The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1871-04-08
WAsuNcroN, February 18th, 1871.

cation until my next issue.
Yours, EDITOR OF THE FRIEND.
WASHINGTON, February 25th, 1871.
Here we are in this Mecca of the great Ameri
can people. We arrived last evening, and found
Mr.. and Mrs. Alvord at the station waiting tc
take US to their home. Those of rs who followed
the war through its darkest phases, will remember
how Mr.. Alyord followed the soldiers with food
for body and soul, and never deserted them,
under any circumstances. And those OF US VINO
have watched the fate of the freed negroes, know
with what devotion he has sought their interests
up to the present moment, He is now President
of the 81 National Freedmen's Savings and Trust
Company" There are those who doubt whether
the negro is capable of progress, or of adequate
selEsupport. 1t may reassure such to know that
the sarings of the coIored people who avail them
selves of the advantages of this and the various
Branch Banks throughout the country, not un-
frequently foot up to SAC, 900 in a single day.
This morning being a very fine one, 1t was
thought best to make sure of a visit to the
CAPITOL. Our view of it from the railway station
last evening, was not imposing. We saw 1T
through a vista Of poor buildings, and over a
road of deep clay mud. 1t reminded us of that
&. jewel" which Solomon speaks of. But this
morning we approached it through Pennsylvania
Avenue-wbich made all the difference in the
world. We not only saw the dome, which is
seen everywhere in the city, but the immense
pile of white marble on which it rests and the
beautiful trees, and ground which redeem the
whole from the rawness of the other view. Our
visit commenced with the pictures, and other
objects of interest in the vast circular room
beneath the dome, and extended to other rooms,
and pictures, and statues, and wonders. At
length We made our way to the House Of Repre-
sentatiYes. The bills before the House were on
appropriations, and not very exciting. But We
saw the Honorable members in their seats-saw
them rise and speak-but the sovereign people in
the galleries talked, laughed, and made so much
noise generally that We heard but little.
From the House we went to the Senate Cham
Der. Here we found a body of men, which i'm
pressed me as being worthy of their high position,
~dignifed, earnest, gentIemanly, even in the
Senate Chamber. The colored Senator Revel sat
directly below us. We did not hear him speak,
further than to say no, to some of the appropria-
ton measures under consideration. But | saw
what L believed to be an elegant autograph
album, brought to him by one of the little run
ners (who jumped about the room as thick as
grasshoppers) and in which wrote his name.
We were disappointed when we entered the
Chamber, to find that speaker CoIlax was not in
the chair. But we listened to, and heard the
debates on the votes called
for, and saw that the votes on either side were so
nearly equal that the speaker was often obliged
to call on the members to rise in their seats and
be counted. This appeared to US just as it should
be. But when COliax came in half an hour
after, we had the rare treat of seeing how he put
business through. 1t seemed easy for his praeticed
ear to detect the excess of a single vote on one
side or the other. In no case did he call on the
members to rise in their seats. On the instant
the vote was taken, he called out in clear vet
rapid tones The ayes appear TO have it. The
ayes have it." Or, The noes appear to have it.
The noes have it," The members might ring out
their "ayes," or their ''noes" ever so loudly,
thinking to make amends for the fewness of their
votes, by the loudness of their voices. But no
such dodge could succeed with such a man in the
chair, and in no instance was his rapid decIara-
ton of the votes challenged by either party.
There was no measure of great Importance before
the Senate, " Retrenchment . seemed lust then
to be a sort of party cry, by a party not much
TO the practice of that virtue and it turned
out that several thousand dollars were deducted
from the appropriations for Irvine and wrapping
paper, for the use of members We STAYED out
our time and left the Capitol with regret, vet
hoping to visit it again-Alonday morning 27th.-
Our first visit this morning was to the Howard
University for the education of colored people, in
every department of learning known or taught in
our best American colleges. The Institution is
in an important sense, the creation of Gen. u. O.
Within four years he, and u few men
Of like mind towards the freedmen, have con-
Ferted an old tenantless rebel farm, which was
ground into one great mud hole during the war
it into '' the garden of the Lord. +"
The locality is now known us University Hill
les just without the city limits-opposite the
and of about the same elevation. Two
years ago, a gentleman came to this hill to 4
survey tbe spot, in view OF the future University,
md took lodgings at night in an old box of an
lrmy sutler. Now the hill is dotted with scores
IF elegant houses and homes, growing up around
he University buildings, which are the central :
igures of the place. OF these there are five large
md elegant beyond most of our college buildings
u any part OF the country, and at present gath
ring within their walls more than four hundred
tudeuts of both sexes, and every shade of color,
rom the shining ebony. TO the Anglo Saxon (yet
ainted) wliteness. There are u few '.non- Z
oIored :" students-compe.ing side by side with
he late slave for the honors of the legal and
MEDICAL professions, and not dhcayS UiuniRg them.
We went in to attend the morning prayers of the
Gen. Howard always conducts these
xercises- He asked us TO step into his room for
few moments before going to the Capitol.
there was a gentle, delicate looking gIrl in the
DOM of twelve years old, 1 should Judge, whom
e introduced to us as his daughter . Gracie.'' 4
nudge Of my surprise, on going TO the Capitol to
nd her seated among the students, as one of
heir number, which she really is. Gen. Howard
cad the scriptures, and prayed in the most
simple manner, and a few remarks were
lade by others, when the students went to their
rooms. The General had no difficulty
a making us understand that his whole soul was +
. this work. 1t was touching to hear him I
lment that he did not see results, as he desired, :
lille we. were wondering ia our hearts what
wand had brought forth the grand
ssults then before our eyes. We fastened +.
trough the University halls, and then went out J
!, find Mr.. Alyordis carriage waiting to take US
NO or three miles beyond this place to a still
igher hill, quite in the country. Here are the
De buildings known as the % Soldier Rest -
here the old remnants of the wal, of 1872. and
ne Mexican war are spending their last days in
eaco and comfort. Here too is the modest
ouse, to which Lincoln loved to retire during the =
immer heats, and spend a few months in CON- I
quiet Farther down the bills, and