Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1875-01-08
OER WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, D. c., Jan. 5, 1873.


their accompaniments, presents, visiting,
and amusements. The season takes
stronger hold of Washington people than
other communities, because Congress adj
journs, and their powerful example of
having Il vacation sets fashion that is
irresistible. Visiting on New Years by
the gentlemen is still kept up as custom
but with increasing signs of decay in
the interest Of the performance. One OF
the first OF these signs was the abolition
Of wines and egg nog from the side boards
of the Cabinet officers. The jolly fellows
OF society, they who make the fun and
keep things spinning, are mostly given to
teddy on special occasions like the Holt
days, and the toddy off they are off too,
or the wit is out, and they no longer
sparkle when the sparkle of the wine no
more renders assistance. Soon after the
liquors went out Boutwell, came in, and
Boutwell, took it into his head that it was
we'll to abolish sandwiches, chicken salad,
cake, and cold turkey, and so he introduce
eel entertainments without cold cuts, and
social people soon cut them and him dead.
His receptions became about as dreary as
that famous hole in the sky, which ETarts
pronounced the greatest astronomical DIS
covery of the age, in language that tingles
the ears of the discoverer to this day. He
had but few callers save those whose
official obligations required it, or whose
hopes of an appointment IN the Treasury
had not utterly faded out.
These things however are merely the
signs of a change in society, which had
been going on tor some time. The great
men of to-day, if we admit the existence
OF that kind, are different from the great
men of other times in their social ways.
Mr.. Chase for instance, though he suppl
ed the usual feast to his new year 5 callers,
did not enter into the spirit of the thing
AT all, and showed no pleasure in seeing
the hungry made happy over his yiands
sumner, another great man, liked good
dinner and a choice bottle of wine, but he
wanted to enjoy them with people whom
he Was well assured knew something more
than how to eat. He was careful to put
II long distance between himself and the
ordinary class OF people, the Department
clerks and such, and though many of them
had learning equal TO the Senator's they
were always made TO understand that they
were not of the Senatorial grade OF beings
at all
| But Chase and Sumner were unlike
W ebster, and considerably his inferior IN
genuine dignity. Nebster was also as
| fond of Il good physical entertainment as
| he WAS of an intellectual treat, and he
! liked 10 go into the kitchen and talk with
! the old black cook about the mysteries OF
/ her art the same as he would talk law with
jeremiah Mason and Rufus Choate. He
would consult with her, sometimes give
/ directions concerning the preparation of
dishes, and At other times learn her way
Observing trout or tautog. He sympathls
ed with men who loved good dinners and
| with men who knew how to get them. The
way lie became acquainted with Charles
L4nman, shows in q striking manner the
! difference between him and the later
members Of the Cabinet. and between the
/ relations Of the Cabinet and the minor
/ officials. Webster was Secretary OF State
and Lanman n poor clerk in the War De
! partment. As things are now, nothing
would lie more unlikely than the forma-
| tlon of an acquaintance between men SO
/ immeasuTeably apart One day Lanman
went up Ia the Little Falls of the Potomac
10 fish,-a sin that no poor devil of a
clerk in these days dare commit.-and
having good luck he sent an unusually
F
Se4ton. editor Of the Iatei{igsncer, who in
his turn sent il to Webster. II was a gnr-
.eous fish. and 50 pleased old Daniel that
he wanted t. see the individual who knew
how 10 take that kind. SO having introduc-
ell the rock into his stomach. he walked
over TO the War Department to introduce
himself 10 the man who caught it-no,
that is little too iishy.-he sent for Ian
man 10 come to the state Department, and
then invited him to a fishing excursion in
company. They went, and there grew up
an intimacy that lasted during the lifetime
of Mr.. W eb.ter. Webster was big enough
10 do such things, but il would give Bout
well an awful wrench, and kill Jewell or
Richardson outright 10 thus come on 3
level with common clerks and fishermen.
And Vet one of these men once sold mo-
lasscs by the gill from behind a counter,
and another scraped green hides with
Clcaver in his younger days. Such is life
If We measure the present standing of
the Department clerks by their relations
with the heads Of Departments. and then
allow for the difference between Webster,
and Richardson or Jewell we shall have
TO admit deterioration or degradation of
an alarming character. This would be
unjust. The clerks have not been able To
keep up their social standing for various
reasons. One is their pay is no more now
than in the days of James Buchanan. The
houses that before the war rented for three
hundred dollars, now rent for seven or
eight hundred, thus the same style of liv
ing SO far as house rent alone is concerned
costs five hundred dollars more. AS other
things have advanced also the clerks have
had 10 step down in the matter of style,
or run in debt, or steal. They who chose
the former, of course reduced their social
prominence in proportion, and shut them
selves out of the range of parties, and took
their places with the nohodies of society.
They who resorted to debt or theft, brought
disgrace and suspicion upon the whole
class, and the moral status of clerks came
to be estimated by the conduct of the dis
honest ones. Then again on account of
the immense increase of business, there
has been a large addition to the drudgery
OF the occupation, and this gives less time
for general culture, and brings them peg
nearer the condition and circumstances of
sertdom. Added to all these. the members
of Congress have found capital in striking
at them 10y bringing in bills for reform,
and to carry them or to make their cOnsti
tuents think that they were after the lazy
bounds with sharp stick, they have made
speeches full of injustice, and used facts
which though true as to individuals were
grossly unjust to the mass as compared
with any former period. AS the men who
have been in the Cabinet of late have had