The Portland daily press., 1869-12-16
Terms $500 per annuna, in adrance.
The senate as Seen by n Woman.


lady correspondent of the New York
1r'o0"e gives the following graphic account
OF opening day in the Senate. 1t will be
found interesting on account of the raciness
of the personal sketches:
To one who remembers the old circpIar
Senate room-the little arena with its great
gladiators, the present spacious chamber,
with all its architectural elegance and i'm
proved upholstery, is 10 degree common
place. My thoughts at last went back, near
ly twenty years, and even while looking on
the scenes and actors of another era, almost of
another age, seemed to be looking down on
the dome like head OF Webster, on the auto
crauc u9llness of Clay, on the hard and
naughty o Roman countenance OF Benton,
on the pure keen face of Calhoun-iery vet
somber-a face stamped with great destiny,
marred Dy greater disappointment; on
Pierre Soule, with his dark, dramatic beauty
and Partisan elegance OF costume; on Butler
OF South Carolina, with his restless, cleaning
eyes, and white, wild locks. l saw again Sew
ard, cool and sel-posSessed, with his wary
blue eyes ambushed under their shaggy eye
brows, patient and unsurprisable, taking snuff
In the midst OF tempest Foote of Missis-
sippl, pivoting about on his seat, uneasily
watching Hale OF New Hampshire, that pro-
voking embodiment of philosophic and sleepy
sturdy, muscular little figure, packed with en-
ergy and strung with steel-like nerves-with
his face knotten with thought and toughened
with will; Sam Houston, ruffle shirted, self
conscious, and semi-b Misunderstanding doves
and arrows out of shingles with his jack
knife. ihere, too, was Corwins daik, pow
erful, loyable face, played over by the heat
lightniugs of quaint and kindly bumor.
And there was Jefferson Davis, with his
naughty, sharply cut face, cold yet intense in
eXpression-the mouth and chin almost cruel
ly firm, the eyes keen, defiant, hungriy ambi-
tious. There, too, was the new Free-Soil cen
ator, Chase Of Ohio, stately and aristocratic,
man who never took Democracy in the natur-
al way.
In the chair was Mr.. Fillmore, a handsome
man, and a gracious officer, who shed over
that chamber the light OF a serene, unehange-
able smile. One wondered if he bore that
peculiar impartial radience into the sanctuary
OF private life and domestic relations, or if it
was merely parliamentary illumination-a
smile OF State. Here we have fallen Off L
hold that Schuyler Collax is match for Mil
lard Fillmore, any day.
As | reused to ths real present, l could see
below Inc but one of the actors in the tu-
multuous scenes of the Congress that passed
the Fugitive Slave law, but one member OF
the gallant little faction that Chase and Sew
ard led, that Butler and Douglas bullied,
that Foote harried, that Webster sought to
overawe, Clay to seduce, and Davis to ami
hlate. This was Hann.ba Hamlin. His
dark, kindly face looked TO me little chang
ed from those old, old times, as this morning
he stood pleasantly talking with the new
comers, carrying his head with a scholarly
pitch forward, and his hat with a counteracL-
ing pitch backward
Yet the past has, after all, good deal of
Fictitious dignity. The dead party leader
hnu pnnl lnoa
he may have been-is safe in immortal i'm
munity and respect And, all said, the pres
ent Senate is by no means wanting in strik-
ing and impressive figures. Charles Sumner
stands like strong pillar Of the Common
wealth, firm and unbowed. Parson Brown
low, the Rchelieu of Tennessee, still sits the
mark OF curious wondering eyes, with the
look OF dying man, but with his old obsti-
nate spirit OF vitality and fight strong in him
yet-outwardy all a tremble with disease;
mwarGiy, all will and fixed resolve-an aspen
Win the neart OF an oak. Simon Cemeron
seems still vigorous, and bears in his high
bred face the shrewd, sagacious look of
man who sees deep and far-is in his cool,
cautious way political prophet Senator
Nye looks what he is, a man of 'inhnite jest"
and b0nh0mrpie. Carl Schurz seems to the
manor senatorial born-has the air of an
elegant scholar, and happily retains but few
marks of the soldier.
TIE two blondes of the Senate-Conkling
of New York and Stewart of Nevada-are es-
teemed men OF mark by the galleries. They
come as they went-the one with his glossy
pet curl still lying like sunny peninsula, in
the broad expanse Uf his brow-the other
looking as though the winds of the Sierra
were yet playing with his wild locks-one
dainty, the other careless--one the last result
of Eastern civilization, the other a representa-
tive Western man of the best type. Both are
men OF admirable ability, but one knows 1t,
and the other doesn't-or one is alert and the
other is a little lazy. Mr.. Carpenter OF Wis
consin, OF whose eloquence we have heard
such great things, looks, on the whole, up to
his reputation. He is dark, and powerfully
made. People say he is like Webster, but
confess l can't see it. He walks about the
Senate Chamber, with his hands in his pock-
cts, in an easy Western swing, which is too
full of real manliness to be swagger, and
too energetic for saunter, yet suggests both.
The late Governor of Connecticut and her
present senior Senator, is a refined, diguihed
man, rather English or Bostonian in appear
ance. His face is singulary calm and benig-
nant, yet marked by an almost Puritanic Sc
lousness. There is about him an atmosphere
of old-time purity and integrity, which is his
best protection against lobbyists and wire
pullers. $50 much for Buckingham" Sena-
tors Anthony, Morton, Howe, Trumbull,
Sherman, Harlan and Yates are back again,
and all looking frightened and refreshed by
run across the continent, or grateful home
rest. As they met and clasped hands, did
not observe any looking toward the vacant
seat of their great comrade who has gone on
a longer journey-who is taking a sweeter
home-rest; but L doubt not they thought of
him, magnanimousy, tenderly.