The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1877-09-14
Washington.
WASHINGTON, d. c., Sept. z, 1878.


city Is nothing ii not political. Even
the boo. blacks will talk of politics to
YOU " hiie giving your stogas "shine -
and from the curb-stone to the execu-
tive mansion the bulk of all conversa-
ton is on political topics. Herein our
national capital differs from the capitals
of other great nations, which are not
only political centcrs but centers also of
the arts and sciences, of literature and
learning, where, and where only, you
will find the highest and most ample
evidences of the nations of Christendom
respectively in civilization. Not so
with us. The journalism of a hundred
cities, large and small, of this Union is
vastly superior to the journalism of
Washington. In all the elements of me-
tropolitanism it is vastly inferior to Bos-
ton, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore,
Cincinnati, Chicago, st. Louis, or San
Francisco, and by no means equal to
Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit or Milwau-
kee. In point of business, it Is merely
big town of small shops, the only
classes of men constantly making con-
siderable money being saloon-keepers
and dealers in cigars and tobacco.
The time is coming, no doubt, when
Washington will be much more than
political centre; when it will be the
home of artists, of scientists, of liter
airy men, and of men of leisure and
wealth, who will make its galleries and
its salons worthy the admiration of per-
SONS of sense and taste and attractive to
all intelligent classes. Something has
already been done in this direction by
the Smithsonian Institution and the
Corcoran Art Gallery, each noble do
nation from private muniiicence. II is
also true that during the last ten years
the city has been lifted up out of the
mud and mire, so to say, of old fogyism
and placed on the higher plane of mod
ern progress. The old gable roofs, the
old dormer windows, venerable and
moss-grown, the old horrible streets
eternally obnoxious on account of dust
or mud, have passed away, and the
Washington of to-day is as different
from the Washington of 1865 as almost
any two cities on the globe differ from
one another.
Nevertheless, much more will have TO
be done before the city becomes another
than center of politics. have been
particularly struck with this idea dur
ing the past week or SO on account of
the general excitement cansed here bv
the case of Cornell of New York.
Everybody has been asking the CO.
nundrum whether the dog wags his tail
or the tail ways the dog, that is to say,
whether the administration wags Cor
nell or Cornell ways the administration.
He is an officer of the United States
in open rebellion against the admins
tration, having taken part in calling the
convention of his state i'm violation of
the presidents famous order prohibiting
United States officers from taking part
in partisan management. 1t is aston
ishing how much this has been talked
about here, and is still discussed by
newspapers and individuals. On the
one hand men fairly shrek for Mr.. Cor
nelPs official decapitation, asserting that
this is necessary for the preservation of
the presidents consistency and dignity
On the other il is loudly claimed that
the president will not dare to remove
Cornell on account of Senator Conkling's
friendship for him, but will permit the
famous order, which has stirred up so
great cOmmOtion, to be thus nullified
and set at naught. The dispute has
been fierce and fiery and still RACES live
ly all along the line.
For my own part have endeavored
to keep cool during this heated political
term, and my private opinion is that
the president wags the administration,
and that at the proper time Bro. Cor
nell's official head will be brought in on
a charger, or words to that effect. This
man r. b. Hayes is one of the best ma
tured men in the world, but he is also
one of the most fearless. Without a
particle of buster or self-assertion he is
as brave as Julius Caesar, and, in the
discharge of duty, cares no more for
Cornell and all his hackers than an ele-
plant cares for the insects settling on
his tusks. In good time sweep of the
trunk will smash 'em into jelly.
There has for some time been an ami
mated contest going on over the Indian
commissionership an Office new held by
Hon. John Q. Smith of Ohio. Mr..
Smith is admitted to be an honest man,
but grave charges have been made with
respect to the administration of our In
dian affairs. 1t was generally supposed
that Mr.. Smith would have to step down
and out, but it now appears that he will
do nothing of the kind. He proposes to
remain, being unwilling TO become a
scape-goat for the offences Of others.
But Secretary ofthe Interior Schurz had
serenely made up his mind to give an
other man Mr.. Smiths place. So there
came conflict. And il is now raging
fiercely. Smith is sustained by Secre-
tary Sherman, Gen. Garfield, and other
strong men of Ohio. The president
and Secretary McCrary are personally
friendly with him. Hence the upshot
of the matter is an additional war on the
secretary of the interior. | believe this
war is to become general, and that il
must necessarily result in the discom.
future and defeat of Mr.. Schurz.
Schurz is, as think, honestly desir.
GUS of reform, of the honest conduct OF
public affairs. But he does not seem to
know how to conduct needed reform
in popular way. Somebody said OF
the notorious Tom Ochiltree that he had
rather lie on credit than tell the trutl
for cash. If there be all unpopular ant
a popular way to do good thing, Car
Schurz will adopt the unpopular way
He thus loses The friendship of pracii
cal reformers, as well as gains the active
hostility of those who care not for re
form and of the horde of political spoils
men generally. He even procures the
attacks of sensible reformers who ar,
unwilling that good cause should b,
thrown into ridicule and contumely b,
the unwise management of lofty, i'm
practicable, unapproachable dreamer
F who will listen neither to advice MOI
suggestion from friend or foe. 1t il
hardly necessary to say that when
man falls between raking fires OF tn,
kind here limited at, he is quite certain
to be fatally wounded. Such seems tC
be the sure fate of Carl Schurz. III,
will be honorably banished to Berlin o.
some other foreign court where fuss an.
feathers count. l.. NJ. n.
Corrections.
In spite of our utmost efforts to Sc