The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1883-10-13
washington Letter.
From Our Regular Correspondent.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 6, 1883.
The National Capital has bad a
long respite. Since March the 4th.
there has been no Congress, and, for
a greater portion of the long interval,
ne politics, no society, no anything.
The President has been away much
of the time. The Cabinet, following
the august lead of the head of the pa
ton, has scattered far and wide,
while chief Of the bureaus, male
and female clerks, have enjoyed the
holiday which q months leave with
pay affords to each and every Gov
eminent galley slave. It must not be
supposed, however, that the absence
Of the head of the Government and
his countless entourge has made any
difference here. No weeds are grow
ing in the treasury vaults, nor have
bats and cob.webs usurped the va
cant halls in the capital and White
House. Tax and tariff are continual
ly levied. Pensions and eatents are
granted, while the roll call and the
pay roll of the army and navy re-
ceive due attention. Oar admirable
Government runs itself with the help
of a few veteran clerks to teach their
duties to the President and his Cabi-
net, and attracts less attention at
home and abroad than a Sullivan
glove fight or a suicide by Webb.
While the Government has been
moving along through the summer
on its we'll oiled gudgeons, the seat
of government has been full of the
CHATTER of architectural improvement
and typographical expansion. Streets
have been repaired; street car lines
have been extended; new streets have
been cut; another public park has
been graded; work has been in pro
gress on nearly all the public build
ings, while numerous private resi-
dences Of substantial and elegant
structure have been built in every
part of the city. There is no city of
its size in this hemisphere as beauti-
full as the National Capital, and,
with the present rate of improve
ment continued a few years longer,
it will rival Paris, Brussels, and vi
emma, the beautiful cities Of the old
world. Washington is seen to best
advantage during the summer, when
unfortunately tewest visitors are
here. 1t is during the summer
that the parks r green, that the
tens of thousands of trees lining the
streets are in foliage, and that the
fountains are sending up their silver
spray, and when long stretches of
green sward studded with beds of
flowers make a beautiful setting for
the white marble palaces known as
the Department buildings.
It is indeed only within the last
few years that the material city of
the capital has become a worthy
stage for the history that is made and
the legislative oracles that are pro-
mulgated here.
The coming session is anticipated
with keen interest. The election of
a new speaker; the accession of a
Democratic majority in the house;
the %concourse of president makers;
the extinction of old party issues;
the clash of interests in the ever
changing, never ending struggle of
politics will again cause attention to
be riveted upon men and measures
and women in Washington. It goes
without saying that there will be
plenty of gaiety and fashion in Wash
ington this coming winter. 1t is
the winter of the long session of con-
gress; it will be ushered in by
the excitement of an election
of Democratic speaker
but above all it will be a pr sidential
year, and Washington will be the
of presidential aspirants
and president makers. The demand
for furnished houses and apartments
of the better kind by persons coming
to Washington for the winter is alto
without precedent. Mr..
Blaine is not the only one who has
his house. Well-to-do people
in considerable numbers are going
out to board, having rented their
houses with furniture. 1t is believed
by many that Nj. Blaine's house is
in the hands of his personal and |
political friends. and that it will con- |
tinue to be his headquarters. Other
aspirants, it is reported, |
will keep open house after a
fashion. Ex-senator Mcdonald of
Indiana has engaged a large suite of !
rooms at Wizards Hotel. The
White House has been put in its best
and dinners, receptions, and
and private entertainments of
unexampled brilliancy are expected
to take place for the promotion of
the candidacy of the President who
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