Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1878-11-27
from our regular eoHsspondsnt'l
Washington Letter,
Wa.hinglon, d, O., Noe, rs, 1878,

three remaining months ~ their terms
thoughts and incidents tonching this
one aud that naturally come to mind,
None but those who, on duty right
here, have seen the coming aud going
of men IN public life realize how rap
idly the scene changes, II Is like the
eyolutlonS OF thu Kaleidoscope, The
men who are to-day the leading actors
IN events, and whose lives seem closely
interviewer with tho oouatry's being,
tomorrow step down aud out, seldom
missed Now aud then one elected
to Congress returns year ailer year.
aud becomes landmark as It were
but az u rule they serve their brIei day
and pass Into oblivion,
Everybody Is talking about. tho IN
usual changes IN the personnel OF the
next House. II Is seldom that so
many prominent members are left out
at one time, yet perhaps there never
was time when clean sweep could
b. made with less detrlment to the
public good, Nearly halt the mem
bers Of the present House tailed to be
returned, and the unfortunate ones are
about evenly divided between tae two
parties, ! met Abram s, Hewitt to-
day and observe that the troubled
almost panied expression OF his coun.
tcnance has not departed. OF all tho
unreturned members mono will be
more generally missed than Hewitt
IIe suffers greatly from dyspepsia,
nervousness, and loss OF sleep which
renders HIM very eycitable and irrta'
Bile yet with all that he is q worker
and q thoroughly honest experienced
man whose usefulness 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 re-
gard John Kelley statesman, and for
that error of judgment Kelly named
another man to represent the district
when the nominating convention as
sembled 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
iu the candid professions of his Re.
publican associates on the committee,
particularly Hoar and Edmunds. Both
the latter were put on the commission,
to assist in constituting the law which
they had helped to create. After it
became evident that these two states.
men were voting to exclude evidence
regarding the Louisiana and Flori da
frauds, I have seen Hrwitt pacing the
floor OF his committee room declain-
ing against their per6uity. 1t is said
that he sleeps fewer hours than any
man in America. Somebody recently
told the story of bis discontinue by a
growing rooster in the vicinity of his
quarters. He stood it as long as he
could and then offered colored wait
er five dollars for shat id ROSTERS
head" and it was shortly brought to
him like John the Baptists, on a cal
ver The thrifty waiter bought the
rooster for seventy-fve cents and sold
the remains to Welcker for fifty cents,
which, with five dollars for the head,
made a comfortable profit out of the
transaction. Money is no object to
this sleepless congressman. He is very
rich and buys any house that he can
sleep in. One winter he rented ele-
CANT quarters here, and then took all
the adjoining apartments to prevent
being disturbed. In doing this be
cut Senator G, pkling out of his form
er quarters, and created unfriendliness
which lasted some time.
Another of the prominent unfortu.
mates is Milton Sayler, who, had he
been reelected, would very likely
have succeeded Randall as speaker
A combination of circumstances ia
vorcd his selection. Saylor is one of
the "sood fellows" in public life,
whom everybody likes, and man OF
considerable ability withal, yet he IS
not essentially leader, nor in fact a
worker. He likes good company,
good wine, with ease and comfort.
The boys say too that he is not averse
to little game of uraw. In habit
and disposition Saylor somewhat re.
sembles Carter Harrison, another west
ern member who failed to connect.
The Chicago papers facetiously talk
about sour Carter" but here in Wash.
il gton he Is known as "Marine Band
Harrison" At the first session Of the
44th Congress Holman of Indiana,
and some Of the other economists,
who have no music in their souls, I'M