Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1880-12-31
Washington Letter.

Washington Letter.
WAsuiyGroS, ID. c., Dec. 81 1850.
To the Editor of the Free Press and Times:
There is one branch of business in which
Washington excels. which may fifty be term
ed wholesale and that is Eating. The limo
cent observer beholds with aniazement that
about every third house he passes is an eat
ing establishment of some kind, oyster saloon
restaurant, small hotel, all vieing with each
other in their glaring devices and the entc-
ing enumeration OF the delicacies within.
The political economists and philosophers in
Congress have right here the anomaly of a
non-producing all-consuming populacc. The
appellation City of magnificent distances
ought to be changed to ''City of magnificent
appetites.''
OF course when Congress is in session,
the capitol is the centre, the Caaba of this
Mecca. Let us step into one of the galleries
of the House.
At twelve O'Clock, the Speaker rams on the
desk with his gavel There is a violently
improviscd lull in the noise and the chaplain
offers brief prayer With his Amen, the
buzzing and hustle return sevcn-fold and in
crease still more when an asthnlatic youth
begins to read the Journal in perfunctory,
monotous, town-crier tone. The whole looks
and sounds for all the world like a school of
grown up pupils, at their copy books. The
members postpone their correspondence till
the session begins and then hurredly proceed
to despatch it. The clapping of hands, the
summoning Of the attendant boys, the run
nlng to and fro of these light footed Mercu-
ries. the talking and walking constitute the
interesting scene. When the young man has
at length finished his melodious madrigals,
Immediately half dozen are on their feet
CRYING ont Nlr. Speaker Mr.. Speaker
in a way that would distract an ordinary
mortal. but does not seem to effect him of
the gavel in the least. When one begins TO
speak the confusion is not a whit abated.
The few that are discngaged rlacidly con
template the individual as a sort of nine days
wonder, surprised at the Quixotic extravag
ancc Of the man, to try and make himself
understood in such place.
When YOU pay 4 visit to Congress you eX-
pect to hear some good speeches 1t will be
by the merest stroke Of good fortune, if you
are not disappointed. 1t will most likely be
like going to the menagerie TO hear the lion
roar and the contrary beast is not in roar
ing mood In fact the displays of oratory in
Congress are exceedingly rare. 1t is not
so much gathering of orators matching and
measuring their cloquence with each other as
rather an assembly of business men. Most
of the work is done in the committee rooms
and on the general floor; they mostly con-
fine their efforts to fighting through the
measures already determined upon. Here
the existence Of party division occasions
much diminishing and causes much delay. |
Every step, every movement forward is jeal-
ousy watched and challenged. There is
thus necessarily much dispute and harrangic |
on technical, parliamentary points. The |
motto of many seems to be the words OF
Barry Cornwall: "Our Ambition lies but in |
little things Thus far this session there has |
not been much nourishing of the tomahawk. !
On the whole every body seems amicably |
disposed, the victory at the last election |
was SO very thorough and overwhelming.
The successful party feel content and can |
afford not TO stand upon tliies the outgoing |
oil with 1yb "a
patriotic services their country feels con- |
strained gratefully 10 dispense, might per
haps be expected TO make things unpleasant |
for their opponents during the few remain |
ing days of grace they are in power, but in
their disgust they evidently feel like saying |
with Othtllo: Let it 90 all ~ There are |
fine looking men in the House, men of i'm
posing presence, men on whose brow is
stamped the mark of intellect. A striking !
feature is the preponderance Of old men,
among these one remarkable parsonage. An |
invalid's carriage is wheeled into the House. |
In it sits little old man with snow white |
head and attenuated frame, apparently too |
niirm to be there, but when he began TO |
speak you would change your mind about |
that. This is Alex. II. Stephens of Georgia,
an instance of the mastery of the mind over |
the body. 1t is interesting 10 mark the Won
dcrful dexterity with which he wheels his |
carriage from side TO side while he speaks.
In the Senate the number of hoary polls is |
still more prepondcrant. The eye eagerly |
looks for those men whose names have be-
cone household words Throughout. the land, |
Edmunds and Blaine Hill and Lamar, Thur |
man and Bayard, Conl>ing and Cameron
and Logan. Gen. Grants visit TO Congress |
formed IN interesting intermezzo. Both |
Houses took a recess OF ten minutes in homer
of their guest and all who were so wiled
came up and shook hands and it was noticed
that those who hung back We're Northern
Democrats, whereas none were moIe cordial
than the Soulhcrners. Looking upon the
lonely scene, one should have supposed that
he was their long-lost brother instead of their
enemy and conqucror.
Well, it is manly to let by-Sones be by
cones and not 10 build the future on dead
issues thrice rejected.
In the revulsion of the order OF things con-
scqucnt upon the last election, the complex
ion of Congress will be completely reversed
from that existing a few years ago; We will
now have Republican House and perhaps a
Democratic Senate. The aggressive and the
defensive will change hands and the battle