Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1872-02-29
WASHINGTON, d. C.

Does 1t pay to visit the Capitol?
Aside from objects of curiosity which in
themselves are worthy of the cost and
trouble of visiting them, it pays to
breathe the atmosphere of newly
cradled political schemes, adIhinissri-
ton sycophancy, and watch. the
growth and development of that pre-
meditated, preconcerted opposition to
parties in power whose head and tail
can be found in the Sumner and Schurz,
caucllses at Washington and the Office
of the New York Tribune. At the
Capitol all except subsidized party or
gans, clerks and heads of departments
who owe their positions d iIils 10
their devetion to the intetestst t6f 4he
dominant party as to the fairness of
Civil Service Reform, are disposed to
assume the critic and stick their claws
into the tender spots of members of
either party. In other words there is
more Independence of party feeling
than can be found outside of the Capt.
tai. Everybody admires the free, bold
dash of Dom Piatt's Capital, no mat
ter how much they may condemn his
inconsistency. This leads us to observe
that Presidents generally have fewer
friends at home than where they are
not so well known.
GRANTS DENOMINATION
Is one Of more serious hmpef8 sat the
Capital than in outside circles. The OPP
position Senators command respect
generally not accredited them by cor
respondents whose prejadiees.c .celOr all
l'mosteverything they pen. Sumner and
Schurz seem determined to compel the
administration to parry their tbsalsts OF
fall beneath them. In the end sWe can
see no injury that can result to Presi-
dent Grant from thorough investiga
Ition Of the New York Custom House
frauds and the sale of arms to France
} administration Senators evidently
manifest weakness in the fear they
display on the introduction of reso
tlutions by Sumner and TrumbuH lock
ing to the furnishing of corruption ir
different departments of the govern
ment. Innocence is strong in itself.
A DAY IN THE HALLS.
The visitor at the Capital is happy
who has guide with brass enough tt
push his way into any quarter, wht
knows. and can point out the big gum
of the House and Senate. In thek Heust
ne is not likely-t to be deeply sihnsfesset
with the dignity of the body, fol
the truth is dignity is sadly in want
/ Imagine a single boy reciting his lessor
: in room where hundred pupils are
! either talking, playing at hide-and-go
/, seek, throwing paper balls over th'
room, and you have fair idea of thu
House when some second class membel
is making a second-rate speech. Very
? flew men can command any attention
: whatever, Dickens criticism was no
wanting in Justice, when he declared
the House of Representatives a rowdJ
ASSEMBLY. In the Senate where Wis
Iitors choose to go most frequently, we
were much better pleased. Schurz was
lspeaking and he always commands at
> tention, At the present. season the
n galleries are generally crowded anC
, 1.-THE speaker in them has an attentive
laudience, if not on the floor. In the re
iporters' gallery may be seeT half
? dozen correspondent or reporter
t..cilxr af h In 4 l..
+ official reporter occupies position in
front of the Chairman, This certainly
is laborions work owing to the frequen
interruption of the speaker and thu
3 variety of voices that the writer is com
, PEELED to attend. Official reporters are
perhaps the only honest ones present
{, since tits almost impossible foTs. .partia
e reporters to avoid giving eolGring tC
isait their journal, to theremarks made
& PLACES oY INTEREST.
The Patent Office with its. andles
e miniature machinery; the B0faniea
Gardens of the Capitol and the Con
. servatories of the Department Of Agri
: culture filed with Ilyriads1of ,tropical
-Iplants; : the Smitbsonfan Institute witt
: its fine collection Of cHfinsitiei from
every quarter of the globe; the Medica
Museum, of special interest to the stu
. dent of Anatomy; and thesNayy Yarc
at which were lying several Iron clads
: and Menrofs war, its museum of war i'm
plements; and the Capitol itself with it
> magnificent dome rising 2Gs feet from
? where you stand to the centre covered
/ with elegant frescoes, all are worthy O
T a visit of twice the distance. ,.ss
= z.-,.,s
ouR cor UkB Us LRTEEsR