The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1879-05-03
WASHINGTON LETTER..
From our regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, April 80,


Yesterday went to the reporters gallery of
the Senate to hear the speech OF Senator Pen
deton, of Ohio, in favor of giving members Of
the cabinet seats ON the floor of Congress. The
Junior senator from Ohio, who has been given
the s0brtguet of Gentleman George, and who
was u prococous presidential candidate ten
years ago looks like man offorce, handsome,
and not over torty-ive, though | believe he is
quite fifty. lie speaks like an orator. indeed
too much like an orator, | mean his style was
too energetic and impassioned for a subject
that was merely didactlc and argumentative.
He should not have said undisputed things
about the duties Of Cabinet officers and the
Executive IN such fiery way. But criticise
only the manner, the matter was excellent, and
evidently appreciated by the entire Senate
without respect to party. Senator Conkling
was the first to grasp his hand IN congratula-
ton when he had finished, and he was follow
ed by Blaine and other republican senators,
while Mrs Hayes, who had been listening
from the gallery beside Murat Halstead, grace
fully congratulated Mrs Pendleton. The best
part of his speech was that in which he referr-
ed to the difficulty OF securing information
from Cabinet Officers, even when it was neces-
sary for legislation, and when he spoke of the
volumlnous departmental written reports,
which few read and none understood and he
emphasized the advantages that would accrue
from having Cabinet Officers on the floor at
all times ready to explain and answer questions
relative to their several Departments This IS
very fine in theory, but Senator Pendleton
should serve an apprenticeship as depart
ment clerk. He would learn many things. lie
would learn that a Cabinet Officer knows lit
tie more about the workings of his Department
than a member of Congress knows about
craftsmanship. He would learn that the clerks
OF Departments run this ponderous government,
and that they alone are intimately acquainted
with all its heavy and delicate machinery. An
automaton capable of signing his name about
one hundred times II day to papers that he does
not understand would make Il pretty good
Cabinet officer.
There were parts of Senator Pendleton's
speech that were heavy, as your correspondent
improved the occasion to make observations
for the information of the world and posterity
There is a widespread opinion that Senator
Conkling is a VAN man. His caricatursts rep
resent him as apointer pigeon or turkey cock
birds which spread and display their plumage
Darwin says, to dazzle the gentler sex. dc
not believe Senator Conkling is vain or thai
he poses before either sex. While he listened
10 Senator Pendleton' speech, he was engaged
all the time with pen knife making the toile
of his finger nails Vain men do not so utter
" ignore polite conventions. Senator Conk
linz, is both fortunate and unfortunate in his
apnearance. Men call him fine looking, while
women saw he is too awfully ravishingly nice
for any thing, hut his tout ensemble, lndepen
don, of his dress, is what children of the world
would call cloud" Now he has neither great
al nor trained his blonde hyperion curls, oil
nodded his features of Jove, or form oil Anu
mons Wicked caracaturists should not taun
him with his perfections, for he is a true irielu
or n genuine hater, as the case may De- ana III
lsep,tor better deserves the sobriquf that ma
lhser given to Senator Pendleton.
The chief difference that have ooser'e'
h.,xeen European and American statesmen L
,h., the former keep their clothes bustone'
while the latter do not But this difference IL
wearing clothes Is not confined to Statesmen