The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1876-04-06
Letter from Washington.
Correspondence CT the Journal.

uIodIlis, Tears luOlS, anu eIeclo OCCdslOHd!l.
castle in Spain,' save and excepting those hard
practical, matter-of-fact people who seem to de-
light in jerking you down with Il pitiless pull,
and enightening you for your good 'solely for
your good, my dear, and because you ought to
know'-and thus conrivng to bring you out Of
50 many sweet happy decisions into unceremo-
NOUS contact with so many hard, stubborn, and
oftimes painful facts. | am afraid always hate
that kind of people, and perhaps | always
shall; or at least the important, condescending,
looking-after- your-nterest, don't want you-to-
be-deluded sort of way they have. | never
could see any sense in disagreeably opening
peoples eyes, unless they were in great physi-
cal or moral danger, and believe eminently i'll
the doctrine ''where ignorance is bliss It's folly
to be wise" And SO when sitting in the Senate
gallery the other day, with a sweet, bright lady
who has more than the ordinary share of intel
ligence, but who happens to be fresh and new
to Washington life, looking and listening whilst
a score or more of our modern Solons took lofty
and eloquent flights on Il certain appropriation
bill, getting Wratnfully up on their Senatorial
ears, amt pitching parilamentarily into that au-
dacous for presuming to send them such
misshapen piece Of business-I repeat. when
thus sitting, looking and listening, she turned
to me her bright, attractive face, saying in the
most perpleXed and apologizing manner, my
dear, | fear [ am very stupid, but | always
thought congressman were so much smarter,
and brighter and greater than other people |
had an idea that they had to know great deal
more than anybody else, or they couldn't come
to Congress. despairingly-"I suppose
its because I'm so ignorant and can't compre
bend; but do You know, that it seems to me a
great deal that they say doesn't amount to
much" "Oh. wise young Judge; oh you yeri-
table Daniel come to the Judgment here inter-
larded "a wee sma voice." but she continued,
Frightening, 'ol course they all could make Il
real smart speech if they wanted TO and tried
hard" | didn't make any revelations. How
coul'i person in the presence of such contiding
trust, such implicit confidence, with the star
spangled banner above their heads aud the
American eagle looking pleadingly into their
face, have the heart to say MADAM. they are
doing their level best" or repeat that old say
ing Of the philosophical Frenchman about ''No
man being great to his VALET or even hint that
IL Is w llu NOilS as w Ilil IL great HliIy
other persons and things in this world, "Dis-
tance lends enchantment,' or suggests in the
remotest possible manner that there was in the
latter days political aspirations and successes,
much that was mysterious, and ways past find
ing out. What III this Centennial year be
guilty of intimatng the fall and decline of
the American Statesman exhibited in its
A. I no 1,Jo
Of the American eagle as we'll as the peace OF
an individual mind, | hold that it was much
better to suppress facts and fall back on fiction
and so murmur discreetly-'Ce Certainly, my
dear; not the slightest doubt of it i'll the world.
And if any one went away from hearing the
continuation Of that conversation with the well
grounded belief that each individual Congress
man is IA sort of willy Richelieu, a diplomatic
Bismarck, a profound Burke and Il patriotic,
eloquent Pitt all rolled into one, don't YOU
think good blow was struck for the perpetui-
ty of American Institutions, and that the bird of
freedom ought to he very thankful for such
praseworthy efforts?
And then the remainder OF our party having
joined u.s. we left the law makers and din of
stuil-ways, through the spacious galleries, stop
ping to admire poor wounded diving Tccumseh
living in state on pile Of boards, and so on to
the House restaurant where Treund takes
charge Of this branch of Congressional ston-
achs. dispensing 'cold tea" to the faithful (if
you know what that isl and supplies every body
who is willing to come down with the stamps
with the daintiest and most delicious crabs,
oysters, frogs, cakes. creams coffee and other
luXuries too numerous to mention, and where
we "most judicou>ly drank, and daringly
dined," and where the preconceived notion,
ana sensibilities Of my charming friend were
again most terribly shocked and her ideals laid
humiIiatngy low in the dust. "Ihe horrd
creatures She murmured between two sips of
Charlotte Russo, "they eat worse than they
talk And it must be confessed that it does
take Il philosophical turn Of mind, q sort of
hardened sensibility to the small things of life to
see unrutfled, a great powerful Congressman
who has the reputation of being unusually
smart, and who certainly does fly the American
eagle, and do the star spanglcd banner business
in first class style, tip back in his chair and
make a tooth pick of one of Freund's silver
forks, and another with more than local rep
utation converting napkin into 4 very useful
article of the toilette, and blowing 4 blast that
might with small stretch of the Imagination be
mistaken of the horn of Roderick Dhu. If his
blast is worth as much As the immortal Roder-
ck's, why wouldn't it be a good idea for his
party to gather him up and transport him TO all
the States in the union at election times. / sub
NIT that it would be much less expensive than
the present mode of recruiting voters.
Whether a persons gastronomic eyolutions are
any index to character and habits of mind and
life, as some inqusitve people insist, isn't per-
tlnent to the present record of events. on
are all, my patient readers, left to your own
conclusions and opinions; but here j. Repre-
sentative IIoar who has long helped to look
after the interests of the old Puritan State--a
noble dignifed gentleman, with thick gray
hair, gray side whiskers, bright gray eyes, and
nose and white complexion that makes the
otherwise benevolent, gracious, educated face
immensely prepossessing fragrant cot-
fee and partaking sparingly Of daintily Drowned
toast, no ding the pretty notified bits appraised
on his fork with one of the whit est, most shape
ly hands to be seen in this Congress. Oppo-
site him is Wheeler of New York, clean shayen.
smooth and severe, immaculate in fine linen
and broadcloth, glossy and nice and ire
proachable as to suggest Il very recent trip from
the gentleman Enthusiastically you know bet
ter, because its always iust that way. He has
tea and oyster patties, and sips the one and
draws his knife across the other with such an
absent far off look rs to convince the behoder
from the start that he hasn't the remotest idea
what he is eating, and it might well be Il
savory stew of garlic and onions. We're it not
for the lingering adhesive odor of Freund's deli
cate oyster patties. Near by sit TarboX of
Massachusetts and Randall Of Pennsylvania,
each discussing eloquently a plain glass Of milk
but whilst TarboX fingers and is seemingly
satisfied with this simple retreshment, Randall
wanders off to poached eggs and chicken and
toast, and goodly array Of other eatables The