The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1875-12-30
Letter from Washington.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 25th, 1873

tireless -windowed rooms; and vet
such is the delicious state of the weather
here. For days the atmosphere has been
as soft, sweet and enchanting as May
morning, with plenty of dazzling sun
shine and bright blue skies, save only to
the eastward, where great piles of gray
lined fleecy clouds have changed and shift
ed, threatening the brightness and bland
ness with wholesale damper by and by.
And such Merry Christmas as it is in
this Warm-hearted hospItabie city, with
the JOY bells ringing, guns saluting, fire
crackers exploding, and the sweet melodi-
Gus horns toot toot, toot, until even in
sleep you keep murmuring g Peace on
earth "Peace on EARTH and can get no
| farther-the whole sounding to Northern
ears much more like uproarious, hilarious,
jubiant Fourth OF July than stately quiet
Christmas. Then the crowds of gay shop
pers, and hosts of pretty things to be
bought, and the vast array of loaded,
| lighted Christmas trees almost breaking
| down beneath their burdens Of bOnbons
and attractive presents; why it is enough
| to make one sigh
| backward turn backward, OH Time III your flight,
| Make Inc Il child again just for to night
and almost impels to the hanging Of the
stocking in the vague anticipation that
Santa Claus may come down the Chin
ney, and discovering that your days for
gifts are not yet over, so surprise yon
with something sweet and pleasant in the
morning. All, the happiness and swift
| delight Of those childhood days,
But Notwithstanding the hurry, hustle
and excitement attendant upon Christmas
| and its festivities, everyone has found time
TO stop and express the unbounded, I'M
| mitigated surprise at Speaker Kerr and
lis unexpected Committees The distin-
guishcd gentleman seems to have sudden
y become an impenetrable sphinx whom
| nobody pretends to read or fathom. That
in this enlightened age Of political rings
S''N'~At'NN, l'lN't slHb ilSti NQoJpii9-
man should dare exercise an independent
Judgement, no matter how carefully made
up Or from what reliable sources, is such
| an unhcard of, unth0ught of course Of
action, that it has fallen like thunder
| bolt from Il clear sky, and shaken WASH
| ington to its very political centre. The
| veterans who have been jogging along
here in legislative harness for 10 these
many years, haven't rallied yet from the
look of stupciacton and CONSERVATION
| that settled upon their facial lincaments
| on Monday last. And one fancies them
| going about through all this long recess,
and Jolly testal days, With that same puz-
zled expression, wondering, like Polonius
| OF Old, whether he be really mad OF no.
Looking down from the galleries upon the
| House branch of Americas ''wit and is
DOM" as the clerk read the long lists of
names, one couldn't help remarking how
like to settled school-boys they looked
when the teacher has issued crusher up
on their plans and anticipations. Wood
sat bolt upright as if the doctrine of the
metemsychosis had begun for him, and
his spinal column been suddenly changed
into cast-iron poker, thinking, no doubt,
that Speaker Kerr had a very mean way
| OF dispOsing of the Ways and Means.
| Over kandalfs round handsome face
stole Il look of sympathetic sadness for
the fellers that hadn't Jared as well as he,
and very shortly he crossed over, appar-
emily to exchange few consoling words
with Lamar, whose usual calm placidity
seemed just trile RULED, as if strug-
Cling with badly digested breakfast, or
slightly unpleasant fact. Cox-bright
| brilliant, sunny Sam Cox, whom every
body likes-actually trowned, yes looked
really and undeniably cross, as if he didn't
relish a Bit the first taste of the diet to
which he had been restricted, and very
shortly disappeared i'll the cloak-room and
was seen no more that day. Holman shook
S'SA iiio tetl liIlt ~ HIS lCIL
hand q little farther down into his pockets,
whilst his right played an impatient tat
too upon the unotlending desk, looking all
the time as if this thing might not be all
right, and yet with clear far-sightcdncss
concluding it better to endure the ills he
had g than fly to those he knew not Of. -
Gen Morrison, the coming man, with
his fine gray crowned head, calm gray
eyes, and stern, determined face, sat I'M
tlinchingly through the trying ordeal of
half audible explanations Of wonder and
establishment and the embarrassing volcy
OF curious glances levelled upon him. If
he holds the Craftsmanship of the Ways
| and Means, and consequent leadership of
the House, with As much tirmness and
composure as he bore this int1icton OF Gu
rious eyes and tongues, the country will
have nothing to fear Blaine, impatient
and restless in every motion, reached out
his right hand to grasp the front of his
desk as if melRtating 4 descent upon the
gentleman from Indiana for such impair
liamentary proceedings, apparently relin-
quished the idea, turned abruptly 10 whis-
per energetically to his surrounding col
leagues, and then leaned back with arms
folded and the dazed look of an individ-
ual who has been banled by his oppo-
nent's move and wants time to study the
game afresh Hale seemed to share in
the general establishment for while, and
then subsidized to rolling bits Of paper with
the air of man who, having got all he
could reasonably expect himself, don't
feel particularly interested as to the fate
OF others. Frye came out OF his newt
able newspaper to. incredulously look his
amazement; Garfield suspended writing,
in !; "what in the devil is the matter