The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1886-06-25
Our BOYS AT THE CAPITAL.
THE y. 4. PRESS ASSOCIATIONS IN
ASIfINGTO< CITY.
Tar Heels Meet Tar Heels aud ali Join
in Few Days OF Eun--They Cali on
the Pre- e>ident in Il Body. Ac.. Nc.
l@tatf Cor STATE CHRoNICLE

A~HlNGTbN- ID &. June -. 1856. 6.-
Life II aahugton City IS different from
what il IS auyn a-re else. Ia New York
III Philadelphia, III Chicago. and our other
leading cities, they have their dazzling
palaces, mammoth public buildings, grand
avenues parks and bouleyardS but shey
are the natural outcome of profitable bust
ne>, industries. Washington doesn't owe
lis greatness or any part OF 1t 70 commerce
or trade. The wheels OF machinery may
never Whlri in its limits. the steam engine
except the locomotive may never sound
its whistle here. the hum of the spindle,
nor the merry clatter OF artlzans or op-
pcratiYeS may never be heard at the Nat
ional Capital, and yet it will he the grand
est city IN the world. Il is independent
Of AL those things because it has the great
government Of these nitcd States to back
II, and II has the Neliflled Golfers OF
''juclc Sdm' to draw from, and it has
twenty five thousand masters of eXchequer
that Is twenty-five thousand office holders
with salaries ranging all the way from
5000 year to 500. 900 Il year 1t wouldn't
be fair TO say that all of Washington's
two hundred thousand inhabitants live on
public pap but a majority of them do
1t has been said that the National Capital
produces nothing but politicians and office
holders. This may or may not be 50 but
1t don't want avenues leading out into the
great fields OF trade and commerce. 1t
has no use for a public spirited citizenship.
II has no room for Boards of Trade or
Chambers of Commerce and it gives little
encouragement to moral rctormers and
political economists.
What il does want is the continued unity
of States, continued levying of revenue
and tariff, the continued necessity for
maintaining the departments of the gov
ernment; in short, the continued prosperi
ty Of the Nation. If the Nation prospers
twenty five years longer (and of course it
viii Washington will be the most mag
niticent city on the face of the earth.
The Visit of the Press Gang.
Leaving Raleigh Saturday last, at )
o'clock, our jovial party, composed OF
about sixty Of the North Carolina newspa-
per fraternity, in an elegant special coach
provided by the clever and courteous au-
thorities of the Richmond IL Danville sys-
TEN went through to the Capital without
change even of seats. In the party We're
four ladies-Mrs. Hackney, of Durham,
Mrs. Holt, of Oak Ridge, accompanied by
their husbands, Miss Mamie IIatchet, of
Henderson, the winsome little editress of
the Southern Woman, and Miss Estelle
Hart, of the Tar River Talker, herself a
HlOSu IituIC tttlhCI
Landing at the Capital.
At S.15 a. IN. Sunday we arrived at
Washington and as each one stepped off
the cars he net the extended hand of
North Carolina resident of W Washington, a
committee of them having come down to
bid us welcome. In half an hour we were
all pleasantly situated at the Metropolitan
Hotel shaking hands and receiving good
old fashioned North Carolina greetings
from our Senators, Representatives and
other Tar Heels who live in Washington.
Sunday at the Capital.
OF course the most of US went to church,
several around to DR.. Sunderland 5 to see
the handsome bays come daShlng up with
the President and his bride. We went not
in vain for III due time they came dashlng
| up the avenue and His Excellency stepped
from the coupe as glibly as a groom Of
| twenty-five. He was followed by Mrs.
Cleveland and together they walked into
| the church. She is tall, graceful and
strkingly beautiful, SO much handsomer
| than the pictures we have seen would
| have us believe that you would never i'm
| agine that they were intended to repre-
| sent her.
| We next visited, by special invitation,
| the grand Panorama representing the Bat
| tie of Manassas, a picture 50 vivid and
realistic that you forget that twenty years
| of peace has intervened since the close of
| the great struggle So true to nature is it
! that you can almost hear the dying groans
of soldiers To the left, behind a railroad
| embankment, is Stonewall jackson sitting
| on his steed surrounded by his mighty
| forces upon whom the historic charge of
| the brigades Of Chapman and Buchanan
| is being made, the head Of which charge
| is already beg inning to retreat, leaving
| death and all the horrors of a fierce battle
| in its wake. Lee, Longstreet and Wilcox
are to the right mastering their reinforce
| ments. In every direction gallant officers
on terrified horses are waving their brave
! men onward. Confederate cannOnS under
the direction of Stephen D. Lee are whirl-
| ing shells of destruction into the terrified
| ranks of the Union army. In one place is
! Confederate and a Federal soldier stand
| ing, with narrow gulley between them,
each with pistol leveled upon the other.
| A flash of light is escaping from the muzzle
of the Federal's revolver, but what differs
| it which fires first, Both must die. Be
| hind the Confederate is half dozen mus
| kets with steady aim on his antagonist
and as many Federal nuskets are aimed
| at the gallant boy from Dixie. This is
called the duel of the war. Away in the
distance with steady tread, long columns
of men are marching to the horrible con-
fiict OF course it isn't real, but the art
that produced it is wonderfully perfect.
This Panorama was painted by twelve
French artists who spent three months at
the place where the battle was fought.
The picture cost one hundred and thirty
five thousand dollars, and seven thousand
pounds of paint was used in painting it.
How wildly it teaches those of Us who
were too young to be in the war the hOr-
rors of the battle field. Some of our party,
| Mr. Jordan Stone among others, We're en-
gagged in this battle and were greatly i'm
pressed with the horrible vividness of the
picture.
Shaking Hands With the President.
Monday morning at 10 o'clock our en-
tire delegation visited the government
printing Office. To attempt description
of it would be useless unless | was writ
ing book. twenty-five hundred people
are here ''preserviEg the art that preserves
all arts" From the printing office we went
to the patent office, and from there to the
postoffice department. Passing the Post
master Generals office. | looked in jus
, long enough to see Gen. Villas talking tC
ex-senator Mcdonald, and Senator Vor
hees, of Indiana.
Promptly at 80 o'clock we repaired tC
, the White House where we found Senator.
Ransom and Vance in waiting to presen
US to the President. In few moment.
| Mr. Cleveland came out. He was dressed
{ in black suit with long coat buttonel
bic,b To hide y1-bi +.