The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-03-07
Letter from W;ashlngsen.

the aDOSe. -.
Liberty, Va, March 3, 1873.
Letter from Washington.
porIT1cAL SPECULATION AT DISCOUNT, ALSO
INTEREST IN PRESENT POLITICAL AFFA1Rs-A
TRIO OF CoLoRED REPRESENTATIVE hEN-AiD-
sH1paEy AND MILITARY CADETS, ETC.
rCorrespcndence Of the Richmond Dispatch'l
WASHINGTON, March 5, 1873.
Probably never before In the history OF
the different political organizations in this
country has there been less specI,aa....Hom anu
less interest manifested by the immense
crowds which congrcgate here on occasions
like the present In the events, official and
political, of the future. There IS even, l
think, much less Comment OH the inausurul
address than ever there was on any previous
inaugural speech.. There is no room for
comment, it Is triie: 1t Is too sifhlsr in its
weak substance to every other State paper
that has emanated from the Executive man.
sion in the last four years; but in that period
there has ever seemed to be disposition to
hunt for something in the mass of words
that could engage careful consideration.
This time little was expected, and on that
point no disappointments result.
The old story Of Cabinet changes is so
hachneyed, and the thousands Of predictions
| that have been uttered in the last year or
two on that topic have been so entirely
| fruitIess, that among those who have dealt
in them time aid again only to find out that
| they had misconStrued chance observations
| of "high official authority" any recurrence
| of the old story provokes comment hardly
! favorable to new dealers in that stock.
Every one hy this time must have learned
that until the President himself announces
his appointments the world at large can have
very little intimation Of them. The latest
fact is that nobody has resigned as yet, and
now that the season of ease, the summer Of
official work, has come it is not believed that
anybody will resi2n-not even Boutwell,
as his chances for succeeding Wilson,
Daws'S friends avow, arc becoming very
meagre.
The CT OVID in Washington is not a political
crowd. Warehouses who have snorted at the
very doors Of the Executive office in less
than twelve hours after the booming Of the
guns that salute the new Administration are
most of them silent at their homes. This,
of course, is in some measure due to the fact
that there is no change in the Executive
Office; but there are many Of class that
exist in the Radical party to greater extent
than they do in any other organization who
believe that the "outs" should have chance
once in four years, even though their o,on
party friends are din /" or not. They know,
however. that Grant wants peace. He will
encourage DO general demand for place. In
diYiC,Ell instances Of removal and appoint.
ment will occur. but they will he now fewer
than ever.
saw trio OF prominent representatives of
,br>i estimation nf flo Proc l.
dent (as evidenced by bis inaugural address,
have not vet the full measure of their rights
vending their way with the great throng to
the Executive Mansion this evening. 1t was
composed of Fred. Douglass on one side,
with his head more hoary with the SHOWS
of many winters. Pinchback in the mid
die, and Downing OH the other side,
There they were. Douglass the lecturer,
Pinchback the senator. and Downing the
cook. Who felt himself more highly honor
ed in the Others company 1t was hardly ne
cessary to contemplate. Douglass was
by far the most imposing character
OF the group. He possesses good sense.
Pinchback possesses cunning, or he would
never have beaten Collector Casey in the kel-
logg Legislature in the race for United States
senator, and Downing possesses some skill
in the art ofcooking- though not much; and
they are all politicians. Perhaps they were
going to thank Grant for his gracious allu-
sion to their "rights" in his address at the
capitol yesterday, and they may have had
some deductions to draw from those remarks
relative to the chances of one or the other of
them for an important office. Grant was,
however, very busy during a great part of
the day reviewing soldiers who failed to get
here in time to join in the terribly unconl-
Portable parade of yesterday land even if the
trio saw him, doubt if he had much to say
to them.
There is great comment, and very unfl-
vorabe it is, upon the treatment that the
midshipmen from Annapolis received here
Yesterday. Their condition as compared
with the embryo soldiers from West Point
was extremely low in the scale Of comfort
and official consideration. The sailors, in
their "suits of blue" did not make so inl-
posing an appearance rs the boys from the
banks of the Hudson with the gray steel-pen
coats and that may have distracted from
them the attention which the ncarly-frozcn
boys ought certainly to have received. If
the truth has been said about it, they
were, after their five hours stay in
the intense cold, set adrift after
the procession broke up, with two dollars
liberty money, with orders to form in line to
travel home AT night. Very different was it
with West Point. Sherman put on all the
gold luce in his wardrobe, and after dress
parade in front Of his mansion took them
into his house and heart, introduced them TO
fair women, and gave them pate de fois
qras. Belknap was present, and smiled On
them; but the frozen-nosed middies wall
dered disconsolatey in search OF affection
ond found IL not
The weather was more. moderate to-day,
but still bitter cold. Probabilities" hoW-
ever, arc favorable, and the south wind, with
little sunlight, will atone for the clustering
airs of yesterday. TlMoN.
Letter from. Petersburg.
correspondence Of tho Richmond Dispatch
PETERSBURG, March 6. 1873.