Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1886-10-10

rays Of another sun-tho Capitol-a thing
to he feared by tho naked eye. Later
yet it grow hotter, and then a mist arose
from the Potomac and blotted out tho
blazing arch above, and presently piled
up along the hogizon delusive thunder clouds,
that spent their strength and substance else
where, and left it hotter than before. To-
ward evening tho sun came out invigoratcl,
having cleared the heavenly brow Of perspira-
ton, but lcaSng its fever undated.
The city was deserted. The few who re-
manned apparently buried themselves from
the garish light of day in some dim, clustered
recess of shop, hotel or restaurant, and the
perspiring stranger, dazed by the outer glare,
who broke in upon their quiet, sequcstered re-
pSSc, confronted collarleSs and ~COatleSS spec
ters of the past, with fans in their hands, who,
after drramily going through some perfunct-
DRY business, Immediately retired to sleep after
the stranger had gone. Congressman and
senator's had long since returned to their sew
eral constituencies, with the various Informal
ton that the country was going to ruin, or
that the outlook never was more hopeful and
cheering, as the tastes of their constituency
indicated. \ few cabinet officers still fingered,
having by this time become convinced that
they could donothing their own way, or indeed
many way but the old way, and getting gloom
lily resigned to their situation. \ body Of
learned, cultivated men, representing the
highest legal tribunal in the land, still
fingered in q vague idea of earning the scant
salary bestowed upon them by the economical
founders Of the government, and listened
patiently to the arguments Of counsel, whose
fees for advocacy of claims before them
would have paid the life income of half the
bench. There was Mr.. Attorney General
and his assistants still protecting the govern
ments millions from rapacious hands, and
drawing the yearly public pittancc that their
wealthier private antagonists would have
scarce given Us a retainer to their junior
counsel. The little standing army of de.
partmental employes-the helpless victims Of
the most SenSelcSS and idiotic form of diSci-
pline the world has known-a discipline so
made up Of caprice, expediency, cowardice
and tyranny that its reform meant revolu-
ton, not to be tolerated by legislators and
lawgiverS, or a deSpotism in which half a
dozen accidentally chosen men interpreted
their prejudices of preference as being that
reform. Administration after administra-
ton and party after party had persisted in
their desperate attempts to fit the youthful
colonial garments, made by our fathers after
a by-gone fashion, over the expanded limits
and generous outline of 4 matured nation.
There We're patches here and there; there
were grievouS rents and holes here and there;
there We're ludicrous and painful exposures of
growing limbs everywhere; and the party in
power and the party out Of power could do
nothing but mend and patch, and revamp
and cleanse and scour, and occasionally, In
the witness Of despair, suggest even the cut
ting of the rebellious limbs that persisted in
growing beyond the ~swaddling clothes of its
infancy.
1t was a capital Of contradictions and in.
constituencies, At one end OF the avenue sat
the responsible high keeper OF the military
honor, valor and warlike prestige of a great
nation, without the power to nay lis Own
troops their legal dues until some selfish
quarrel between party and party was settled.
Hard by sat another secretary, whose estab