The national Republican., 1869-02-01
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JAsuIsr 80. isp.

intellectually, that has gracsd Washington
society this winter wss ne Press Club dinner,
that came Oh yesterday evening.
rna rasss cLus. n
The club consists or some forty members,
nearly all Of whom are Warrington core
spondents Of distant papers, the balanes
being gentlemen connected with the Wash.
ington prcss. With the exception Of Messrs.
L. A. Gobhght and W. D. wallach, all the
members Of this now famous club are prob.
ably under thirty -nve years Of age. Neverhc-
less, they exercise greater Influence over the
popular mind than any other forty gentlemen
that can be assembled together In the coun-
try. They arc Immediately connected with
perhaps the hundred leading and most widely.
circulated newspapers In the United States,
to whom they daily telegraph and write their
Impressions Of passing events In washington.
WHERE ruHr swARx.
They congregste for the most part In and
around the locality on Fourteenth street,
opposite wlllard's Hotel, now known as
Newspaper Row." where nightly may also
be found numerous gentlemen bent on keep
Ing themselves or their ideas or schemes
before the public, who vibraie between the
several ofiices occupied by the gentlemen Of
whom am writing, imparting or seeking
Information Of interest for the nonee.
Tus WAYS OF THEIR quARrsRs.
A fact Of importance made known In
that quarter, and inferences ffom Ii accepted
BY those correspondents appear next morn
Ing In the hundred leading newspapers, from
tho 81. Lawrence to tho Rocky mountains
and New Orleans, 10 be copied on the follow
ing day Into at least thousand other Jour
nails Of general public interest. Il ID not too
much to say, therefore, that the members Of
this club daily reach the inteilects Of nearly
all the people Of the United States who read
newspapers. No other band Of writer's on
this or any other continent reach the minds
Of one tenth the number Of readers.
APowlR IN rHR LAND.
They are, therefore, power In the land,
Of vast importance In shaping public opln-
Ion. As remarkable as Il may appear, few,
very few Of them are known to abuse their
opportunities, either from sordid or vain
considerations, as, with very few exceptions,
no more scrupulous and conscientious gen.
tlemen are to be found In any position, any
where. They are well paid by the newspa-
pers employing them, (from s1 500 10 $4,000
per annum,) and arc all gentlemen In their
associations, bearing and habits Of life.
TuHR auHsrs LAST MONT.
The guests who attended their annual din
ner last night were all Of the profession,
viz: Speaker Collar, Senator Anthony, Rep
resentatives Brooks, Blaine, and Robinson,
and Messrs. James Parton and Y. @. squlers,
Of New York, and John d. Defrces. They
are very "chary" Of their Invitations, inyit-
Ing no one not actually connected with the
press, or whose career has failed to dignity
and add lustre In some way or other to the
profession Of Journalism in this country.
ABRrLLIAsr "rIxR."
"After the removal Of the cloth" at their
dinner last night, as usual, there was such
feast Of reason and now Of soul. G. OF
after dinner wit and repartee, as Ii is rare,
indeed, to hear. The speeches Of the occa-
sion were decidedly those Of Messrs. VIM. Z.
Robinson, Of Brooklyn, N. Y, and Ben Per-
ley Poore, the president Of the club; that
sort Of oratory being the forte Of those gen.
tlemen. In 1t, both equal the Irish and Eng
llsh celebrities Of the last century. Others
present who also possess the gin to re-
markable degree, added greatly to the even.
ing's entertainment; Messrs. Brooks, Blaine,
Gobright, Anthony, Parton, squier, ct. al.
DHNossTRATIoS.
Among the notable occurrences Of the
evening was an unmistakable demonstra
tlon Of the favor with which the club looL
upon the aspirations Of Mr.. Blaine for the
speakershlp. There can be little doubt that
the whole party will do their best to make
him the next Speaker, and no other party Of
gentlemen are SO situated as to effect rs much
upon the public mind to that end.
MANHOOD SUFFRAGE.
The Senate will, doubtless, follow tho ex.
ample Of the House yesterday In passing the
Boutwell, manhood suffrage amendment to
the Constitution by the requisite majority "a
insure Its presentation to the several State
Legislatures for the necessary concurrence
Of three fourths Of their number.
At present II Is believed here that the Leg
islaturcs Of three fourths the States are not
to be calculated upon to ratify 1t, but great
hopes are entertained that ere they can dis
pose Of 1t they will come up In line to IL
support. Grants administration will, doubt
less, labor earnestly to bring them there
and In this matter Ii will prove Q host
Every Republican member Of both houses
without half dozen exceptions, will leav,
no stone unturned to compass the same re
suit. Knowing well that progress has beei
steadily onward since Lees surrender, I Sc
no reason to apprehend the failure ofthis pro
posed most important constitutional amend
ment, thus launched before tho country b,
the almost unanimous vote Of the Republl
cans Of the House.
RECONSTRUCTION.
The Virginia reconstruction question con
tinues to be the point Of greatest interes
among philosophic and rejecting Republl
cans in and out Of Congress, all Of whom
realize that II Is as necessary for the futur
Of the party, as Of the country, that 1t b.
speedily settled upon far higher grounds thai
those upon which the petition Of the com
mittee Of nine Is being opposed before tn,
Reconstruction and Judiciary Committees.
These grounds Of opposition are neithe
more nor less than as follows, viz That |
oil who bore arms for the rebellion be no
len wholly under the pardoning power o
those In their Stats who did not bear arms 70
the rebellion, Republican party ascendenc.
will ceasei or, what Is equally as bad, other
than the present leaders will hereafter lea,
the Republican party In Virginia, and q
such leaders they will probably hold tn
State and local Offices.
I need hardly point out to your reader
how paltry and unworthy Of great nationa
party such considerations really are. Tn
opposition to the proposition to make th
proposed Virginia constitution Just and prac
tlcable are willing to throw away the other