The New Orleans crescent., 1869-03-27

The state department stands mile out Of town,
| the tenant Of large brick, lowered building
| once en- orphan asylum. Above il and beyond
rises Meridian Hill. whereon stands Columbia Col
| lege and the fine white monament, perishable,
fear, of the Howard University. On this hill they
had projected the fature White House. Three
miles further out is the Soldiers Home, where the
presidents make their summer residence Going
out there all alone, enc night, on horseback.
pistol shot was fred at Abraham Lincoln. That
was the cause Of his riding with escort after
wards, and the Democratic press made great out
| cry about IT, ignorant thst his life had been as'
tempted. The state department is sufficiently
commodious. Carriages wait before Il In these
days perpetually. Ascending short pair of stairs
| you are upon the main floor, 9 long hall running
lenghtwise across the building, and st the angle Of
| the hall and the stairway Is the waiting room for
visitors. II is q small carpetedroom, with desk IN
the middle, and pictures hanging round Of Lncolns
| cabinet, of some battle landscapes, OF Secretary
| Howell Cobb, and OF that sterling American man.
William L. Marcy, than whom no nation ever had
better head and heart to preside over Its inter-
| ests and its honor abroad. This room. ct noon N
full of people, waiting TO get audience; some with
| foreign travel upon opportunities no bigger than
| q vagrant wish and q strangers letter OF recon-
mendation; others, petulant at delay, believing
their own consideration high as the highest; some
with dull, business faces, intending to push their
| claims with the trumpet aud defiance of sroyaI
| herald; again, some congressman upon the busi-
meas of constituent, and twittng him with their
/ crampeQ tlm6. fttro you see now uttie u tue
head of dependence. See them gnaw, gnaw.
with wry faces, cursiDg the laws delay. the inso-
lence of office, and the spurns that patient merit
| of the unworthy takes. Oh! Shakespeare, poet OF
statesmen be only can read thee right who has
| held and hunted Office SIS . .fsf
At one end of the long hall without Is the Office
of the secretary at the other, the rooms OF the
| clerk. Between stand the runners, doorkeepers
! and ushers, to pass in the cards Of people and
| bring back answers. The neighboring rooms are
curious to explore, hung with old prints of states
| men passed away. Here 10 John Mclean Of Della
ware, among the rest, with shoe-buckes, tou-
| pee knee breeches, his hand on the Constitution
| and the " Federalist" Did you ever hear Of John
| Mclean? He lived on Duck Creek, In the town
| of Smyrna, population seven hundred or less He
raised peaches and wheat, and loitered away the
| summer on goods box before store" ;" smok
| ing a clay pipe and talking Of Fox and Canning
/ In the winter he was . great man 10 Washing
| ton, and made foreign ministers and consuls.
| People waited before in the old office, where
| this old portrait hung when bran new. and they
| put in their papers and brought mp their I" back
| ers" just as we are doing now, and felt as mean
| about IT. John Mclean with his hand on Europe,
| splitting in the new world, listened to them ell,
| grave as grestness, and wondered what place
posterity would give him when they consulted his
| lie, portrait and state papers. All is gone Of
4 John Mclean bat this old git-framed engraving,
fading, fading, till we hardly get the gist OF his
| expression now, and we look at him between two
| ticks of the WATCH and say: f.N i-r-ft
Funny old rooster Who was John, Nc.
Lean ~ q
Welt the time will come when some body will
| ask: Who was Hamilton Fish ~ All that Is,
was. and will be again. There is no mystery In
| knee -breecbes. ~. ...I.ls.. =.
| Here are long bureaux, ancient looking Many
| cobweb has been brushed away from them. like
the wiping out Of foreign policies. The drawers
| are ali labelled: Portugal "Mexico," IS We
! den." The wisdom of one old minister is packed
| away there-Jones's observations on Bernsdotte,
and Smiths spprehensions that the house of Bra
| gebza means 10 eat mp Chuquisaca and shut tho
| shrimp fisheries Of the 0rnoco to our hardy sea.
men. Yonder, in the living body, walks old Mr.
| Hunter down the aisle. with spectacles on. Who
kDows all about the condition Of the Guinea
treaty, and whether Spain sent rs the full number
OF Creve Occur roostsrs and hens. according to the
| solemn stipulation. How many strange old people
| go up and down with red-tape wax seals and
psrchments In their hands. The place looks like
| a Nosh's ark, bearing across the deluge the
| archives OF the drowned world to the new one.
Suddealy we hear our name called, and much
| more courtesy Is shown us now than before they
called 1t. The usher bows to us as IL we were
plenipotentisry extraordinary and grand leignor
to the khan of Tartsry. We duck our way into
the presence of the secretary.
| "Gatb,n be says, "youre not office-seeking
Iheard the report and hoped it was SO. because
| we are anxious to get yon out OF town"
| mo, Mr.. Secretary. wish 10 be permitted to
get in the waste paper basket and take notes."
| Then the solemn ceremonial goes on. Bickid.
| die comes in with bis committee, square .toed
man who has recently read William Fisks travels
in Europe, and thinks he is qualified to reside ai
| rick, accompanies him, General Wibbscrew and
senator Csrpettaok. The secretary rises; they
are all up. The Introduction is made.
"Mr. Secretary" says Skilpatrick. we wish to
present the case Of Judge Bickliddle for your
prompt consideration. He lives in the city Of
Genoa, Indiana. where he keeps an extensive saw
| mill One OF his neighbors is entirely familiar
| with Europe. His wife Is an acceptable member
| IF Ranf AZ nd n Chldrou
| repose in the churehysrd thereof under Italian
marble monuments. True to his practical Ameri
can interests, Judge Bickliddle has depicted upon
toem Italian tombs the angel Of freedom rising
view of history and poesy runs through the judge.
BE sawed our Wide-Awake lamp-poles at 9 ms ate
rial reduction under his usual rates, and has q
decided foreign policy. One of his workmen
speaks Italian, and will make cheap and valu-
able secretary of legation !"
To this adds Senator Carpettack: " Mr.. Sscre
tsry ! confirm all that Mr.. Skilpstrick has ssid.
Judge Bickllddle owns the only original copy oi
/ rner who was hard mp. This devotion to the arts
1t seems to me, ought to be ree-collected to his
honor and give him this sppointmunt." 3.
General Wibbscrew concludes: Mr.. secre
taTy, Judge Bckliddle was in my camp and can
give the Italians idee OF war as practiced in thi
kee untry. lie bought ticket to see H-stor.
10 Fort Wayne, and seemed TO catch up tb'
Italian language. quite natural. he will git close
TO the court. and be an honor to his kee unry.'
Mr.. Bickbidde concludes:
"Mr. Secretary, l voted for Grant, and m.
daughter speaks parts OF several fcrrin Ian
gusges. Tam worth considerable and Cal
give most of any bond. If you appoint me
| III take the liberty OF coming In sn6 consulting
! YOU about what chip I'D better take. I've got
desdful idee Of sea Sickness"
"Gentlemen," said the secretary courteously
''the application shall be fled"
What is remarkable about foreign appointment
aud indeed all appointments is that except wher
Grant in person interiors; no sort Of service ia
coRnized save powerful party service. Taste
lent fitness, reading, little is valuable save dnll
doggsd, servile devotion TO the organization, an
the support of friends who will resent q non-ap
poiniment. Bring vindctive man TO urge you
case and you get IL. Bring Christian maa aud b
Is not heeded, because he is not feared.