Western appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1885-18??, 1885-06-20
"PoRE WIFE TRASH
Washington, 'sWhere. every prospect
pleases and only one man is vile.

Washington is the most beautiful and
the most clearly city on the American
continent, not excepting Denver.
1t contains not far from one hundred
thousand inhabitants, one third of whom
have African blood in their veins. The
latter vary in color, all the way from the
coal black negro to the octoroon, who
shows scarcely a sign of the Ethiopian
either in skin or features and, as a
class, are nearly if not quite as intelli-
gent as the middle, non-ofice holding
classes of the city. The poorest of them
are far more honest and useful than the
"poor Whites" who are sprink1ed quite
literally through the less respectable
portions of Washington, as they are al
ways ready and glad of something
whereby they can earn their living.
These "poor whites" are really the
saddest to contemplate of all the re-
naming relics of slavery, and are pc
culiar institution. They may, in the
words stolen by the secessionists from
Byron, "be conquered but never sub
dued." No, never, never, never-r-r.
They can be seen on most any warm day
hanging around the long bridge which
leads from Washington across the east
branch Of the Potomac to Uniontown-
the same bridge that carried Booth
safely over after he had murdered
Lincoln. Some of them will be sstrying
their luck'' at catching small fish from
the bridge with a line held in the hand,
as they are too poor to buy fish pole, or
too lazy to cut one in the bushes, and
have not sufficient ingenuity to fasten a
line on one if they had it. How they
manage to get worm impaled on hook
for bait is more thanI can comprehend,
though l believe they first stick the
worm on one end Of the hook and leave
the creature to do the rest himself by
endeavering to wriggle away from his
indolent captor's tobacco juice. These
ragged missing Inks are as respective
as nest of young, open-mouthed tur-
key buzzards to everything except a
chance to earn their living by work.
But ask one of them if he would like a
job by which to earn little money, and
sudden change sweeps over his entire
system. His dropping shoulders will
become erect, the tobacco juice, which
usually runs down his chin into his thin
beard, will be concentrated and elected
ina vigorous squirt, and looking you
over with an expression of mingled con-
tempt and establishment he will answer:
"What der We take me faw? Do look
like a gentleman that worked fer liy-
in? No, sab, hain't got down to that
yetW
These creatures will become extinct
after while, as they are too lazy to per-
petuate their existences by becoming
tramps.
The streets of Washington are wide
and well shaded, and many miles of the
principal ones are paved with cement
which renders them as smooth as a
house floor and hard as granite rock.
| do not wonder that men who can find
something to do in Washington are
anxious to stay, as its climate in winter
and its lovely land and water scenery in
summer renders tia delightful city for a
home.
Among the finest resid ences are those
of Window, Blaine and Ben Butler. The
latter is empty because no one cares to
rent it for $4,000 year. (spectator)
| JAMES e.. CLARK.