The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-07-23

the nomination. and Omaha seconds A. Chi
cago is the vainest place in the world, and
believes herself already the cynosure of the
ewes of mankind, and the metropolis of Anne
rican wealth and enterprise. Omaha having
come into a fine property very early in life, is
naturally inflated with an extravagant and iu-
venile ambition Yet in the very handsomest
manner both yield to that most respectable
old town, St Louis. Such harmony is touch
ing Cincinnati, to be sure, makes faint
protest: and there is place called KeokuS
which prefers claim, for some reason which
we do not now remember. Cincinnati, how
ever, is hardly in earnest, and will soon fall
into line, and KeOkuk is ruled out, of course,
by its preposterous name. We could not have
our national capital called Keokuk on any ac-
count. Fancy how Nj. Rouher would feel if
Louis Napoleon should called him into his
private cabinet some day and say, "M
Rouher, have appointed you minister pleni-
potentiary at Keokuk.
There are some considerations which might
induce us to look upon this plan of a West
ward emigration of Congress with favor, if
there were not other considerations inducing
us to look in an opposite direction Wash
ington has no special recommendations for q
seat of government Cor indeed for anything
else except a penitentiary), and on many
accounts is highly Objectionable. 1t is one
of the wickedest places in the world, one of
dullest, and worse than all, it contains the
national collection of works of art. All these
are excellent reasons for going away from it
not to speak of its inconvenient geographi-
cal situation, and of the important fact that
in a military point of view it is so easy to
take and so hard to hold. Nor need the Gov
ernment buildings prove an embarrassment.
They might be taken to pieces and carted
away, stone by stone, or they might even be
L.
we remember, was built in a mud-hole con
siderably below water mark and after it had
grown to maturity the whole city was raised
up in mass some eight or ten feet. The en-
gineers who could perform this exploit would
make nothing of freighting the Capitol or the
Treasury building on big platform car and
whirling it from the Potomac to the AIissis-
sippi or the Hudson.
The clamor for the change comes, as we
have already said, from the West, and ST.
Louis is by general consent the elected city
st. Louis is a very nice place. 1t contains
some estimable old families who might teach
the Congressman manners. But we fear that
the reason why Chicago, and Hannibal, and
Oshkosh, and Promontory Station and the
other principal cities of the West are so ready
to yield it precedence in this matter. is that
they have no fear of its rivalship in any other
theoretically, it is all very well to put Con-
gress out in the rural districts, and expect
honorable members to grow in virtue by the
smell of the COWS and the new-mown hay,
and by contact with a bold pea
santry, their countrys pride. Practi-
cally, however, we know very well that
rustic simplicity flies the approach of legisla-
lures, and unless we can plant them in busy,
prosperous, ready-made city, they will soon
| be surrounded by bogus metropolis of dram
shops, gambling-hells, claim offices, and
| boarding-house If Congress went to St.
Louis, it would have nothing to do in its
hours .of ease but stand on the levee and
watch the shipment of breadstuffs. If it went
to Chicago, its sole amusement would be look
ing at the Lake tunnel and getting divorced.
Cincinnati has no genteel family amusement
except pork slaughtering and Oshkosh can
only entertain its guests with statistics of its
own greatness.
1t results as a matter of course that, when
ever the capital is moved it must be moved
to New York. This city is the commercial
and intellectual centre of the United States
and Is likely always to remain so. If the
political centre is ever moved from its present
position, it will inevitably gravitate to the
same point and any change which carries the
capital elsewhere will be but temporary ex
pedient We have every means of making
Congress comfortable as we'll as some facili
ties for keeping it respectable. We have
good hotels, and plenty of them, excellen
theatres, Croton water, the Central Park, anC
the Ia16ll1te every morning before daylight
Let these considerations be we'll weighed
and if the seat of government is disturbed a
all, we believe every impartial mind vii
perceive that it ought by all means to b.
placed here.