasal twang and fat pronunciation: but
no Yankee ever said "keow' or "caaf7' lcalf)
or "gaase" for gas with greater carefuness
than these people. / have heard a high-bred
and beautiful lady, pretending to education.
say "oncet' and "twicet" for once and ttrice
and "skule 'eouse' for school house. This
style OF pronunciation is not peculiar TO the
vulgar, but is noticeable In the speech of that
class who call themselves gentlemen own
ers oil whole families Of negroes, men who
say they have travelled" Mentioning this to
friend the other day, he observed, "Oh, the
white folks down south all talk niggeri"
The emancipation question engrosses the
attention of all who are disposed 10 bestow a
candid thought upon it. But il is curious 10
note the various opinions and shades of preiu-
dice In relation to the universal negro. One
wishes they were all set free and sent away
from the country, colonized in some "Borrio-
boola-gha" where the darkness of heathenism
still exists-anywhere, so they be not kept
here and allowed TO serve for wages, or asso-
ciate in any way with the lordy race of pale
faces; for then in course of time, the abject-
ness of soul and the intellectual weakness and
degradation, which centuries of wrong and
oppression have entailed upon the negro,
might be displaced by the full consciousness
OF manhood, which education imparts. 1t is
astounding - the foolish, deep-seated preju-
dice against all methods to ameliorate the
present condion of the African slave in our
country. And there is not an objection pre-
sented by the opponents of emancipation,