Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1863-01-02
Correspondence of the Daily Journal.
FROM WASHINGTON.
The Ministerial Crisis-Seward- : Guroao-
ski and his Diary The Repulse at Fred
ieksburg- Goo. Kirk,Oosd, etc, et'.
WASHINGTON, Dec. %.

mingl d through the minds of the vast null
titude here, like the passions spun out in the
thread of Meg Merrilics, as she read the fate of
young Bertram: .ise >'-i- ~t ~
"Twist ye twine We even
Minge shades of joy and wO. .tas. u.
Hope, and fear, and peace, aud strife,
In tue thread Of human life"
etc, etc, as more fully appears in the enter.
tanning history of Guy Manntring.
I think the excitement has been greater on
account of Stewards removal, than that which
was created by the repulse Of Burnside. This
city is very small beer i'll most respects. In
literature, in the arts and sciences, in point Of
general culture and the versatile accomplish
ments necessary to entrance into the best So
ciety in the intelligent cities Of the North
Washington is way behind the distance pole.
Thought, ambition, conversation, study here
are almost exclusively in political channels
This is, no doubt, the necessary result Of the
political center of the nation having SO long
been city of slavery. But, whatever the
cause, it is Certain that Washington society is
more thoroughly stirred up by plausible ru-
mors of a ministerial crisis than by any
other under the sun, excepting always the
story that Stouewall jackson is about to at
tack the city. In case of a change in the
Cabinet, everybody here is in his clement
his torte-because everybody, from the Pre-
mier down to the s'first class" clerk who at
home by several months log-rolling can con-
troll the vote of Bull Frog Township in the
county convention, is full -fedged astute, ex-
perienced politician of note! And where so
many men, and boys, and even women, have
chance to shine by splendidy appearing in
their own chosen elements, Of course we
mere outsiders become almost alarmed at the
terrific cloud of dust kicked up by so small
a matter. Ifyou want to see big thing
therefore, come to Washington during min
isteral crisis, or when one is generally believ-
ed in. It's as good as an Inauguration
Very few regrets will be expressed, l
apprehend, by the earnest men of the country
at the retirement of Gov Seward. think
the country looks upon him as second John
Tyler in political morality, while conceding to
him far greater intellectual ability. He is a
hard student, fine speaker of long labored
orations, man of cavalier expressions
enough before crowd of his admirers, and of
turn-tail cowardice in the face of danger, or
of political crisis upon whose speedy issue
turns the fate of nations and of freedom
But the great fault in Seward is that he is not
statesman, buta diplomatist; and not diplo-
matist of the highest order, but ofthe school of
Tallyrand. Deceit, not truth, scheming, not
the Welding together of great international
interests, are the means and end of this school
Of diplomacy, so unworthy the age and its
civilization. 'sIt is common weakness with
men in power, who have used dissimulation
successfully" says Coleridge, Ito form pas
sion for the use of it-dupes to the love of
duping! A pride is fattered by these lies.
He who fancies that he must be perpetually
STOPPING down to the prejudices Of his fellow
creatures is perpetually reminding and re-
assuring himself of his own vast superiority
to them. But no real greatness can long CO.
exist with deceit The whole faculties of man
must be exerted in order to noble energies !;
and he who is not earnestly sincere lives but
in half his being, self-mutilated, self-paral-
ized." Thus has Seward mutilated, paralized
his great powers. He thought himself supe-
rior to the country, the press, at which he
sneered, and Congress, which he villifed. He
deceived the world awhile, but retires at last
feather-plucked, nnwept, unhonored and un-
sung. So may it ever be with insincere,
unearnest men
And then, bang! goes Gurowski's Diary,
finging shell, shrapnel, canister, and sugar.
loaf big balls right into the rooms and head
quarters Of lots of statesmen and generals, so
called Gurowski is, believe, Pole an
aged gentleman who has seen much service in
Europe, both in camp and cabinet. He was
clerk in the State Department for some
time, but walked up one morning and discov-
cred that Seward had cut off his head. His
Diary contains his observations on passing
events, and the public men connected with
the administration and conduct of the war,
from March, 1861, up to and including
November, 1862. Though the book has no
special literary merit, though it is frequently
written in English wrong -side-out, as it were,
it is SO gossipy, SO dashy, 50 full Of personal
tiles, that it takes hugely with the Washing
ton public. Not copy could be had, for love
or money, after the day on which the book.
sellers received their supplies, and those who
did not get the work then are now waiting in
great suspense for the second arrival. The
old Count handles without gloves the Presi-
dent, Scott, Mcclellan, Halleck, Fremont, the
Blairs, Seward, .Adj. Gen. Thomas, the CHIEF
Clerk Of, the State Department, Ministers
adams and Sandford, Doolittle, Thurlow
Weed, Archbishop Hughes (whose errand
abroad, he says, was not worth the postage
on his correspondence y the New York Time.
and Herald, and even Greeley, besides hos