The daily gazette., 1878-02-19
'0ur Washington Letter.

Academy Bfll-Presentatien
or . Picture 10 Congress
Ofstery or GarAeId 4
70, and stevens.
ORA TORY IN GRNERAI--THE PASSAGE
OF THE SILVER BILL-rHE
Il ROUND OF ErTEETAIN-
MEMrs.
tFrom Our Regular Correspondent
-aH WAsHNoroN, Feb. 10.
.i Although the West Point appropriation
bill has been passed in the House, and
will doubtless BE- passed in the Senate,
It's discussion elected that fact that there
Is growing opposition 10 that military
hatchery, in It's present form, and, II may
very reasonably be inferred, thst the day
ID not far distant when a congress will
be sent TO Washington commissioned to
alter and amend that institution, and the
overhauling will then be none the less
severe because Of the long postponement
Of the process. a'
The Vice President of the late Con-
federacy, and Mr.. Hewitt ofNew York
have.been the Congressional stars during
the week, or, at least, in theatrical par
lance, they are the only members that
have made decided "hit.' The occa-
sion Of Mr.. Stevens'speech was the pres
entation Of life size oil painting Of Mr..
Lincoln and bis Cabinet, to Congress
The picture, painted by Carpenter
and boughs and presented by a Mrs.
Thompson Of New York, is about on 9
par with the others daubs Of the Capitol,
and II 1t were not present would de-
serve severer criticism. 1t is called The
Signing Of the Emancipation Proclama
tioD, but 1t would suit just as well fo
any other occasion when the late Presi
dent and his cabinet might have beer
stifiiy grouped around table to hav'
their photographs taken. The picture
which covers about ten square feet O
canvass, was elevated over The Speaker
desk draped In the stars aud stripes. /
was the intention to have, the Senat.
come in in q body; but, when the Spea
ker announced the Senate Of the Unite,
States, only about half the Senators en-
tered. Senator Edmunds of Vernon
said that he could not give the encourage
ment OF his presebss 70 poor art exhi
bition, and many Democratic senator
staid away because they did not sympa
thlxe with the subject. Among thos
conspicuously absent were, Senator
Thurman, Bayard, Eaton, Gordon
voorhees, and others. Mr.. Garfield
speech on the occasion. was elaborate an,
carefully written, but 1t fell short of tn
oiequence 1t aimed at-words, words
words. metaphors and rhetorical conceit
but no enthusiasm--his political expe
rience and the habit of his mind seem t,
have taken away all the enthusiasm tina
] was In him, though II is questionable
II nature ever formed HIM for exalte
flights.
But 1t must be admitted that II Is NOR
difficult for an orator TO please to-da,
, than it has ever been before, and tn
/ ambitious sophomore that is even nov
training, la Demosthenes and Cicero
to sway listening Senates, had bette
turn his attention to something else, o
he will find himself as superfluous as th
editors freshly graduated from Yale an,
Harvard, or the warriors from the Mill
tary hatchery on tho Hudson. The pres
has killed both oratory and diplomacy
and, though they still lag they are non
the less superfuous. The terse, pointe
editorial has driven the hustings, an
the forum, and the pulpit into the back
ground-first, by the greater force, con
ciseness, and accuracy, of statement, an
! second by making critics Of laymen, plac
ing them on level Of intelligence witt
and frequently upon aplane above, thos
who assume the role of Oracles. Nj
/, Stevens sat during the speech of M
/ Garfield moving his emaciated hand
o nervously. " hen the time came for hir
to speak he, without attempting to aris
: from the little three wheeled chair
which he sits, bowed to the Speaker, an
then propelling his chair into the ope
space in front of the Speakers stant
faced the House. he was listened 10 wit
almost breathless attention, for there wa
, that In his historic personality an
the historic occasion, greater than th
eloquence of words. As his weak voic
struggled to fill the hall of the House {
Representatives and reach the ears
the generals, statesmen, and politician
: whose names are part of the history {
the greatest conflict of this hemisphere
the mind was carried to the time whe
then the old, but now still, boyish lool
ing politician was power in this hal
and prominent as probable candida
for the Presidency-twenty years ag
10 His words were no more remarkable tbs
those of Mr.. Garfield; indeed they We
not so appropriate for the occasI on, CO.
sisting in great part of the words that
had used in speech thirteen years al
in Georgia at the end Of the war.