Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-08-23
From our Regular Correspondent
Washington Letter.
WASHINGTON, ID. c., Aug. 10, 3.

WASHINGTON, ID. o., Aug. ~, ~.
People away from Washington are apt
to think this Nry dull season with us,
but the national capital is never dull, and
if we who really live here did not have a
breathing spell after the wisdom that
dropped around US by the solons of our
nation, and the filibustring and parliamen-
tary tactics endured for over eight months,
there is no knowing what the consequences
might be.
Secretaries Lincoln and Teller have
made it lively here by their action exclud :
ing woman from obtaining appointments
in their departments in the eight hundred
appointments to be made. Consequently
the women have donned their war paint
and organized woman's national labor
league. for the purpose of concentrating
the working woman's influence through
out the country, and members and senators
are threatened with the exposure of the
names and characters of some of thei
special favorites appointed here.
The Star Route trial still drags its wind
ing way. and it is apt to be very confusing
to the average brain, when the thermome-
ter is fooling among the nineties, to read
one paper and have it conclusively proved
that the other side are all liars, robbers
and other cheerful members of society,
and then read another one and become
impressed that it was the other side again
that deserved the chrome in the above
characters.
There are still few members of the
House and Senate that walk around the
deserted halls of the Capitol.
You may break you may scatter our Congress if you
will,
But a ghost of few will lnger here still
Mrs. Garfield has presented the Ohio
state association with a hundred year lease
of the house owned by the late president,
and in which he lived until taking posses
sion of the White House, to be known as
The Garfield House. The house in ques-
ton is in one ofthe best and most valuable
portions of the city-a plain but substan-
tial double house with pretty yard at the
side. Since his death it has had sad
look. as if the grief of the country was felt
even by the inanimate walls where the
happy family so long resided, not allow.
ing the turmoil of public life to break into
the sanctity of home. Col A. F. Rock.
well, commissioner of public grounds,
who was the warm loving friend of the
late president, is often seen strolling by
the deserted house sin the cleaning,
and leaning sadly over the little fence
railing.
The comedy and tragedy of life is more
forcibly illustrated here in Washington
than perhaps in any other city. The
house formerly occupied by Belknap when
secretary of war, where his lovely, fascin.
ating wife reigned queen and gave some
of the most brilliant receptions ever given,
TO which tho leading people of the country
fought for invitations, is now to fall into
the ranks of boarding houses; and the
dining room, filled with the recollections
of superb lunches, aesthetic dinners, with
ghosts of brave men and beautiful women,
will now resound with the cries of the
hungry boarders for moro hash and more
substance to his soup.
1t is now the common fate Of most O.
the houses, celebrated in times past, ia
end up in the inevitable boarding house
The handsome house of Chief Justic,
Chase, where Kate Chase Sprague 81
gracefully presided, is now the refuge o.
any one who can pay monthly room
rent, and has even gone through the NOR
LITIGATION Of having the gas turned off fol
nonpayment. To what uses do grea
houses come at last? Your correspondent
is writing this letter in the room formerly
occupied by Bob Toombs and Alexander
Stevens.