, 1873-02-25
The Presentation of the Report
Of the Poland Com
mittee. -~
Scenes in the House--0utside Celebri-
ties Who Were Present. ---~-
Glimpses of the Gui1ty--Oakes
;Ames and James
Brooks.
From Our 0rn Correspondent.

This day, near noon, the great scene came on
THE ARENA. g..
You could tell that it was coming by the hurry
OF people to the Capitol,-wel dressed, in silks,
grave or gay, Hteady stream Of better folks to
look On than common; for they knew that it WAS
coming. When such things come, society feols
its intimation in all its many Cruel people,
and also those who pity guilt from weakness,
and call it by the name Of mercy list1ess peo-
pie, for whom penalty has its fascination; and
sturdy people, who have the stomach and tho
spirit to stand by and see the fogging given !:
they wero all there! The galleries Of that large,
dardsh-cornered bright-doored house were eron-
ly filed with hpeople,-negroes and whites, ladies'
and males,-and the silent lows in the very
large, severe1y-rectaugular spa-e above were
merely black groovings in the dark frano around
the picture below. Tho Hall Of Representatives
lies plainly under tho large redoctors Of clear
white glass in the roof, and you can sec every
man near the centre OF tho house With almost
the plainncss of tho chief actors on lighted
stage. 80
TIE GIEss-MEN.
The reporters gallery ras densely packed,
and, looking around, I made the mental calcn-
1ation as to how much Of the American press
was subseryicnt to politicians. About gu per-
Sons were in the gallery and around the haaRa
Of it. OF these, fully 90 wcro true, unfilnching
moo,- accustomed to hnte 6coundrel, and to
know him by tho sense Of smell. These men
are generally young, but worldly-wiso, no
fanatics, and recognizing their constituency to
be- tho injured public, and often too seh-respect-
ing to attempt to agree with each other. II
the newspaper-press, in its better sense, ever
goes into caucus, lot tho flag OF the country be
hauled down! About 20 men in the reporters
gallery On this OCCASION were the representatives
OF the job political preBH and you can tell
thom by want OF lustro in the eyes, IN inor-
dinate affability, and that pert expression
which intimated that all this attempt to ex-
pose any loyal body WIS mere nonsense.
Tho rest OF the occupants OF the gallery
were what we call hangers-on of the prese,-
seedy-looking editorial rats, old chaps holding
eleemosynary nevspaper-place0, and discharged
idiots who stick on rs if they were subscribing
sorne useful function to the journal. A1togeth-
er, the press outlook was hopeful. One man
with vengeance in his purpose is equal to host
merely playing the scribe.
The 1adies' gallery was full Of handsome poo
pie, who seem to belong to modern Washington
Probably thore is no town in the country which
Gun make q fner showing OF fine women than
this Capital; for the average public man has 8
1neaty eye, and is wrapped up in the flesh. Fish
make brains, and, remembering their origin,
brains must Swim. Many negroes we're out and
taking their first LESSONS in public virtue It WIS
sad to see these poor human. creatures, lately
slaves, looking for moral sense and direction
from the white people, and suffering the con=
tamiuafon of gr1ch an eypost1re 49,
TIE OUTSIDERS.
Standing near one Of tho doors was
Ex-MEstBER ROSWELL HART,
of Rochester, who is the GeneralisHimo Of Ros-
coo Conkling's forces in that State, and now in
the Postal service. -'~~
NORMAN JUDD;
Of Chicago, ex-Arinister to Prussia,-v red
and vorldly-looking,- what he seemed
to think real political foolishneso, alongsido Of
RoBEHr Punvr,
a light mulntto in whose veins blend Jewish;
Moorish, and negro blood. Purvis has been an
many years that little matter Of corruption in
the superior raco does not trouble him. Tho
great
GENERAL THAFER,;
Of Nebraska, who used to rotc in sonorous inai-
tation Of Charles Summers "Aye" or "No,n'-
as Thayer'e namo immediately followed Summers
in the roll-can, looked on at this scene as it he
expected presently to be requested to give his
opinion upon it, After the reading had begun,
= red-faced, slender, fghting~loohng man, with
q cane in his hand, and one arm in black sling,
walked through the main door, and, with that
painful, dragging gait OF ono who had sensation
IN but half his body. and was pulling tho other
load along as q dead member, imped to chair,
n,,I yrh tnau him felt n 1t?frf rt1sh 0f
sympathy and horror. It was
FRANK BLAIR,
Major General In the lato war;: and one OF the
rcdecmers Of Missouri from the Slave-oGgarchy.
siye, and popular man, the pride OF his old
father, and the yndcator Of his family in public
life. In ono night, afflicton came upon him !;
his prospects for his scat in the Senate immedi-
ate1y vanished; md, at this mournfn1 spectacle
of the inquest into living character, he came q
broken witness, and warning to both the just
and the unjust.
Crouched in sent beside Congressman wss
BILL HING,
long the Postmaster Of tic House OF Represent
atiyes, and q jobber all the time. Ho has taken
flight In timely way, satisfied that the National
Vigilance Committee cannot long bo postponed; ;
and hereafter. I understand Le viii be gorge
Gus contractor on tho North Pacific Railroad.
What possible connection can there be between
tho functions OF Postmaster OF the House OF
and Immediately, presto! d responsible railroad
contractor? p. . =
Walking around on the ontnido of Congress,
in that large, cunning way which tho profession
al browser IN legislation adopts. tho celebrated
-. :. - -DIcE FnAScHoT,
Of New York chief agent q tho Centla1 Pacific
Railroad in this city, at $40, ,09o year, and ono
Of Roscoe Conking's henchmon, looked upon.
this scene with so.no Of that disgust which a
business spirit in legislation has for the visue
things which he calls sentiment, honor, and such
like. Tho Librarian OF Congress-, .s~ -
- aI2- spoFToRD,
OF Ohio, ahot through the doora minute, to; get
a wink Of the .spectacle,-well-awaro, perhaps,
TINT, IN: the great repository Of our. Iteratu1e
which he 10 industriously collecting, to-day
eccro will many time be called for amongst
those tones, and carefully studied as q compen-
d;ous tabloau Of our period. There also crept
up tho middle aisle the tall, reddish-toppcd
'olbgy of ...-
DAN VOORHEES,,
the defender OF John Browns men after the
campaign Of Harpers Ferry Upon chair in
the rear sat
EI-NIH151ER HAnTEY, -
for many years correspondent in this city un-
der Thig Administrations and an appointee to
the Portuguese mission BY Secretary Seward, Of