The daily gazette., 1877-04-06
Our Washington Letter.
From Our Regular Correspondent.
l-re4 2 WASHINGTON, April a

WASHINGTON, April A.
Washington has lapsed into its sum-
mef apathy, its greatness has departed.
The Senate Chamber and the Hall of
the House of Representatives are unA
der going indispensable repairs. The
Departments jog an through monoton-
Gus routine. Mr.. Hayes shakes hands
with all who are disposed to condone
his usurpation, and drives with Zach
Chandler or Secretary, Sherman along
the banks of the much sounding PATIO
mac. A few Senators and members
remain, some of them ow q houses and
property in the city. and Washington
Is more their home thaa the districts
to which they are accredited. This is
especially the case with reference to
the carpet baggers. Spencer, of Ala
bama and Patterson of South Carolina,
although they represent those Statesln
the Senate, are less identified with
their interests and people than are in
telligent and philanthropic members
of the foreign legations. These
worthless. their Peers and vaesals are
not identified with anything in fact
but theft and lechery, lam willing to
be responsible. for this assertion, l
have no doubt but that similar express
sions of opinion in my letters have
been attributed to malice and person
al spite, by those who were not them
selves cogniZant of their truth. / came
to w ashington four years ago prepar-
ed periodically to admire our great
Legislators. / had read the invectiye,
and bitter personalities, of the apposi-
tion I,ress, until it impressed me as
rhetorical rather than, truthful. Strong
in the orthodox faith that we were the
envy of surrounding nations was a
lworshiper of American Institutions.
American women, men, and congress
men. My opportunities for observa.
ton have not been remarkable, but
they have been fair. and, while have
written with strong indignation, Il have
never written q word that did net be-
lieve to he the truth, and feel it my
duty to write. Iearnestly believe that
the story of corruption as it effects con-
gress and the Departments, as it per-
meates every artery and tisswe of Off
cial life, has never been told can never
be told. "The fraud that most shocks
our existence is one, whech, ere we
can fix 1t In language, is gone"-or
eclipsed by bigger fraud, and 30 1t
goes on in stunning succession, until
there is a desponding apprehension Of
q decay of public spirit In the Ameri-
car people, a reasonable fear that de
spair has made them resigned to the
greasy old machine, until it shall rur
down, with its fraudulent executive
perjured judiciary, and corrupt imbe
cile legislature.
+! said that the story Of corruption
cannot be told, there are some thing
too monstrous and too insignificien
for q statement that will be created BY
our peculiar packed jury of 10000, ,000
iThey will not believe that the govern
ment supplys its legislators with co
logne, visiting cards, and tooth picks
its thousands of employees with pei
knives, and stationary, for private us'
is and they will not believe that a cabl
| net officer who. member of the Re
publican church stole thousands of dol
| lars from the soldiers and charged th,
theft upon his wife. But these ar
only items, grains of sand on the TEEN
ing shore. hate statistics, the worl'
, hates statistics, we all prefer romance
and cant of moral ideas, and progress
the blowing of trumpets and bangin
: of drums on the fourth Of July, or tn
ssft fiattering singing of star spangle
poets. II the poet OF the future Wi
but get his fact; from tho archives O
the Departments, and his inspiratio
, from the reporters.gallery, the Ameri
| - ..~:1 Ill ~ d;Hnront frapn Pa N q >,
Taylor's centennial ode.
In my humble opinion, popula
i government is faulty; not an absolut
failure, perhaps, but so far as our e1
pertinent goes, a failure to secure wis
Legislation, fair administration or jut
construction In municipal, state or ns
ltional matters. One thing is certain
| the government made by the father
fer 5000, 900 colonists of the Appelact
| ian watershed, is not suited for
steam reginerated, RAILROAD ribbed
electric nerved 40,000,000 of people
Ii am no pessemist, but since Hayes
e called Preident, I think there need D
9 no haste to put the obituary OF tn
/ devil in type.
Il If an American citizen can bear {
i even look at such low browed villain
J. GUS men as Patterson or Spencer will
t out q sense of modification, so muc
, the worse for the American citizer
These honorable senators are not NOR
sters, they are such men as we NEE
every dav; men whose bosoms neve
swelled with free and glenerou
Thought, who have felt an emotio
: that was not selfish, never an asp1r
tion that was not venal or venera
But they are Senators, and this is ou
lcountryi .el G. A. s.