Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1879-01-23
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
Society Items, Politics, ard General
News.
WASHINGTON. D. c.. Jan. Is.

of the year Washington is a lively
pleasant city. Events of nationa
Importance occur daily. On Thurs
day night we had the memorial ex
ercises in memory Of the late Prof
Henry, which took place in the
Hall of the House. of Representa-
tives. The President and Cabinet
the members of the Supreme Court
large number of College PROBES.
sors and scientific men were pres
ent and the scene was an unusual
one in the Capitol. 1t was rather
remarkable that in the throng OF
noted men gathered in the Capitol
that the chief magistrate of the
greatest nation on earth could not
be distinguished from his fellows by
any extra dressing or unusual at
tention from body guards, attend
ants, &c. He was a simple man
wearing a simple coat. Near him
sat two brothers who had been
reared in the same family,
who had slept in the
same bed, tished in the same streams,
and who had come up from the life
Of humble citizenship to very high
stations in the Government. but a
stranger could not have marked any
striking difference in the appearance
of these two great men and that of
two dry goods merchants. [ refer
to Gen. w. Il. Sherman and Secre-
tary John Sherman. Postmaster
General Key, [ think, looks more
Ike statesman than any of the
Cabinet. lie is rather retiring,
and would keep out of sight a good
deal, but he is rather too large, and
wears or his face too much Of what
IS almost standing committee on
smiles, 10 be let alone by a curl
Gus crowd. A number Of fine
speeches were made on this occa-
sion. | am of the opinion that Gen. !
Garfield has the most impressive style |
of any one in the House. S.S.Cox |
speaks more like Methodist |
preacher than a politician. He is
pOetical man, and has a fountain
of tears near the surface in which |
he loves to battle his poetical
flowers before wreathing them into
a boquet of speech.
Last night we had gathering of |
the Pale Face nation at Lincoln
Hall to hear speeches from the Red.
Chief Joseph and Yellow Bear, of
the Nez Perces, and a number of the
Utes were present in Indian gear.
They were wrapped in blankets of
red, white and blue and had swad~
ling clothes around their legs, arms
and necks, and looked uncom-
Portable generally-rather like a
family of mummies on a dress
parade. They spoke in the Indian
tongue and an interpreter I'M
rayeleed it.
Congress has just passed q pen
sion law, which has the following
provisions All pensions now in
existence, or which may be granted
in the future, shall date from the
time on which the death, wound or
other disability, upon which they
ire based, occurred. A claim for
pension Will now be admitted into
he Pension Bureau, whether it has
n has not any record evidence in
he War or Navy Departments.
heretofore, all claims have been ,,
brown out Of the Pension Bureau
which were not prosecuted to a sue
essful adjustment within five years
.fter the date on which they were
PRESENTED. The present law re- P.
,eals that limitation act and admits
ii claims. This law is a God-Send ,
O the meritorious soldiers and :
Widows of East Tennessee, to many
f whom it will bring large sums of
money. t
In politics Washington is largely /
Here live a great {
many ex-Union soldiers who hold t
Government positions. If the
in reference to its desires
the Republican candi>
late for President in 1880, can be
judged by the tendencies here,
Irant will be nominated by accla-
nation. The mention of his name 8
n a Washington gathering ELECTS 3
houts and cheers. l recently at |
ended the scamp fire. meeting of '
he Grand Army of the Republic,
md noticed that if a speech or 8
3ong referred to Grant, the boys
vent wild with enthusiasm.
Secretary Sherman is held in
Ugh esteem, and is fast making one s
# those peculiar records that never 8
all to hoist a man very high in life:
nut 1 don'g think he has a very
arge following among men who
viii push him this time. +
3ut that John Sherman is a
and benefactOr no
rue man can deny, and should he .