New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-04-13
NON UIC .J1CET HON. :

Tho melancholy debate in the House on
ventilation and the MORALLY disastrous effects
of bad atmosphere on the representative frame,
has been followed by mem ent0 mOri debate IN
the Senate. If these discussions had occurred
upon the same day, q funereal air would have
been thrown over the whole building, while
ravens would have come from afar to build
their nests on the dome and every "coigno
" of vantage" 1t appears that there are
good many cenotaphs in tho Congressional
Burying Ground with no bodies to match, if
we may be allowed the expression. Mr. Morrill,
explained on Tuesday, no doubt in tone of
the most serious proDriety, that "cenotaphs
"have been erected, whether the parties
deceased were buried there or not" thus
securing to deceased Congressman two sets OF
monuments. "Since the introduction of rail-
roads said Mr.. Morrill, the remains of
"most of the deceased Senators and members
"of the House have been taken home" We
fully agree with the honorable Senator from
Vermont. We assert without fear of contra
diction, that sit is an unnecessary expenditure
"of money to put up cenotaphs there for
"partes who are not absolute ely buried
there" To be sure. we do not exactly un-
dcrstand what Mr. Morrill, means by "not
absolutely buried" Any gentleman, we take
it. is absolutely buried who is buried ut all.
Let us, however, refrain from captious criti-
csm. In his main point, that tombstone should
have n body under it, we consider the Senator
impregnablc nor do we consider the case OF
q public man without brains to be precisely
analogous. If anybody should propose monus
mcnt to Public Virtue, deceased though in
tangible, the proposition would receive our
hearty support.
We are sorry to learn from this debate that
many Of the monuments in the cemetery are
"out of order" 1t seems to us that dis
orderly tombstone is bad enough anywhere,
but it offends all our sense of propriety to
find such an supplementary state OF things
in Congress kirk-yard. Moreover, the ceno-
taphs, beng of soft sandstone" arc rap
idly decayIng." To our great horror, we
also learn that some OF them have been
painted" and now require "repalnt-
"ing.r Really, this is too bad a soft sand
stone monument with no bones under it, and
actually painted Nor is this all. The re-
painting is absolutely necessary to prevent the
destruction of the monuments "by the weather!
Z" think there is no new monument required"
said Mr.. Morrill,. Well, at this rate, he will
not be able to say so long, for the Congress
sional Cemetery will soon be only heap Of
having stones. Under tho circumstances, we
agree to a little more paint. We don't like it,
but we agree. Hereafter all the monuments
are to be Of granite, a fact to which we call
the attention Of the Hon. Benz. 7. Butler, who
owns a quarry.
Other matters also not agreeable turned up
in the course of the debate. 1t appears that
the inscriptions upon the cenotaphs OF Alr. Clay
and Mr.. Calhoun are impcrfect-only partly
put on" This is too soyenly, and we may
say barbarous for liberation. If there Is any
thing calculated to make spectator melan-
choly it is a soft sandstone monument painted.
with an unfinished inscription. 1t is con
solatory that the ashes of illustrious men
are not under these rickety, dccayng,
tumble down specimens of compound frac-
ture and stumbling memoranda. How
ever we may take courage. Hereafter the
monuments are to be harder, and nobody Is to
have one who does not occupy the premises.
This is well, even if it does no moro than save
the Old Mortalitics Of the next age from being
shamofully humbuggcd. A whole yard full OF
monuments without corresponding number
of bodies would be like whited sepulcher
aggravated by emptiness. Honorable gentle
men who expect to be buried in Washington,
and those who expect pOst-mOrtem benefit
from "the introduction of railroads" are alike
interested in the reforms to be secured by the
new BILL which hasn't come Qor tho credit
of the country a moment too soon.
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STEINBERGRR AGAIN.
Tn Samoa the way of the adyenturer is hard.