Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-02-01
lvrOm OR ReguIar correspOnaent.l
Washington Letter.
WASHINGTON, D. c., Jan. %, IS.


No remarkable legislative work has been
during the week. Elegiac
oratory. in memory of Senators Burnside
and Carpenter. occupied much of the time
of congress. Some of the orations, notably
those of Senators Harrison, Edmunds and
Lamar. were of very high order Of
eloquence, and of rhetorical finish. In
speaking of Senator Carpenter. deceased.
the habitually cold and satuTnine Edmunds
was so overcome with emotion that he
had to pause, for some moments. in the
midst of his address.
Now that the Guiteau trial has been
terminated. 1t is expected that an active
prosecution of the star route cases will
be begun. The government prosecuting
Ulcers have nearly completed the work
of preparing the cases. which have been
selected so as to DC, as far as possible,
representative of the different degrees OF
fraud alleged to have been committed.
A large number of discharges are ex
pectedin the post Office department during
The coming month. and hundreds of clerks
ire trembling in fear that they may be the
ones to find the fatal yellow envelope on
heir desks, when they enter their offices.
1t is pretty we'll known here why these
discharges are made. The new members
Of congress must have places for their
friends. Many members owe their election
to the promise of these places. Other
members hope for reelection through the
distribution of this patronage to few
workers from their districts; hence, ex
perienced clerks must be discharged to
make place for those who have no expert
nee or fitness for the work. In other
words. the tools are TO be taken from
hose skilled in their use and given to
'unglers. Only big corporations, like thu
United States, can stand such an unsouno
nd ruinous system Of employment. l DE-
OF mean to say that the clerks now in ii I,
mploy of this department are the bes
hat could have been selected, but lons
sage has made them familiar with work,
nd they are far better than new men
Who will be appointed without the slighte>'
eferencc to fitness.
Washington society has just had a SEN
.tion, followed, think, by feeling
,ausea. Oscar Wilde, the self garlandrc
eader of D'theticism, appeared in on
midst, and some of our purblind society
,aders mstook the tawdry humbug for -
cal Apollo. Some of these leaders hav, .
,erhaps, not yet realized their mistake
or they are not acute or critical, but g.
or anything Tabled English" or " Early
English" like gudgeons for an artificial
" bait. But there are others, that follow
he lead of the leaders, who are hearth,
,shamed of the incense that they have been
turning 10 an ass in the least deceptive
IONS skin ever put on by the long earec
pecies. They have begun to ask them
lives, What are the real claims of th
! fectedly eccentric man, who came her
long hair and medieval costume, /,
lad II tri,e composition, rehashed anC
BOILED, from Rusknp What does 1t
now about art; what has he painted, OF
rived, or written, that entities him t
,usideration, to say nothing of homage
We ell admire the beautiful, with tas.
ore or less refined. The lower anima'
$50 admire the beautiful, as every reade'
Darwin is convinced. But what l.
rere peculiarly beautiful in Oscar Wilde
imiration of the beautiful. that max, ,
rr vulgar Washington society run aftrr
I'M? 1t is but another expression o
forbid sentimentalism, and ignorant, IN
ealthy, depraved appetite for ordure sue
induces women to seek the autograp
# Guiteau.