The Portland daily press., 1870-05-17
Letter from WA III 7DS ION.
WASHINGTON, D. c., May IA, 1876

AT EAIH NG SELL.
1t is almost shame to write on such day
as this, finishing it too as I have been doing
There is just enough of the fiercer warmth Of
the sflery summer, aided By the passionate
long;ngs of the later spring, to make one
screen laziness under the pretenle of languor
and loaf the day away under the shade of the
Wide branching trees that are found in the
capital grounds. I have been doing this near
ly all day, spending deiightfal hours between
the last new noyel-Disraels Lothair''-
which the Appetons have sent me, and in
watching the fiecked shadows made by the
sunlight falling through the boughs above up
on the messy, velvety turf of the ground
Looking up could see the white walls of the
beautiful baild;ng within whose cleaning
statelness our legislators meet, TO play as
Mr.. Schenck declared of one branch-the part
of ''pismires." The ungracious sarcasm ought
to be unf0rg:ven, either from the statesmans
lips or my poor pen. But what is "writ is
writ" and after all the word is fiat times
to use. To-day the interior is very quiet The
"Windbag Councils" as Carlyle would style
them possibly, are silent. There is an e1cur-
sion down the liver, one of the refined, or
otherwise, modes recently adopted by the
leading citizens here, of lobbying this city into
Congressional graces. believe even Swart
John has gone. What will the Logan clan
of capital-movers say, to such falling
off from grace? Still after the laborious
Inequalities of the past week of Tie
Grand Army national encampment, its
day of rest. BY the way the national en-
campment was pleasant success. Comrades
of The G.. A. r. in Maine will be glad to
know they were worthily represented by
Captain Prince. who is in this as IN other
things, the pr;1 of CON comddos. But
was INDUCING myself with some discursive
suggestions about loafng-for to read Lothair
and look at the shadows can hardly be deem
ed anything else in this uttiarian age. By
the way, Disraeli's book, though attractive
both from theme, tre3tment and writer's
character, lacks the one universal touch which
some of his earlier works suggested, if they
did not realize. AS far as have got it hard
ly warrants return to the pastime with
which the wonderful English Hebrew begun
life. In reading the story, even an American
can hardly fail to recognize chance charac-
tiers well known in Europe. "Mirandola" is
evidently designed for Mazzin, and the au-
thor touches him more sincerely and gener-
ously than one would expect. "Capt. Burgess
is either intended for "KIapka," now Omar
Pasha, or, what is more probable, for General
Cluseret, who undoubtedly has had to do with
the Fenian movements. "Cardinal Granville"
is Archbishop Manning. The liberal Oxford
Professors portrait in India ink and caus,ic is
probably fling at Beasley, or Thorwold
Rogers-probab!y the former, who once stung
Disrael by bitter episram. The theme of
OF the wOrk-Lothair-i is broad one-that
of the struggle between Catholicism and ra-
tional liberty; and the English statesman
gives us good insight into movements which
we, happily for our peace, but it is to be fear
ed too carelessly for our security, know but
little about; so that the quiet of the drowsy
May day has after al fitted well with the
strange problems and shifting actions of the
mover, reminding one of the words of a char
acter therein, "Action is not ALWAYS happi-
ness, but there is no happiness without ac-
ton"
This is q queer letter to write from this
generally seething turmoil of political in
trgue and activity. But there is so little but
what The omn;verous telegraph deyours, that
the most ingenious of letter writers may be
at loss sometimes what to write. You see
SO lar I've had nothing to say, and yet have
consumed some portion of my allotted space
in saying it. i0N
PROBABILITIES AND POSSIBILITIES.
81, AS you Know the inn ortant bill looking TO
Tue revival OF American commerce which hoe
been pending some time, is before tho Hnn ,ia'
its discussion will be resumed Tuesday 81 :.
IS believed the previous question NAV Ina a. ~
dered and the vote taken on Thursday Eor
nando Wood has the floor for a speecI in ~,
position. Mr.. Allison will, it is believed aji,
oppose it and some others-like Garfield nov
haps, who are never content unless amendlor
They ought 10 have been workers in me ,aicsS
their mission in legislative life being to yarie.
gate-perhaps l ought to say muddle eyery-
thing other people propose. 1t is eminenty en-.
joyable, if you are only sufficiently phosophic.
to see some people supreme conceit They
never have an idea they can't do better
than other people and to prove it, they're al
ways trying There are some gentlemen
in Congress who would not have hesitate1
moment to retouch Raphaels MadonnaU or
'Iransfigurations," have changed the STYLE of
St Peters, or even disputed the beauty of
Paradise ITSELF This is an extravagant way
of stating perhaps that they will seek to
amend fhe pendiDg measure but IT, IL all tho