The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1880-02-18

~ Il
and actors Of BY gone days. Everything
was IN the hands Of the South in those
days. Southern men and Southern ideas
held sway in all depths Of the govern
ment. The nasal twang Of the Yankees
was held in great contempt. New Eng
land was the admiration Of Washington
society. The Northern Democrats joined
ineTciaIe and exiggerating this feeling.
It was common to speak Of all anti.slayery
people as fanatics, and to denounce them
d NOT being entitled to decent respect or
consideration. The most extreme South.
ern views were the most aristocratic and
fashionable views, and were affected by
all the throng who came here hunting iof
office, whether from the North or SCUM.
Such men as JEFF Davis, Toombs, slidell,
Hunter and Mason, held sway here along
with their Northern Democratic allies,
while Seward, Chase, Sumner and John
P. Hale we're the despised representatives
ofthe rising tide Of Black epublicanism.%
lThe Senate and the House resounded
daily with threats Of disunion, and these
threats were repeated and re-echoed by
washington, society as the orthodox
standard Of political sentiment. Hook In
vain for any Of these old political leaders
to-day. with the exception Of Alexander
lH. Stephens, Of Georgia, I do notreccgnize
asipple southernman who wasin Congress
in the days Of Frank Pieroe'a administers
ton, when first visited Washington. /.
ALEXANDER II. srIPHESs.,
Irememberthe first timeI ever saw
this remarkable remnant Of the old re-
aime. II was in 1855, in the days when.
the two houses Of Congress- met in the
old halls Of the original Capitol building.
Stephens was sitting at a wood fire at one
end Of the lobby that surrounded the
floor Of the House in those days, quietly
smoking q cigar, and was introduced to
him by Congressman Albright, who rep
resented the Belmont to.l district at that
fine. He had on q Icolored necktie, the
two ends Of which stood out like prongs
from his shirt bosom. His hair was
bangedin front, as it is to-day, his COM
plexion outlets bloodless, and his eyes
dark aud piercing, as they still are. he
isto.day the sole survivor OF the House Of
Representatives alsI then looked upon It.
And speaking Of this remarkable man, !
must digress far enough to refer to- visit
that / made to his rooms at the National
Hotel the other evening. Col. T.P. Shall
cross, Of Wheeling, is an old friend Of
Stephens, and he too has rooms at the
National whsn here on Postofice duty.
EHe plays whist with the old Ran very
Frequently, and he said to nae, as l met
him at the office OF the National, "doh't
you want to go up and see Stephens"
OF course I did, and so / went up at once.
he was about 0 o'clock in the evening. and
the game Of whist was over, but the old
man was still in bis rolling chair in his
bed room, sitting there with his hat on,
a hand on either wheel and moving him
self gently back and forward as ii seeking
diversion from nervous restlessness. He
impresses you at first as g very old man,
so withered and bloodleas in his appear
ance, but when he begins to talk and you
get the range Of his bright eyes, and listen
to his easy conversation, this impression
wears of. You do mot think Of his age or
bodily decrepitude, but only of his won
derful memory in regard to public affairs
and Of the vigof and keenness Of his dis
cussion Of them. He was in a good talk;
ing mood during u visit and delivered
himself somewhat on Presidential matters.
He abominates Tilden, and does notthink
the Democracy can carry New York either
with or without .rilden. He prefers John
SHERMAN to Tilden, Il We are TO have q
continuation Of the present, financial pol
icy, because, as he says Sherman Is an
honester man. he spoke Of Presidential
political conventions as assemblages Of
political tramps, and repeated what Ben.
ton said Of them In his last illness. II
never" said Benton; twas in q gambling
house, nor in q house Of ill.fame, nor in q
Presidential political convention, and !
speak Of them in the order Of my abhor-
renee Of them.a
Strange as it may seem, Stephens is not
opposed to athird term. he did not say
that he favored, Grantfo third term, but
argued at length in favor of o third term
as. an abstract proposition. He was rather
weak, as l thought, in comparing Ito the
case Of o Congressman third term. He
thought there was Just as much reason for
electng q President three times as there
was for electing q Congressman that many
times, and moreover he went on to say
that neither Washington nor Mr.. Jeffer-
son, who are both quoted SO much as ex-
amples against q third term, could have
been elected q third time; So that no credit
attaches to either for declining To be can
|didates ct the end Of their eight years Of
service. He said that to make the fight
against Grant on the ground simply Of
a%nti:third termism, Is like resting q case
on a demurrer to o bill in equity; 1t was o
virtual admission that the substance ofthe
issue is with your opponent. BE spoke Of
Stephen A. Douglass in terms ofT;high
praise; and said he was one Of the greatest
men the country had produced; that he
was about the only man he ever knew
who would not defect q hairs breadth
from the exact position he assumed on any
question, and in connection with Douglass
gave some interesting "reminiscences of
the great Kansas-Nebraska agitation in
ttoEA GO m-.4l.atr ltLEEtA sEN