Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-02-22
WASHINGTON GOSSIP.
THE DEARTH OF POLITICAL
THUNDER.
Leaders at a LOss-BIaine's Pipe
layfng-Arthu''s Swell Dinners
Georgia NOt Ripe for the Harvest.

WASHINGTON, February 20.-One of the most
pregnant signs of the times politically is that
here. right in the political centre, one does not
hear anything at all of the Republican party,
or OF the Democratic party. 1t has become so
that only In a very casual way are references
made to the Democratic or Republican party
as whole. All talk and political discussion is
about the different factions inside the Repub
ican party and about the differences existing
in the Democratic party. On the Republican
side the leading example OF this new phase in
politics is embraced in the attitude of James
@. Blaine of Maine, and the opposition of
the Arthur-Grant administration to him.
On the Democratic side the leading
example is to be found in the chickering's Of
prominent Democrats among themselves on
the tariff and other important questions, and
the popular belief of the advancement of a So
called LIBERAL movement in the South. The
fact cannot have escaped the attention of any
political observer of any calibre whatever that
out CT this condition of affairs there must
grow new issue of some kind which will
form basis Of keeping up the parties as they
are T of uniting the best elements of each.
Everything connected with the late war
is dead politically, and all things that
grew out OF the war are as cold
as If death had been engraved on their
tombstone hundred years ago. Members of
Congress who have heretofore kept apart sim
ply on account of war differences and sec
tonal feeling are to-day as one. No more does
everything Southern" fire the heart of the
Northern Republican; no more does the South.
ern Democrat rush to battle with everything
Northern: The times have changed and public
sentiment has changed with them. The old
issues OF the two parties are dead. There has
not been question in this session which has
arrayed North against South; there has not
been question that nut Democrats against
Republicans. Every thing has been of charac-
ter where the Senator or member of the House.
without respect to party, has acted as he
thought best In short, there are at present
no issues that divide the two parties, except
that it is found in the tariff and even on that
both parties are so divided and split up that it
cannot be called an issue OF division. This fact
has escaped general notice. The politics of the
country are now in state which may open up
anything 1t may result in a new formation of
parties. 1t may not go so far, but it will GER
talnly result In new method of drawing party
lines. The old lines are gone The lead
ers who harped upon them will have to ac'
cept new tactics or take seats way in the rear
There Is no mistaking these signs. There is a
political change affecting the whele politics OF
the country which is working ITSELF 1t does not
show itself broadly, but it is there. No acute
politician will say otherwise. What shape 1t
will take, 1t Is impossible yet to define. The
first man to see that it will take true shape is
j. G.. Blaine, of Maine His policy Of UNITED
states supremacy on the American continent "
was adopted by him upon the astute belief
that old party lines would have to give place to
something new. J. Ct. Blaine is by a large
maj Nity still in the ring as a Presidential as
pirant Foreseeing that there would be
change politically, he took to himself policy
which he thought would VIE with the people
all over the country. People deep-set in their
convictions that no such change Is possible,
continue to preach according to their belief
but the observing politician knows otherwise
There will be within year or a six months
change politically that Is now little expec ed.
OF all the political aspirants Blaine is the only
one who seems to have the foresight to have
provided for himself policy"
ARTHUR AS A DHNER-GIvER.
The universal opinion OF those who have
been invited to state dinners at the White
House is that Pre- ident Arthur is the best of
American dinner givers He attends to all the
minor details as well as to the elegance of the
whole affair. He sees that the room is not
overheated and that the heat will gradusHy
subside as the wine begins to circulate. He
has trained corps Of servants brought from
New Yor& who know all the ct quette OF serv-
ing dinner, and French cook who knows all
about preparing the dishes. Not less than
eight kinQS OF wine are served. The table is
decorated by flowers and all the points of ele
gance known And then Arthur as a firished
man of the world. knows how to entertain. His
state dinners promise to go down to history
with his slowness Of executive action.
FORTUNATE MN.
Mr. Hunter the Second Assistant secretarv
OF State, has been in the employ of the State
Department for fifty years He rose from a |
minor clerical position. He has known init
thirty years. They all go to him when thew
have business with the State Department. By
his affability-which is conf1Hed to them alone |
he has always been very popular with that
class of people. He has been their friaRd. and
they have been his The co1se quence of this |
is that for the past twenty years, whenever
there was change in foreign diplomatic repre- |
sentation at Washington, the men who left the
city TO return home have always remembered
Hunter. OF his wines he presented him what |
was left in his cellar; OF his fine table furnish
ings he left some to Hunter; of everything
in his house he remembered Hunter |
by leaving him something CT it. As all diplo- |
matte foreigners in Washington have the best |
or appointments in wines and the methods of |
living, Mr.. Hunter has accumulated a wine |
cellar that is certainly unsurpassed In this |
country, and Is said y connoisseurs to be the |
very best that the United States can boast Of; |
and table settings he has that even the Van
derbilts and other milionaires csnnot ap- |
proach 10 point OF elegance, exquisteness and |
genuine value.
THE LIBERAL MOVEMENT IN GEORGIA.
The signs continue to grow that President |
Arthur is by no means as well satisfied as he |
was sometime ago that Liberal" movement |
can be made to grow in Georgia He |
had to rely for that growth as a foundation on |
either one or two Of the Republican factions |
of the State. He started out with the Long /
street Atkins syndicate as his right bower The |
opposing Republican phalanx has somewhat |
shaken him In that programme, as heretofore |
indicated in this correspondence He will in |
all likelihood carry out his programme of let |
ting Longstreet 4 Co. control the Offices but |
as far as building up new Independent so |
called anti Bourbon party in the State is con- |
cerned, all indications point that he has about |
abandoned all hope in that direction.
PoToMAC.