The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1880-03-04
Washington, Letter.

Washington, Letter.
[From Our Regular Correspondence
WASHINGTON, D. c., Feb. %, 1880.
1t is rarely that we are treated with
as eloquent eulogy by Senator as that
of Senator voorhees, upon Brumidi,
the recently deceased artist of the Cap
itol. A Congressional speech usually
is as destitute of oratorical graces as a
lawyers argument before jury upon
some dry, knotty legal guibble. and
Senator Voorhees, efforts are not ex-
ceptions to this rule. But on this oc
casion he allowed his fancy full rein,
and paid the deceased tribute spark
ling with beauty and sentiment. The
some $500 for extra work retouching
the canopy of the dome, which money
could only be paid the heirs under q
resolution, which the Senator intro
ducad, and which, of course, was adopt
ed without debate. Mr.. Voorhees, re-
ferred to the artists services in adorn-
ing the Senate committee rooms and
panels and corridors with pictures of
men, and animals, and birds Of Amer
lea, whose merits, as works of art,
would suffice in Europe to make him
famous, and to entitle him to a burial
place with the nobility and the great,
and said: "The birds, especially, are
all there, from the humming bird at
an open flower, TO the bald eagle with
his frey eye and angry feathers. I
have been told that the aged artist
loved these birds as father loves his
children, and that he often fingered in
their midst rs if a strong tie bound
him to Them" We have often thought
that the aged artist was mentally so
engrOssed with his art that he knew
little else, hence can appreciate the or
atOr's fine idea of the old mans love
for his works. 1t is possible that he
will he remembered through his art,
as Mr.. Voorhees, said, long after we
had ceased to exist as a nation, and
even after the Capitol itself had crum.
bled into ruins. Yet SO little attention
was paid him in the last obsequies
through the entire absence of demon.
stration and of attending strangers
that it seems Brumidi's greatness, like
that of Milton, will not be really rec
ognized till long after his death.
An interesting debate arose i'm tn.
Senate upon a motion to repeal thu
law prohibiting the appointment o
ex-COnfederates to the Army ant
Navy. Mr.. Edmunds forced the de
bate, as he said, for the purpose of set
Ting the matter, and, as usual, he ant
Mr.. Thurman antagOnized. These TIVE
great men 81 lock horns" upon nearly
every question arising III the Senate
Both are lawyers of pre-eminent abil
ity, and can split hairs with the nices
possible determinations between twee
dledee and tweedledum, and, differing
as they do in politics, they necessaril.
oppose each other on all issues will
the slightest political bearing in them
The debate was not concluded, and i
is not likely the statute will he repeal |
ed in advance of the coming presiden
tial contest, inasmuch as this repea
involves an immense amount of polit
ical capital which, like the bloody
stirt" cry ofpast campaigns, may have
an immense weight for the opposition
No one doubts that under the next ad.
ministration, no matter who becomes
President, the Army and Navy will be
opened to the South as to the North
Yet just now neither party will assume
the responsibility of breaking down
existing distinctions. Mr.. Thurman
however, took advanced ground in ia.
vor of repeal.
The House is rapidly bringing its re-
vision of the rules to conclusion, ,and
will soon possess new code. Some OF
these rules are great improvements up
on the old, and others are equally OBJ
noxious. For instance, in our judg.
ment no appropriation bill should con-
tain any provision not pertaining
strictly to appropriations; and yet the
new rule is even more unrestricted
than the old, through which has crept
some of the most pernicious legisla-
ton of the past 20 years. Had the
President power to veto clauses of the
appropriation act it would matter little
what swindling riders were tackled
upon it in the rush of the last hours of
Congress.
Cincinnati bore off the palm in the
recent struggle among our cities to Sc
cure the holding of the coming Demo-
cratic presidential convention. We
had hoped Washington would be se.
lected, inasmuch as we think it bet
ter place, all things considered. But
as the Committee could not resist the
of Cincinnati beer and
pork, and concluded to give that city
the preference, we cheerfully submit
10 its decision, and will hold our inn
passible bronze horses on costly pedes-
s. and glorious hash-houses, for the
benefit of those who. in the future
may he blessed with finer and more
tastes than the present
of the National Democratic
Last week we referred, i'm pretty
strong terms, to Admiral Lee, who OBJ
blocked the way to our secur-
ng a School of Design by refusing to
veil a vacant lot adjacent to the Corco-
nnArt Gallery. The Admiral's friends
ire coming to the front in defence of
lis pig-headedness, and argue that in
lsmuch as he was loyal during the
var, while Mr.. COrcoran sojourned in
Eurona during its continuance the