The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1877-10-19
Our Washington Letter,


Our Washington Letter.
The Political Rerirdl.-Retmn of Fd-
miiiar Spirits. - The Journalistic
Bohemion.- Uahoppy 06icc-seekers.
Society Belles.-Angelic Ftiends.-
Fair Fresh Debutantcs.-THe Speak,
ership.-The Supreme Couu.-Fleld
and Brodly, ec., dc.
WASHINGTON, d. c., Oct. 10, 1877.
Washington is rapidly receiving its
winter complement ofpoliticians, place
seekers, and pleasure seekers. Mem
bers of congress, some of them with
their wives and families, are coming in
on every train. The journalistic Bohc-
mian is here from San Francisco, New
Orleans, Boston, Duluth, and other pla-
| ces, like New York and Sk Louis, too
numerous to mention; and he noseth
around Newspaper Row, the hotel lob
bies and government departments, his
ears spread wide to windward for in
spiration of news, while, in matters of
legislation and diplomacy, for his COM
prehcnsion nothing is too vast, for his
inspection nothing is too minute. A
pen portait of your modest correspond
ent.
The oflicc-scckers from the rural dis
tricts are here, of every age, sex and
walk in life. They have either not
heard of civil service reform, or are de-
termined, like the Ajax of the Roches-
ter convention, to defy it. They have
childlikc faith in the power and DO.
tency, through all the avenues of place
and influence, of their eloquent member
of congress, the Hon. Mr.. Stumper,
who made such fine speeches in his late
canvass, and who knows the ropes al
the Capital. Unhappy children of a
week in Washington! doomed to follow
your jack-o-lantern representative from
hotel to caucus, from caucus to sample
room, and from sample-room to-but
there are places where innocent people
must not follow our Christian states.
men. The Office-seeker will see pla.
carded over the doors in the treasury
department., and in the burned and
flooded ruin where the so-called custo.
dian of the German vote presides, the
words: "NO vacancies; applicants fol
office cannot be seen," and, unless he
is from Ohio, he would better return
to his native state and develop her re.
sources.
The society belle has also returned
from seashorc and mountain. What
the wild waves have said to her, OIL
what she has said to them, is not articu
late or legible, except in the half pathet
ic pensivcncss of maturer beauty, fol
she is one season nearer the age when
woman becomes pdSSe, and heartless
| ic hnn 30 l.
the frcsher deJutdntes who will en-.
joy with zest, which she can no more
presidential, cabinet, and diplomatic re-
ceptions, together with hops at the no
tells and germans at Marini's, and
to be called the "reigning belle" in the
society column of the city papers-the
stale distinction ofevery girl that comes
to Washington.
There is another familiar specimen
here, who though she receives no full.
some praise of newspapers, has a fal
more solid claim to the title "reigning'
than the society belle. She may or may
not be beautiful, in plastic or chro.
matte sense, but she is an insinuating
ravishing, angelic fiend, whose genius
and ,fnesse are more convincing of the
terrible creative and destructive nigh,
that slumbcrs in woman than the full
minations of all the champions of theil
sex, from Lucy Stone to Phoebe Cous.
in. If she were not consummatc di-
plomatist she might permit herself to
smile at policies that do not take her III
to account; but she is so absorbed in
her vocation of lobbyist that it is doubt
fnl if she has time to congratulate her.
self that radical changes in parties, in
administration, in government itself
will not eradicate her influence, that
nothing, in short, will do this but a
radical change in the nature of man.
| In matters of news | will not attempt
this week to anticipate the wires. Ex-
citement over the contest for the speak
ership is growing more intense. There
is much gossip of combinations to de-
feat Randall, of counter combinations
TO defeat the combiners. Randall is ap-
parently far ahead, though Mr.. Sayler
has just arrived, bronzed and glorious
from the Ohio campaign; with the pres
tige of good fight there he may yet
make it lively and vigorous for the
Pennsylvania. / have Just been to see
Messrs. Randall and Cox, neither OF
whom have the pallid, harassed appear
ance of the exciting final days Of last
session. Mr.. Cox Is hopeful, and Mr..
Randall says he is confident, in q way
that is assuring to his friends. In case
Mr.. Randall is elected there will be
many changes in the organization OF
committees, for he has lost some old
friends and made some new ones by his
course in the speakers chair. The re-
tirement of old members and the ad-
vent of those elected in their places
will also nccessitate changes. 1t will
probably be known after Saturday who
will be speaker, and the prevailing inn
preston is that Randall will receive
the caucus nomination on second ballot.
Then week or ten days will be con-
sumed in the organization of commit
tees.
Yesterday | went up to the almost
empty Capitol TO be present at the
opening of the supreme court. The
justices were all there. Justices Field
and Bradley, from the sequence of their
appointments, are compelled to sit side
by side, proximity not agreeable, one
would think, since their indirect antag-
onism in the press, during the summer.
The contrast i'm personnel of the two
men is emphasized by this juxtaposi-
tion. Field is bearded and leonine in
appearance, while Bradley, always
small, looks thin and worn. lie sat for
much of the time with his hands before
his eyes, as If to protect them from the
light.
The hall of the house of representa-
tives has been newly furnished with q
pretty green carpet, while both the
house and senate have been supplied
with exhaust pipe arrangements to
draw of the malaria arising from the
insensible perspiration of Republicans
and Democrats. Alas, for big shaft
to exhaust the gas of oratorical bores,
the reek of bad hearts and the poison of
corrupt legislation. c. AS.
The latest failure reDorted is the fail