Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1878-01-30
From our Regular Correspondent
Washington Letter.

lFfOm our htguaf correspondent
Washington Letter.
WASHINGTON. Jan. &c.
This has been, in some respects, an
eveutful week in Washington; with
mrth in funeral, and drge in marriage"
we have beheld the imposing obsequies of
one Catholic king, and the celebration OF
the nuptials of another; while, in the Sen
ate, there has been the always interesting
entertainment of Senator Blaine in his great
role Of HercUleS furenS, pitching into
Boston, Plymouth Rock, and every thing
else that is sacred, stirring up the enervat-
ed conceit of the old Bay state to some
thing like resistance. 1t had been suppOs-
ed that the most popular of republican
leaders, broken by disappontmcnt', fail
ures. and i'll health, had lost his prestige
and his fire; but those who know him best
with the many who witnessed his attack
on Massachusetts, are convinced that there
is much of the Phoenix blood in him yet.
Certainly no man of our times succeeds in
keeping himself so continuously alive in
public interest as the favorite at the Gin
cinnati convention. His antagonists in
the recent ioust were not Ben Hill and Ben
Butler II fact not much in their favor.
Massachusetts in the Senate, is not that
heavy mental force that the high pressure
culture of Boston might be supposed to
evolve. Senator Dawes. from being n
leader in the House, has become u minus
quantity in the Senate, hidden in the
umbrae cast by Conkling, Blaine, Thur
man, Bayard, Mathews, Voorhees,, and
others. Senator Iloar gives the impression
of u safe lawyer, with village reputation.
having an instinct for mjn5ttB but not for
the comprehension of general principals
Shades Of Sumner and Webster can it be
that these are all remain of thee?
The entertainment given by the Spanish
minister in celebration Of the marriage of
the king of Spain has been the social event
of the season. 1t was attended by bril-
liant throng Of diplomats in full court
dress army and naval officers in uniform;
and many senators, representatives, and
distinguished personages of the cabinet,
bench, bar, politics, and lobby. 1t is a
significant fact, and one that will be con
sidered soon by the press and people, that
the old legitimate occupation of the diplo-
matist is gone, and that now instead of
being up to their eyes in ntrigues, involv-
ing frontiers and thrones, they have be-
come mere masters of ceremony-c calling
and receiving calls, giving and eating
dinners, while the exquisite attaches of
legation devote their time to filtration on
Pennsylvania avenue, wearing exquisite
gloves and eye glasses, but i'll fitting coats
over corsets, all imported duty free.
Mr. Hewitt will soon introduce bill in
the House for the consolidation of our en-
tire foreign service. 1t will be quite feast
bic, with one foreign minister in Paris or
London, and with branch offices at the
more important capitals Of Europe, to
transact all necessary business and keep
posted rs to all the secret Vaccinations of
our enemies, if we have any. But the fact
is, that the day of Vaccinations is passed.
In modern governments, of respectable
power, all foreign relations are discussed
in the journals, and debated publicly in
houses Of commons, corps legislatif and
diets in full time for other peoples to take
cognizancc Of them. The most accom-
plished dipomatist would never be able to
compete with the modern newspaper in
knowing and making public the counsels
of kings and cabinets. The press has
usurped the place of diplomacy. and any
man who can buy II paper may he better
p stod in his day than were lalIerand and
Mauernirh in their time,
There were two other entertainments
hat must not omit in history Of the
week. refer to the lectures of Bob In
gersoll and Senator Voorhees,. The lee
lure Of the former was an attack upon
hell, heaven, the past and future. Indeed,
he denounced pretty much everything ex-
cept the present and tangible. Mr.. Ingcr.
soil unlikn ShnkCSnnarp rpDpafs His