The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1881-04-02
SELECT LITERATURE.
"REMINISCENCES OF WASHINGTON

! SELECT LITERATURE.
"REMINISCENCES OF WASHINGTON
| The Fillmore Administration from 1850 t.
1853.
(CoNCLI DED.l
| From Tie -f3antic Mouthly.
Another noted person who visited Wash
| ington early in the administration of Mr.
| Fillmore was William NJ. Tweed, of New
! York. who came as foreman of the Ameri
Gus Engine Company. Number Six. which
was composed of young volunteer tiremer
! firemen. Visiting the White House. the
company was us,:cred into the East Room
where President Fillmore soon appeared
and Tweed. stepping out in front of his
command, said These are Big SKIS
| bows, Mr.. Presiient"' He then walked
along the line with Mr.. Fillmore. and III
| troduced each member individually. As
| they We're leaving the room 4 newspaper
reporter asked Tweed why he had moi
made longer speech. There was nC
necessity replied the future pillager OF
| the city treasury of New ! ork. "for the
| company is rs much grander than any
other fire company in this world as Mag.
ara Falls is grander than Croton dam.
Two years afterwards. Tweed. profitine
by a division in the Wing ranks in the
Fifth district of New York. returned to
Washington as Representative in Con-
gress. He was regular attendant, never
participating in the debates. and always
voting with the Democrats. Twice he
read speeches which were written for
him. and he obtained for relative the
contract for supplying the House with
chairs for summer use, which We're worth
less and soon disappeared.
When the members of the Thity-first
Congress commenced their second ses-
sion, the conservatives found themselves
mnch stronger than when they had left
Washington for the recess. The bust
ness interests of the North had decreed
that anti-slavery doctrines should be ban
ished from the pulpit. ignored OH the po-
litical stump. excluded from newspapers,
and not tolerated in lecture halls. But
the incendiary IDEAS" could not be ex-
tinguished, and the Replblic was slowly
drifting towards The impending crisis.
though the Missouri compromise had not
been blotted out. and bleeding Kansas"
was unknown. Even Mr.. Seward became
somewhat conservative. and lie showed
no devotion to anti-slavery measures.
II am with you entirely" he declared
to the Rev. Mr.. May, pronounced abo-
litionist. "but prudence places me under
restraint"
Senator Douglas, seeing that the peo-
pie of the Northwest were fast becoming
opponents Of slavery. or rather of its ex-
tension, endeavored to est ,blish a new
ground upon which the Democratic party
could maintain itself at the North, with
out offending its powerful Southern wing.
He spoke with remarkable energy and
lectual cultivation or historical research.
His literary deficiencies, however. were
made up by his mental strength, intui-
tive sagacity, and good common-or. as
he would have termed it. "horse -
sense. He never INDUCED in wit but he
excelled in sarcasm and burning denun-
citation. and he understood we'll how to
appeal to the passions and the preiudices
OF the working classes. His language,
always energetic and vigorous, some
times became eloquent, and in contro-
versial debate he possessed great power.
Mr.. Andrew Pickens Butler was promi-
nent figure in the Senate Chamber He
than anywhere else. his long white hair
stood cut as if he were charged with cleo
trio fluid, and South Carolina was legi-
bly, written Oh his rubcund countenance
The genial old patriarch would OCCASION
ally take too much wine in the = Hole in
the Wall Or in some committee room
and then so into the Senate and attempt
to bully Chase or Hale: but every one
liked him. nevertheless. Then there was
Senator Slidell, of Louisiana. with tiorid
face. long gray hair, and prominent eyes,
forming a striking contrast in personal
appearance with his dapper little col
league, Senator Benjamin, whose feat
ures disclosed his Jewish extraction
One of the most popular Senators was
Jesse ID. Bright, of Indiana. equally I'M
scrupulous as a political manager and
agreeable at dinner table, while his
colleague. Judge Petit. short. stout,
bald-headed man, made no friends.
Mr.. Robert c. Winthrop. during his
brief term Of service in the Senate as the
successor uc Daniel Webster, presented
an interesting petition froln the widow
of Captain Robert Gray, the dscoverer
of the Columbia River, asking relief.
Captain Gray was in the naval service of
his country during the war of the Revo-
luton, and afterwards, while in command
of the sloop Washington, he was the first
to carry the flag of the Union around the
world. In a subsequent voyage i'll the
year 1872, he discovered and entered the
Columbia River, to which he gave the
name of the ship which he then COM
maO1p5 and TINS furniS she'd the corner
stone to the American title. Mrs. Gray S
petition Vas accompanied by the original
sea passport. signed by George Washing
ton and attested by Thomas Jefferson.
under which the Tolum6ia had sailed
from Boston i'll 1890. A similar docu-
ment bore the signature of John Han,
cock as Governor of Massachusetts,, and
| 4 clearance certificate from the Boston
| custom house was signed by Benjamin
| Lincoln, collector of the port, whose
name was honorably identified with sew
| eral of the great battle fields of the Revo-
luton. Captain Gray had died in 1906
| leaving a widow and four children with
very little property, and she now asked
| Congress to cheer her old age by making
such grant to herself and her daughter
as would testify its appreciation of citi-
zen whose nautical skill aud bold enter
prise had been instrumental in rendering
SO distinguished benefit to his country.
The Rev. Henry Clay Dean, a stalwart
| H. fanlo, ,f 81 h;hi,al ,,ro,,pl.