South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1870-07-22

.'iSi VI Nuiuus Whea he leaped intO the vawu-
ing gull which opened in the Roman forum
When behold him sadly contemplating his ma
lesuc features in one of those gorgeous and cost
~ mirrors which is furnished him at The pu bic
expense, my heart goes out TO him in sympa thy
When | sec him seated sorrowfullv AZ a ,n;s,-,,
oie repast OF sea terrapin and champagne my
very bowels yearr for him. TLaughter And
When see him performing perhaps the only du-
y Tor which he Is fully competent-signing the
IsCelpt TOT ms monthly pay am SO overwhelm-
GU WIN pity Tor his miserable condition that I
wish were in his place. TCsreat laught,r L
"hen such considerations ms these sir have
come crowding upon my mind, appealing to cy-
cry generous sentiment OF my better nature
when have thought how the official nerves n
our poor neglected public servants are racked by
the car rattling o er the stony street" | have
ieit, under the sudden impulse Of the moment
that we ought TO tear up the old cobbe- stone
pavement on the avenue and supply its place
with one OF the new-fashioned patcnt wnoden
ones, over which the splendid carriages of onr
government officials with their coats of arms
and liveried outriders, might glide as smoothly
and noseessly as the aerial car Of the fairy queen
tnrod gh the rosetinted clouds of the upper ether
Applause and laughter
But, alas the House is estoppcl Mr. Chair
man by Its own action TO entertain any such
considerations these-for when nv friend
from Ohio tNr. Mungen) some time ago offered
reSo'uuoh inqnlrlng how many carriages, hor-
ses, harness, and other trappngs of nobility the
Government furnished its officials Mt its own ey
pcnse, 1t was promptly rejected on the ground, as
supposed, that ii was great State secret. aud
lhal II should not even be limited to the plebeian
taxpayers in the country that our Governpen.
officials here ever rode In carriages nj ali In,
that they should be left to indulge the innocent
illusion that their sef-sacriicing servants here
at "the Capital Of the nation" bowed down law
the cares OF State or the painful burdens of their
own ponderous intellects, plod slowly along with
eyes bent upon the ground, while their hcarts
are with the loved ones far away. Laughter.
Sir, would like to meet one of vour
constituents (Mr. Paine in the chair in
his suit of home spun butternut.-pardon
me, believe some wear butternut in your
State. Laughter / say | would ike
to meet one of your honest hearted, patri-
otto old constituents, who feels an honest
pride in the fancied simplicity and purity
of our republican form of government, down
hero at the junction of Pennsylvania av-
enue and Seventh street, where the one
legged veteran with his hand-organ rrinds
out his wailiUg appeal to the charity of his
patriotic countrymen as they pass, when
some gentleman high in authority swenps
by in his splendid pbcton behind spank
ing span of thOroughbreds, driven by
tiunky dressed in a drab overcoat and q
stovepipo hat, with silver buckle in front
OF 1t almost as big as garden gate.
Laughter. would like to see him open
his eyes and stare at the passing pageant.
think / can see him now watching the
glittering equipage. AS it fades away in
the dim perspective the old man turns slow
ly away, muttcring "sjc transit gIoyi1
DlUa|i" aud the manned soldier strikes
up, That's the way the money goes pop
goes the weasel! daughter
Yes, sir; would like to accommodate
our ce-holders with smooth and com
modious pavement but as honestly think
VIC cannot, the best advice can give them
is, if they cannot stand it, to resign. The
whole country will approve their indignant
resolution. laughter
TO some gentlemen this language may
sound like hyperbolc, but | would ask
them to show me one single Government
JOB around this city that has yet been fn.
ishcd. There Is the Washington aqueduct.
to which l alluded while ago That
work was commenced under an appropria-
ton made eighteen years ago, aud nearly
every Congress since that time has made
appropriations, every one Of which was con
sidcred sufficient to insure its completion.
until the Government has expended upon
lt nearly or quite three millions and a quar-
ter Of money. Yet, Notwithstanding the
work has, since | have known ANYTHING n
bout a., been under the supervision Of the
most skil.ful and faithful engineers, who, /
am glad to say, believe have performed
their duty honestly and well, it is to day
unfinished
But if this will not satisfy the most in.
crcdulou5 that ] speak within the bounds
IF sober reason, I would ask how much has
been expended and still remains to be cx-
pended in The improvement az this build.
ing aud the grounds Immediately around
it, and when they will likely be complet-
Cd ? Sir when ] look out upon these Cap
itol grounds, aud see oue-half Of the yoar
occupied in wheeling back upon these ter.
races tho dirt which has washed down dur
iug the other BALI, ! sometimes think Nat
when Virgil wrote his description of the
punishment Of Sisyphu5 in hen he must
have had a sort ot prophetic eye upon tho
superintendent Of this Capitol extension.
IGrcat Laughter.
The fact is, when / came here three
years ago, and saw the scorpion scJurgo Of
Ilsiphonc applied without mercy to every
one even suspected Of rebel sympatbics:
when ] saw the pale images Of Washing
ton, Hancock, J Jefferson Hamilton, aud
other dead heroes and sages looking ont
upon me with their dull cold eyes from eve
cry niche of this Capitol while fancicd
that The ghosts Of murdered States were
hitting through every corridor like Dthe