New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-02-11
GOSSIP AT THE CAPITAL.
WHAT is TALKED OF IN WASHINGTON.
LITERARY, CONGRESSIONAL AND PERSONAL
TOPICS


WASHINGTON. Feb. 1O-The announcement III
THE tribune that Mr.. Blaine is writing pohticai
history wasa complete surprise here, where the
secret had been well kept, and causes, OF course
an endless amount of talk and gossip In iact,
even those who knew him best ana
thought they understood his active temperament
were prepared to believe that after more imam
twenty wears of service in office in Maine ana mere
he would be glad of season of rest But MS Is ONO
of those natures that seem to find rest only Ill WoN
and so for several months past while he mas peeh
supposed TO be enjoying a little ldleness he mas
been in fact rs busy as many young Jourh"io %
writer He has close familiarity Win AIlieiio"i
history almost the whole course OF whch he hluo'
review in n rapid way in order to give clear OUT
linz in his introduction Of the causes Leading 10
the civil war. But when he passes into the perou
bepinnlnp with LincOn's Inauguration, no enters
upon history all Of which he saw ana MUCH
of which he was, and VIII De hpie "
treat it much moro easily and lnteihgeht'y
tton mora student of the books.
OF course there is always danger OF perSohal pis III
history written under these circumstances but
nohod js Tl,elv 70 see that any more clearly than
Mr.. Blaine himself People usually write books Tor
some purpose. and he is probably writing this Tor
tho ne~nanent fame it will be sure to give him. II
II eopals the expectations of his friends
He is not likely consciously to allow
bis personaI feelings TO mar Work winch
h. yorts 70 leave behind him. SO. II
nconle are looking for a sensational or spicy
history they are likely to be disappointed Stl 1t
cannot well help being what Mr.. Greeley used TO
call interesting reading" Mr. Blaine has allowed
some Of his friends to sec portions OF inc
work done TINS far. and they describe IL
az promising TO DO very Striking uooA-
written in his vigorous, trenchant STYLE ana
showing skill in the clear yet picturesque arrange
mont of facts All of which suggests the possibility
that n few years service at an editorial desk IN
newspaper Office where Mr.. Blaine learned 10 state
things compactly and in an interesting way,
mi chit be a good preparatory course for professional
historians The prepare lion of tho book Will Keep
him pretty closely in Washington for the next Two
wears as all the materials which he must use are
here in the Congressional Library the state De
partInent. etc. The announcement has been very
kindly received, rs rule, and there has seeileu
70 Iva little dispostion 20 cavil at the work
in advance from political motives. Inc nearest
apnroach 70 this was a vague hint in a newspaper
here the other day-it was hardly courageous
enough 10 he called an insinuation-that perhaps
somcbodv would he " hired" to do the work. To
ANYBODY who knows Mr.. Blaine this is rather anus
elsewhere than on the title-page.
Secretary Freinghuysen has returned to bis desk,
after weeks absence because OF bad cold. Dur
ing this time his resignation had been offered ana
accepted and Senator Window appointed In MS
pace-all by those gossps who invent rumois FASTER
than \ brigade Of correspondents can investigate
them There ms probably just thlsfounda'ion Tor tho
story-that Secretary Freinghuysen is understood
nv his friends TO be looking toward the quiet and
leisure of private life with considerable longing
beiuq at an age when perspective of that kind IS
attractive But there seems TO be no probability oil
his resignation The President would be very un-
willing to part with him, and there arc
perhaps other difficulties IN tho way.
II may be contrary to the popular I'M
preston but 1t not always the easiest thing IN
the world to step ont OF an office, especially an I'M
rortaut one. II Solomon had been ofce-hoder.
he would not have omitted 10 say, there Is
time TO resign and time not TO Tc-
sign" A withdrawal from office nj nm
;nooportupe point will often give nso TO stones
of Disbursements or other reasons Why resignation
WAS not so voluntary as it seems 20 be. This is a
censorous world, and many man IN, held on "a
AN Office which lac did not want until a time came
when circumstances made Others ready to believe
that he left IT because he preferred to 90 So
Three times In the past ten days the business pro
ceed.ngs OF Congress have been interrupted when
every hour has seemed precious for the delivery o
formal eulogies upon dead members. There have
been so many deaths in tins Con
,rcss and the time occupied in the
funercal spccch-making demanded by Congressional
cpsto,n has been so much needed for important
matter, that the proposition was seriously dis
cussed at one time Of having Sunday gatherings
when these memorials cou.d be deliycrel under np
nronrIate circumstances and without interrupting
hustn,.s But a compTOmIse WAS reached by when
the speeches were male short and two members
were disposed Of at once. The truth ia that tho
Congressional culogy ~ about he holiowest i0Tmu
lD extant IL is interesting to gncss what tho grea
degpiser of formulas" would have thought OF IT,
Etuuctte requires that there should he two or more
si,eccies IN each House on each deceased member
and that the speakers should represent both polIt
jcaI partics The length and number of the speeches
hear little or no relation to tho greatness of the
man The most obscure member must have az bil
a yolIcy Of orItory fired over his grave rs mar
yyhose fame ills the country. This Is easily enough
arranged IN the House of which he was a member
but in the other House some one oiicn has To dc
collected who knew little Of him. Major Hawk OF
Illinois for example was brave soldier, AN excel
lent REPRESENTATIVE and deserving of eulogy il
there must be eulogies. But what travesty upor
n fnneral Grafton when Senator Georges began his
remarl,, the other day in the Senate by saying
| 81 did not know Mr.. Hawk. 1 never
met him. In tho Senate, where there
| is always dignity If nothing more, these proceed
ngs are always decorous though good many of the
Senators manage TO escape to the cloak-rooms; bu
! in the House there is not always the same rcgart
| for appearances. year or two ago the widow OF
| Congressman went TO the House gallery on the day
appointed for euloges upon her husband Il
| hear the tributes to his memory. What she saw
was a broad expanse OF empty desks, with here ant
there member busy writing letters. One or TIVE
were asleep on sofas at the back of the hall. RICH
| under her was a group of members talking, smoking
| and laughing. Right behind her, In the gal
! lery, were two or three young men, who wer