Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1878-04-12

House of Representatives, is rrc-1ccuIicl
with the subject of doorkccpcr. Mr..
Polk, the doorkeepcr of the House, has been
brought before committee, tried and coz"
yictcd
The debate on the committees report
brought out the fact that he had on his
&" soldiers roll" and figuring as {" disabled
Union soldiers" a lot of ablc-boliei
Democrats and cx-rebels, crowded upon
him by Democratic members, and each
receiving 81 200 a year salary. 1t was
shown that lsborers employed at 500
month were hiring substitutes to do the
work at $40 month One man was put in
place entirely new and not provided for by
any law, and drew $50 a month till the
committee on accounts found 1t out.
Poor Polk but what could he Do, when
members of the House who couldn't get their
men on the 81 200 roll for want If actcal
room combined to get them in as iigcmcn and
laborers and then compelled the Others to
share their pay lie did his best to feed all
the pigs out Of one trough, but 1t was no
use. And now lie has gone To meet FIT
hugh and Patterson.
Daring this religious rest Of Lent, when
the belle has ceased from waiting, and ha5
ceased the toot-horn pest, your correspondent.
NJ longer BARRED with balls, receptions, and
feteS, INDUCES in "reminiscences, aad the
grateful rhilosOIhic quiet Of pastoral
(boarding-house) life. The population OF
Washington is divided into two classes,
somewhat analogous to the division OF hG-
manity into beasts Of burden and beasts ii
prey) clearinghouse keepers, and h,arding-
house dodgers and the great end and aim Of
each Is to get the better of the other. II
any skeptic Il use the word in its ctymo".i-
cal, not its theological scnsc) wants to study
human nature, and can afford to Lose money
for his labor. let him start hoaIdiuc-hon~:'
in Washington. There are many historic
boarding houses here No matter how grand
and palatial Washington mansion my
have been, or how distinguished the
men or lovely the women that may haze
passed and plotted, waited. Sclntillited
and ilrtod in its once brilliant salons
to the boarding house favor must it come
at last. The old time house whcrc Beverly
Tucker once entertained IN his \irgi2'an
style, was, during the war, and l. now.
| boarding house. The house in watch
Seward lived, and in which his daughter -
heroically defended her father, and toilet the
assassin. on the night that Lincoln WAS
killed, has fallen into line, and the coat Of
arms over its door bears this legend
Rooms to let with board" The old Com
modorc Wilkes mansion has been for years
boarding house. Here Belknap lived in the
early days of his socretlryship, and here his
landlady sued him for his gas bill. The
common fate has also betallen the handsome
mansion of Chief Justice Chase, afterwards
the home of his sou-in-'aw, Senator Sprague,
and the house where We all liked to 90 Ia see
the kindly old man. and attend the superb
receptions of his daughter; this, too, has
become boarding menageric, and last win
ter had the gas turned of in delanlt of pay
mcnt of the gas bill. The house jeff Davis
lived in was converted not long since int,
restaurant. Such is politico-social lie here,
one day Respondent with horses, carriages.
music, flowers, beautiful women, and gal!
liant men the next bursting Of the bubble,
deb, disgrace, house for rent, furniture for
sale-the red flag flies at the door. Life is
short bnt it is very funny.
Yours, Nix.