The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1876-02-10

= WASHINGTON LETTER.
What q Young Man from the Csnn.
try Secs In Washington.
I osa..J5W AsHIHarox, February 7.
From our regular correspondent. "
I Life Is thick with illusions experience
Is strewn with decisions, and all are
crowded in Washington. -" '.- ..
All flew years ago youth from the
country made his first visit to the Ma
! tional Capital. He was fresh from our
somewhat rhapsodic school histories Of
| the United States, and tull of the bum
combe spirit of the Fourth of July. He
gazed upon the daubs of revolutionary
and historic scenes in the rotunda of the
Capitol, with something of the adOra-
ton of a savage for the sun. These pic
lures, "The Landing OF the Pilgrims"
''rhe surrender Of Lord CORVALLIS" etc,
have been reproduced on our national
currency, and it is hoped the reader may
be able, if he likes, to refresh his MEM
DRY from his pocket.
But, to return to our hero, he was
young and enthusiastic then; had it not
been for the presence of friend, younger
in years, but older in cynicism, and some
young ladies who were dividing their
silent admiration between him and the
picture of "The marriage of Pocahontas,"
his patriotic emotion would have over
flowed at his eyes. His visit lasted for.
three days, during which he was almost
alone in reverential reverie amid the
grand architectural monuments of this
city, which excel anything in Europe in
proportionate expense. Congress was
not in session; the President was not in.
the White House; Boss Shepherd was
working at the plumbers trade; the
country seemed to be recovering from
the war; the month was May; there was
much to inspire patriotic hope. Just
about this time the party of progress
and moral ideas" was sending such mis-
sionaries as Spencer West, Patterson and
Moses, with their little satchels, to the
cotton Statesl
Experience will, of itself, relieve
man of much Fourth of July etierves-
cence; experience at the National Capt.
tai will relieve him very soon.
This young man was consumed with
desire to live in Washington, amid the
scenes and influences which are the es-
seutial elements of the mighty future; to
hear statesmen thunder in the Senate
and in the House; to see the President
receive foreign ministers, Spotted Tall,
George Washington Childs and Dick
Harrington: ard to behold Boss Shep-
herds marvellous wealth grow isometric
with the debt of the District, were, to
him, as the poet says, desire and an at
tainment. lie found living in Washing
ton by no means so expensive as he gen.
orally supposed. True, the President
requires $4,000 per annum, and perqul
sites of about $4,000 more for his yearly
visit to his furnished mansion member
OF Congress ekes existence on $1,000;
government clerk lives effeminately on
81, 500 and Boss Sheppard, whom honest
toll has taught frugality, spends, per-
haps, not more than $S0,O6O per
aunum. Our hero being neither
member, clerk, nor Boss, found
that he could eat, sleep, and wear clothes,
comfortably, and even respectfully, Tor
about 500 year. This left him little
margin for theatre tickets, but in lieu OF
tragedy, he sought seat in the Senate
gallery and listened to the great deline-
ater of historic fiction detail the horrors
that lived in his semhre imagination, and
which his tropical fancy located IN the
provinces of Mississippi and Louisiana.
These entertainments he found quite as
thrilling as anything IN the Greek drama,
and if the delineations were wanting II
a certain ait of reality, such as is found
tor instance in the "Antigone" of Sophie
cles, or the writings of Baron Munchau-
sen, and which is due to the absence OF
the unlties of time place, and probablll-
ty, the speaker endeayored to make
amends by frequency of iteration.
IT'S sad but true that intimate ac-
quaintance is not'the atmosphere OF hero
worship; it surely lessons our admiration
for some of our "truly great" men, but
then there is compensation in the fact
that we become acquainted with those
who, though little known, have all
the attributes of greatness. For in-
stance, our friend saw Senator from
Alabama whose greatness had not been
heralded He was very little known, in
deed scarcely known to exist, Except by
those for whom he mixed drinks IN Il
New York bar ROOM, until he took his
seat in tho highest legislative body in
this hemisphere. And yet who will deny
to this man, whose modest worth has not
been blazoned, such attributes OF great
ness rs representing, IN the United States
Senate, the great party OF progress and
moral ideas2 HIS vote cancels Thur
man'sl His companions are pimps and
blacklcgs; but it will be difficult, IN look
ing over the files of the daily papers, to
find one that does not contain the an
nouncement that this worthy gentleman
has called upon the President. Our
neophite was we'll aware that the hack
neyed quotation: mo man Is hero to
his calet,' has been answered by the OBJ
sci walton that no rHiet is capable of
measuring u hcr1, but, it puzzled him
long to understand why the great party
that bad been represented by Seward,
Sumner, Chase and Wilson, now so fire.
quently chase its heroes from among the
pdietS.
l nav in the future give other episodes
from the experience of this young man,
who. though be looks at the world spec
tscularly, sees deeper than the trapplngs
of the pageant. 1t will not be unprofit'
able, in this one hundredth year, to study
the influence of certain political phases
on the rising generation.
Reduce or Bust"
Detroit Free Pres.
lie had been telling her for weeks past