The Washington critic., 1886-04-19

Cowles, o North Carolina Congress
man, who served under General Hamp
ton during the late unpleasan,ness, has
a. bald head, revealing a singular
wound. 1t is long seam, as ii ripped
up by pointed weapon, but was
really inflicted by q musket ball which
plowed the Uranium. The Coloners
brain was partially exposed at first,
but the bone thinly healed over it. /
am told that the least unusual excite
ment would be apt to kill him. and 1t
is one of the gallery jokes that he came
TO Congress to avoid any dangerous
commotion."
~*#
A gentleman from Colonel Morri
sons home informs the Chicago NoUs
that there is only. one man in the
Eighteenth District who can beat Nor
rison for Congress. This one man, he
says, Is the Hon. Jehu Baker, who
recently returned, rich and lazy, from
extended diplomatic service abroad.
One great advantage which Baker has
over most politicians in the Eighteenth
District is his ability to speak German
tluently. He is very popular with the
German voters, and could carry them
with him II he cared to re-enter politi.
cal life. But Baker declares he does
not want to 60 to Congress, and will
not become o candidate. "He loafs
about home most of the time smoking
$3.50 meersohaum pipe" says our
informant, "and as long as Baker pre-
fers his pipe to politics Morrison will
be safe enough in his Congressional
attempts"
w.
This from the Washington gossip of
Macfarland of the Philadelphia Record:
Many strangers visiting the Senate gal
leries are surprised to learn that Sena.
tor Alfred Holt Colquitt of Georgia is
not q preacher. He is the very picture
of fine, old fashioned Southern clergy
man, and is almost invariably taken for
one. But he is not and never has been,
although he is great temperance ora.
tor and lay exhorter In the Methodist
church. Now, If the Prohibition party
ever gets strong enough he will be
elected President Of the United States.
Meanwhile, what Southern man (he
may say to himself) is so available for
the Vice Presidents place on the Demo
cratic Presidential ticket as he who
would bring to Its support the Pro-
hibitionists of the country. The only
regularly ordained clergyman in either
House of Congress is Representative
John A. Anderson, who Is now serving
out his fourth term in Congress from
the Fifth district Of Kansas. Anderson
was busy in home mission work when he
was first asked to run for Congress.
His wife protested. II married you a
home missionary" she said, "and 1
want to bury you home missionary"
This desire, Anderson pointed out,
would not be interfered with by his
going to Congress, and he has been
here ever since. Governor Curtin sits
on the extreme northwest corner of the
Democratic side of the House, like an
advanced skirmisher on the picket
line. Not that he sits in his seat often
or long, but he spends little of every
day in 1t writing his letters. He has
no committeeman in the Capitol now
that he is on no committee, and so he
does his writing either at his desk in
the House or in his library at his resi-
dence, on X street, formerly the home
of Rear Admiral English. The Gov.
crnor spends few hours of almost
every day with half dozen good fel.
lows from his colleagues in the House
over at the Congressional Cafe, just
opposite the House end of the Capitol,
in an apartment which is coming to be
known among Members as "Cur.
tins Committee. Room" need
hardly say that the committee
meeting there is much more certain OF
regular quorum than any of the Com
mittecs meeting in the Capitol. The
largest man in the Houseis Geo. Talia.
ferro Barnes of Georgia, commonly and
irreverently known as "Brer Tarrypin. .
He weighs 300 pounds, and is five fee,
five inches each way. He is very
proud and very fond of his flesh. HI
says he would not lose pound of Il
for thousand dollars. When he was
twenty one years of age he weighed
but 100 pounds, and his friends feared
he would blow away in the next high
wind. But by laughing continually ht
has grown continually fatter, until a
fifty-three he rivals Major Ben; Perley
Poore. Judge Barnes Is an excellent law
yer and natural diplomat, and witha
u
in Washington, but everybody knows
him and likes him already.
Nv
Says Washington correspondent o.
the New York Tribune: The work o
painting the historic fresco in the ro
tunda of the Capitol has come to full
stop, apparently; work, at least, ha
ceased upon it. "There is not hstor,
enough to go around" says the artist
and he shrugs his shoulders as he sur
veys the painting, which covers onl.
about three.quarters of the space al
lotted to it, The work is designed t,
illustrate scenes from the history of tn
New World. Thus the boat of Colum
bus CRATES upon the sand, and Americ
is discovered over the back door of tn
Capitol. Then follow scenes depictin!
the bargains struck with the Indian
for their lands. A yard or two furthe
on few of them-l mean the Indian
are killed. Still further the gloriou
war for independence is fought by hal
dozen figures on seventy-iive squar
feet of wall Lexington and YorlltowI
are not forgotten. Then comes tn
sStohu sti uSSiS Ni'h i'ASoiNhN' bSShO
from the Mexican War follow 1t
all very grand. The Imagination o
the artist runs riot. Subjects for hi
historic pencil are evidentlynot wanting
Then comes blank. The artist has lai
aside his pencil and announces that Ii
will not resume work until Septembe
or October, There is serious diff
Guilty to overcome, a problem to solve
What is to be done with the blan