Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1884-09-04
WASHINGTON LETTER.
rom our Regular corresnondent.

Casting a glance along Pennsylvania
Avenue, the correspondent or observer
who has CLEANED ideas from its crowded
surface during the winter is forcibly
struck with the fact at present that
there is nothing new under the sun"
1t is a very hot, scorching sun, and the
fair ladies clad in transparent gauze, and
the yellow-coated gentlemen are evil
IDENTITY only practIcing what the English
call the art of doing nothing. Under
the circumstances, perhaps they are
right. The busy season Lhas come
to an end, and this occupation is GER
tainly better than ennai, about which
the Capitals daughters have so much to
complain of in summer. 1t is difficult
thing-this art of doing nothing A re-
cent issue of London weekly tells us
that to be proficient, the art cannot be
practlced too early. Our cousins from
the other side are seeming masters of
the art, and fear our Washington stay
at-homes cannot hope to beat them IN
its practice, although the tennessee doree
of New York and Boston are in a fair
way of emulating them. The result in
Washington is not altogether satisfac-
tory, for our dudes do not seem to know
exactly what is expected of them, and
oh 4at1 10
great achievement is to appear continu-
ally occupied. There are two classes
of worshippers at the shrincseen upon
Pennsylvania Avenue; the one does moth
ing in the fashionable dress of the period
perhaps his clothes are propitious to
his wishes; the other "appear to have
their hands full; but if you look little
closer you will see that there is nothing
in them, their labor is purposeless.
The report that the dear old ITALIA
po0sd, with all its memories of festiyity,
its well-bumped bottom and Secretary
Chandler effects, is resting in the sands
of Vineyard Sound, caused a wall of re-
greet in official circles. The old hulk
was very much endeared to Washing
tonians, for she has been kept busy TAX
ing naval guests on pleasure cruises to
Chesapeake Bay and Fortress Monroe.
During the intervals between her use
as pleasure yacht, she has been en-
gagged in the exciting pastime of RUM
ing into all kinds of pleasure craft which
hug the Eastern shore. None of her
commanders seemed able to govern this
caprice of running into her sister yes
sells. For several years past, whenever
the I'dltdpo0SG started out on her trips,
heavy odds have been offered by adven-
turous betters that she would run into
something before she reached her des-
tiuation, and seldom were these bets
lost. So successful were her encounters,
however, that | always supposed the
old tub had her life insured and would
never come to such a bad end. | am
told that in the course of its numerous
contacts with the rocks and reefs of the
American coast it has received a good
many strains that the Construction De-
partment was not cognizant of, and con-
sequently was more readily knocked
out by tive-knot schooner than any
body could have expected. Moreover,
oh IN, hod tx-c
thirty compasses on board when she
sank, and as these compasses probably
all pointed in different directions, it is
not strange that Secretary Chambers
spike-tailed coat is now water logged in
Vineyard Sound.
| wonder what Secretary Chandler
will do for marine headquarters now.
If he only had the authority he might
buy Mr.. Reaches Yosemite at once, but
perhaps it would be in better keeping
with the Navy to hire raft or a cata-
maran, something with all its works
above the water. As an additional safe
guard against collision with rocks or
sister craft it could be provided with
improved electric lights and burglar
alarms, and it might be as we'll TO have
small balloons as permanent life-pres
ervers.
President Arthur has shown his wis
dom in always travelling on the Despatch
which is trim little Government steam
yacht, that it is true, has consistently
sometimes been aground, but, | believe,
has carefully and prudently avoided |
serious collision with any other vessel.
1t is enough to aggrayate the mild
natures of the Democratic congressional |
committee to find that they have been
industriously firing broadsides which |
were intended for the enemy into their
own ranks. The clerks have been care
fully circulating Republican campaign
documents among the faithful of the
Democratic household. Through some
sort of blunder, documents intended
for the Republican committee were sent,
folded and ready for addressing, from
the Senate folding room to the Demo
cratic committee. They were franked
without inspection, and sent broadcast
1t might even up things if it is discover
ed that the documents which the Demo
Gratis supposed they were mailing have
been sent out by the Republican com
mittee. Such are the vicissitudes of
political life. LEMON.
The Milwaukee Exposition.