The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-11-28
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From Our Regular Correspondent.
WASHINGTON. D. c., Nov. %

WASHINGTON, u. u, Nov. 70.
While the city is filling with strangers
and one sees familiar faces of Congress.
men who return. to serve out the three
remaining months of their terms.
thoughts and incidents touching this one
and that naturally come to mind. None
but these who, on duty right here, have
seen the coming and going of men in
public life realize how rapidly the scene
changes. 1t is like the evolutions Of the
kaleidoscope. The men who are to-day
the leading actors in events, and whose
lives seem closely interviewer with the
country's being, tomorrow step down and
out, seldom missed. Now and then one
elected to Congress returns year after
year, and becomes land mark as it
were; but as rule they serve their brief
day and pass into oblivion.
Everybody is talking about the unu-
sual changes in the personel of the next
House. 1t is seldom that so many prom
inent members are left out at one time,
yet perhaps there never was time when
clean sweep could be made with less
detriment to the public good. Nearly
half the members of the present House
failed to be returned, and the unfortu-
nate ones are about evenly divided be-
tween the two parties. l met Abram 5.
Hewitt to-day and observe that the trou-
bled-almost panied expression of his
countenance has nog departed. OF all
the unreturned members none will be
more generally missed than Hewitt. He
suffers greatly from dyspepsia, nervous
ness and loss of sleep, which renders him
very excitable and irritable; yet with
all that he is worker and thoroughly
honest experienced man whose useful
ness is the greater from the esteem in
which he is held by his associates of
both parties. But he remarked once that
he did not regard John Kelly states
man, and for that error of judgment
Kelly named another man to represent
the district when the nominating conyen-
ton assembled this year. Hewitt was a
member of the joint committee that
framed the bill creating the Electoral
Commission, and in the sincerity of his
nature took good deal of stock in the
candid professions of his Republican as
sociates on the committee, particularly
Hoar and Edmunds. Both the latter
were put on the commission, to assist in
constituting the law which they had help
ed to create. After it became evident
that these two statesmen were voting to
exclude evidence regarding the Louis.
lana and Florida frauds, | have seen
Hewitt pacing the floor of his committee
room declaiming against their perlidy.
1t is said that he sleeps fewer hours than
any man in America. Somebody recent
ly told the story OF his discontinue by a
Growing rooster in the vicinity of his
quarters. He stood it as long as he could
and then offered q colored waiter five
dollars for "that id ROSTERS head, u
and it was shortly brought to him like
John the Baptist's, on salver. The
thrifty waiter bought the rooster for sew
enty-five cents and sold the remains to
Welcker for fifty cents, which, with five
dollars for the head, made comfortable
profit out of the transaction. Money is
no object to this sleepless Congressman.
He is very rich, and buys any house that
he fancies he can sleep in. One winter
he rented elegant quarters here, end then
took all the adjoining apartments to pre-
vent being disturbed. In doing this he
cut Senator Conkling out of his former
quarters, and created an unfriendliness
which lasted some time.
Another of the prominent unfortunate
is Milton Sayler, who, had he been re-
elected, would very likely have succeed
ed Randall as Speaker. A combination
nf nircnnnstanres fnyornd his selection.