Wilmington journal., 1876-01-07
WASHINGTON LETTER.
THE TEMPORARY ABSENCE OF
CONGRESS STREET CAYETY.
Our PeriDatetic President Bap-
uZed with Ice Cream-EHis Jeal-
Ousy of EX-Speaker Blame
The Philadelphia BANQUET
scenes, Incidents, OBJ
servatiOns. Etc, Etc.,
From Our Regular 90 respondent.I

member, grown quite blase by thi
time, has returned, for the holidays
to the bosom of his constituency. TIL,
capitol and the lobbies of the hotel
, are as still as in summer, but th'
avenue is rad ent with the concentrated
life, gayety, brass, aud beauty of al
the fashionable summer resorts. W.
have a Rhode Island avenue, a Michi
gan avenue, avenues named after many
Of the States, and we will sometime
have an Alaska avenue. But the ave
nue is Peunsylvania avenue. The
American citizen if he has been so for
tuuate as to strike oil, secure govern
ment contract, get into the golden cir,
Gle, (the Whiskey RiDg) or be elected
President, has the choice of Long
Branch, Des Mones, Geo. Washington
ChiIds. and the Americon pleasure
Yacht navy in the summer: but Wash
ington is the only winter resort, and
the avenue the ont promenade. Your
correspondent has not muck leisure,
time is his only money, but he some
times INDUCES in the extravagance of
a walk on the avenue, for the sake of
of a sensuous philosophic look at the
graceful wicked world.
Here of fine afternoon YOU will
see the largest namber of distinguish
ed personages that can be seen on this
continent: Justices of the Supreme
Court with the proverbial ''fair round
Ministers and attaches of legation
o% fIa
| House; bellies, beaux, and the demi-
monde. General Grant takes his daily
| constitutional here, usually by himself,
walking gloomily and at m edium speed.
| Promenades pass him in the throng,
at first unnoticed, but the face and
mein reyives recollections of various
pictures and caracatures. It dawns up
on them that they have just passed ~
live President, and they turn and gaze
till he is out of sight. 1t is the same
with General Butler. Anybody
in the least familiar with the
pictorials will recognize him as
soon as he is seen. a young officer of
the army who had never seen th-
Essex statesman before, met him by
chance and With out introduction. Dur
ing the conversation in which Gen.
Butler asked many questions about his
regiment &C., the young officer said.
I suppose you are Ger. Butler. Yes,
SAID B. F. everybody knows me.
Gen. Grant has much changed in
appearance during the last ten
years. He would hardly be recognized
from the photographs taken during
the war. In these his face had a
hard pinched expression, full of sad
lines, as of man with whom the bat
~ L.
doubtful, and the question as to
neither he was fit to service, at least
equivocal Now his face is full of col
tellectual, but not vicious face. His
figure is growing stout, almost alder
manic in its proportions.
I Il was thinking of these changes as I
sat in full view Of him at the banquet
in Philadelphia last week. There was
an occasion however when / thought
his features reassumed the hard ex-
preston of the days before he discov-
cred Alladin's lamp. It was when the
mention of Mr.. Biai,te's name occa-
stoned such tumultuoua applause. 1t
was easy to see that Mr.. Blaine was
the favorite there, and his speech was
with the exception of Gen. Hawley's,
the happiost of them all. 1t is doubt
fui if there is another man III the
country who has SO many personal
friends among all political shades as
the eX-speaker. His honorable career
as presiding officer of the House
crowned with his fairness which tri-
um phed, on the memorable occasion
of the debate on the Force bill, over
violent partlzan pressure, compelled
the esteem even of those who were op-
posed to him.
But to return to Gen. Grant. at the
bapQuet He eat ut table on a dals
with justice Of the Supreme Court.
Senator Morton, ex-Speaker Blaine,
the historian Bancroft, and other dis
tinguisbed persOnages, on each side of
him. [ observed Ill front OF him Il
statue of ice cream sweet etfigy of
himself. I think towards the close of
the feast, it began to assume an ipcli-
na:ion like, the leaning tower of
Pisa l watched it impatient for
the catastrophe, it came, the tower fell
and the President was spattered with
the sweet degics.
This excursion of the four branches
Of the Government, the Legislative, ju-
dicial, executive and journalistic to
Philadelphie, is expected to cost the
OulJ WHICH SUM 1t
is now expected Congress will cheer
fully appropriate, the executive hon
estly disburse, and the press rhetori-
caIiy approve. Have We not ali been
there eating tcrrapin drinking cham
paigne, smoking Havannes, all at the
expense of those Quaker Yankees, ev-
cry one of whom reminded me of Ben
jarnin Franklin? -? Thrifty patriots
they will make the Investment pay.
Congress, it is thought, will appropri-
ate the required sum. Many of the
States have made appropriations but
Pennsylvania has borne much the
larger portion of the expense.
The immense depot-like edifces are
nearly ready for occupation, and the
beautiful grounds of Fairmont Park
are dotted here AMI there with the
buildings that the various foreign ma
tions have built, illustrating features
of their architecture, and for the con-
venience of Their several commissions
These fly the flags of ti,eir respective
nationalities and if it were not for the
enormous cannon, already arranged for
exhibition, they might suggest the
nearer approach of the ''parIiament of
man, the federation of the world"
Mr.. Butler, who was master of cere-
monies at the banquet, made an intro
ductory speech and as he read overthe
several amounts appropriated by the
various States and foreign nations, the
applause was very nicely and relatively
| graduated to the several sums. One
or two States had contributed so little
that they were not deemed worthy of
any applause. japan had contributed
5000, 900, here the applause was up
roarious and two little Mongolians,
sitting near your correspondents ,sprang
to their feet and swung their hats like
real Amerinans. They were the Japa-
nese Centennial Commission.
It was bleak wintry day when they
drove us, a two mile procession of car
riages. at funeral pace, ever Fairmont
Park: We were frozen to the bone,
and. to quote Mr.. Beecher, 1--WE almost
wished we were in hotter place" The