Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1878-02-20
From our Regular Correspondent
Washington Letter.
WASHINGTON. Feb.

| cry, III us present loTln' ANU IL udy Noiy
reasonably be inferred, that the day is not
fur distant when a congress will be sent to
Washington commissioned to alter and
amend that institution, and the over
hauling will then be none the less severe
because Of the long postponemcnt of the
process.
The vice president of the late confedera-
cy and Mr.. IIewett of New York have
been the congressional stars during the
week, or, at least, in theatrical parlance,
they are the only members that have made
decided chit" The occasion of Mr..
Stevens speech was the presentation of Il
life size oil painting Of Mr.. Lincoln and
his cabinet, to congress. The picture,
painted by Carpenter, and bought and
presented by Mrs. Thompson of New
York, is about on par with the other
daubs of the capitol, and if it were not a
present would deserve severer criticism.
II is called TIE Signing of the Emancipa-
ton Proclamation, but it would suit just
us well for any other occasion when the
president and his cabinet might have been
stitlly grouped around table to have their
photographs taken. The picture, which
covers about ten feet of canvas, was
elevated over the speakers desk draped in
the stars and stripes. 1t was the intention
to have the senate come in in body; but,
when the speaker announced the senate of
the United States, only about half the sena-
tors entered. Senator Edmunds of Ver-
mont said that he could not give the en-
couragement of his presence to poor art
exhibition, and many democratic senator's
staid away because they did not sympathize
with the subject. Among those conspicu-
ously absent were Senators Thurman,
Buyard, Eaton, Gordon, Voorhees, and
others. Mr. Garfed's speech on the &C.
casion was elaborate and carefully writ
ten, but it fell short of the eloquence it
aimed at-words, words, metaphors and
rhetorical concets but no enthusiasm
his political experience and the habits of
his mind seem to have taken away all the
enthusiasm that was in him, though it is
questionable if nature ever formed him
for exalted flights But it must be admit
ted that it is more difficult for an orator to
please to-day than it has ever been before,
and the ambitious sophomore that is even
now training, Il Ia Demosthenes and
Cicero, to sway listening senators, had
better turn his attention to something else,
or he will find himself as superhuous as
the editors freshly graduated from Yale
and Harvard, or the warriors from the
military hatchery on the Hudson.
The press has killed both oratory and
diplomacy, and though they still lag they
are none the less supeAuous. The terse,
pointed editorial has driven the hustings,
and the forum, and the pulpit into the
background-first, by the greater force,
conciseness and accuracy of statement and
second, by making critics of laymen, plac.
ing them on level of intelligence with
and frequently upon plane above, those
who assume the role of oracles. Mr.
Stevens sat during the speech of Mr.. Gar.
field, moving his emaciated hands nervous.
ly. When the time came for him to speak
he, without attempting to arise from the
little three wheeled chair in which he sits
bowed to the speaker, and then propelling
his chair in to the open space in frontof the
speakers stand, faced the house. He was
listened to with almost breathless atten.
ton, for there was that in his historic per
sonality and the historic occasion, greater
than the eloquence of words. As his weak
voice struggled to fill the hall of the House
of Representatives and reach the ears O
the generals, statesmen and politicians
whose names are part of the history Of
the greatest conflict Of this hemisphere
the mind was carried back to the tint
when this old, but now still, boyish look
ing politician was power in this hall, ant
promised as probable candidate for tn,
presidcncy-twenty years ago, His word
were no more remarkable than those O
Mr.. Garfield; indeed, they were not so ap
propriate for the occasion, consisting il
great part Of the words that he had uset
in speech thirteen years ago in Georgi,
at the end of the year.
In the Senate, the silver bill has agail
occupied the week and speeches have beef
read TO empty floors and galleries by Sen
ators Sergeant, Jones, Dawes, Merrimal
and others; but now that the bill has beef
= passed, the Senate will be ready for debat
= upon the appropriation bills.
AS Lent approaches, social entertain
mcnts are reaching their climax of fire
quency, and extreme of late hours.
round of hops at hotels, germans, ollicia
and unofficial, receptions, lectures, operas
and temperance revivals by Murphy, fur
= nish amusement for every variety of taste
= The young debutans of either sex VIII
+ started fresh two months ago now walt
S like machines, and ilirt with all the latet
G improvements.
t The Maine legislature has no intento
n of changing the present liquor law. an
has just refused the passage of q bill I
allow druggists to sell liquor.