The Republican journal., 1876-02-03
Letter from Washington.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 29th, 1876.

AMID the perlls OF loquaclouS tongues the
Centennial bill is at last safe, at least It is
through the most trying part of its ordeal,
since no one anticipates anything for it,
but a sure and speedy passage through
the stately and sedate Senate. And now
for million and half of American eX-
hibting of Hail Columbia enthusiasm and
Yankee Doodle glorification, with the star
spangled banner waving proudly over all
and the American eagle bringing up the
chorus in its lustiest and most jubiliant
notes. What a jolly time it will be, to be
sure, with its strife destroying, peace
promoting work, its reconciliations and
its haad-shakmgs. Save up your pennies,
boys. Prepare your toot-horns, and get
ready your fire crackers, for you shall be
allowed to make as much noise as you
please this year; to shame the MONDAY
brightness with your ar-barrels and torch
es; to ring the night air wild with clang-
ing bells; to make the day furious and
existence a torment with the dismal howl
ings OF your fish horns, and pop and
splutter and explode, and rattle, and roar,
and bang with all the powder and nitro
glyceriac, and dynamite YOU can lawfully
get your hands on. For 10, is not this to
be the Fourth of July OF all Fourths of
July, with an opportunity for racket and
patriotism such as only comes once in 4
hundred years, and such as neither YOU
nor are likely to see again on this mum
dane sphere, unless we shall be converted
into Wandering Jews. or unhappily have
existence prolonged, like Methusalah OF
old, to a thousand years But since "a
bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
| would advise YOU not to build too high
expectations upon such an event, but to
scream and clattei, and bluster and tluster
to your hearts content this time, and leave
the next Centennial to take care Of itself
And the man OF all men, to whom we
are indebted for this chance to show His
Majesty, Don Pedro, Emperor OF all Bra
zil, the Marquis of Lorne and the Princess
Louise, and all the rest of the world beside
that we are the biggest, cutest, and smart
est nation on the earth, that ever was
or ever will be-is the eloquent Lamar.
Others have said their say; have bent the
force of their genius and the brightness
OF their intellect to the subject; have like
skillful doctors done all that they could to
get the patient into favorable condition :;
but it was reserved for this champicN of
the South to strike the nail exactly on the
head, so to speak, and to drive it straight
home with unerring blows from his ham
mer of logical and irresistible argument
Like Paul, he has by his reasoning and
his faith forced Agrippian confessions
from the opposing side Of the House
Said one of the most scholarly, dstin-
guished and influential Republicans on
the floor, at the close of his unanswer er-
able effort, elf the Democratic party were
made up of Lamars | would fain be per-
suaded to be one of their number" 1t
isn't, and 50 ! suppose t,phralm will still
remain coined to his idols, and "know-
ing the right will still the wrong pursuen
But don't you see behind Ill this
screaming Of the national bird this gush
of Fourth of July, and much talk about
making the Union longer and stronger
and ever so much better than before. the
shadow of great wrong, the ghost Of
wilfulness, prejudice ard bigotry, and
discover that it is to be like the city to
which all Americans will soon be turning
as faithful pilgrims to Mecca, all "bl'oth-
er2y love-? Now don't come at me with
! all that overwhelming array OF tides, pin
cushions, sofa pillows, rugs, quilts, and
the Lord knows what beside, that the Sis
tiers are to contribute to the Exposition of
1ankeedom. | haven't the remotest idea
but that the majority of all that will be
talrest to see, incest to eat, and best TO
use in that great national show. will be,
directly OF indirectly, the product OF their
brains and hands, and that's Just the rea-
son why it is more grevously a wrong
that they should not be admitted to the
full rights and privileges Of the glorious
constitution, and 50 make it Centennial
worth celebrating For have they not
waited long and patiently, and asked
| often and unremittingly for the priyi-
legged boon of suffrage? And are they
not even now sitting under the very
shadow of the National Capitol, beseig-
ing the nation, through its representa-
tlves, for justice? But, like Pharaoh,
those perverse Congressman harden their
hearts still again and refuse to listen, or
at least to help. OF course one knows
that it is all preconceived prejudice, but
then prejudice is the worst opposition to
battle against. What nice idea it would
be, since the blowing up OF women's
tongues doesn't seem to have any effect.
to try a case of dynamite or II Fourth of
July cannon-not real bona tide so as to
hurt them much, but just a trle. Just
enough to bring them to their senses; for
you know knock-down argument ap-
peals soonest to reason 1t is probably
all owing to the doctrine Of total depray-
lty; but whether or no, it is so, and You
must first 90 ahead with your fists and
guns and sabers, and then you may tol-
low after with your rhetoric and logic
and persuasion; but you will find the
first part of the argument will be the
most convincing.
So it is that woman sits so long in the
outer darkness waiting for her rights to
come to her, since she has no other weap-
ons than her tongue to fight with And
yet even with this, and because of the
business of her cause, she is making prog
ress, slow but sure, in evidence OF which
| read the editorials of n Washin oton