The New York herald., 1870-07-25
|! feel Ike one,
Who treads alone
Some banquet hall deserted,
Whose lights are fed
Whose garlagds dead
And ali but he de eparted

No crow ds sweep along Pennsylvania avenue 10
ward the grand Capitol building, which may COM
pare with anything OF Its kind In the universe. No
throngs infest the corridors OF the departments;
even the Treasury, where all the pretty girls are
employed on the least money.making OF all money
making pursuits to wit, the making OF money ITSELF
can only display score or TWO Of iders and hangers
on waiting for peep at or Irritation with some OF
the beantles as they come and 60 away every little
while on business or otherwise.
The hotels are almost empty, the boarding houses
deserted, the stores seem to be doing little or
nothing. Everything seems to depore the sudden
exodus. Even the sidewalks creak dismal duet
with ones boots, as If lamenting departed greatness
and business
l suppose there is not a city in the worlQ where
the departure OF few hundred people works such a
wonderful external revolution as Washington. And
yet it is pleasant city, with fine Streets splendid
buildings and not q few natural advantages Above
all it is healthy city, in spite OF the dirty canal and
The inatrention Of Congress and It's own more
immediate rulers. decent annual approprla-
tion Judciously invested would transform the
capital into one of the finest cities or
the world, and it is the only capital
IN the world, perhaps, which is SO neglected, and
shamefully SO, by rulers and people Every visitor
who comes here admlres the broad avenues and pic
turesaue drives, but curses the mud and dust, and
wonders why pavementS and tagging are such
scarce articles. He can't understand how Uncle
Sam permits his headquarters to present such re.
markable contrasts to the tourist He can't see any
good reason why few millions should not be laid
out in finishing the job. Nor can any one ese ex-
cept the man who Is intent upon putting the na.
tional capital on wheels and driving It around the
country, shouting 'Whol take 1t ~ "will ANYBODY
have IT." "Who bids first ?" as though Archimedes
even could execute that job without smashing him.
self and workmen into smthereens in the effort
General Michler and some other officials here pre-.
sented plan some time ago for the completion and
improvement OF the city, which il carried out would
make 1t something as whole OF which Americans
might feel proud 1t Is a shame TO have 1t remain
as 1t is any longer. A million so per annum for
ten years say, would do the whole business. And
the nation ought TO do t; not the poor little corpo
ration which, hear, won't be let though 1t be
willing. The city Is the nations ward. The nation
ought to nurse and care for 1t tendery as good
guardian. Every other nation in the world takes a
pride in Its capital Is constantly adding to is beau.
ment. Only the great Yankee nation which blows
so much and bangs all creation, takes no interest in
It's seat OF government and treats it mpuuent
beggar seeking for aims, whenever 1t says, ''Give
us q lift old fellow; II not mine, at least for your
own sake"
THE PARADOL MYSTERY,
for such 1t deserves to be called, inasmuch as no
rational solution oft has yet been given, still forms
2 SpbisSt l much ntagsel here mora AaneQl aAY ~