The Washington critic., 1886-01-18
THE CRITIC EVENING JANUARY 49,


about this magical change. Alcck
Shepherd found Washington City
mud hole, the pity of cur own people
and the scorn and contempt of foreign
ers. 1t looked as If heavy rain.
storm of novels had dropped promis-
cuously on the plain, singly and in
heaps. Dirty dwellings stood here and
there with, at wide intervals, huge pal
aces, that lost instead of gained by the
pitiful contrast. The wide streets and
radiating avenues that were mud In
winter were hidden In summer by
clouds of pulverized earth, sharp
lime dust that blinded the eye, filled
the ears and made sand.bars in the
throat. at is simply beastlyl" snarled
the Englishman. 'Let us move the
thingp' cried the Yankee. Shepherd
came along. He won the confidence
of Grant and the support Of Congress.
How he secured either II Is not for me
TO say, but he resolved the District
Government into himself, and himself
into q dcspotism. He turned in on
Washington huge army of con-
tractors and laborers, and with an ex-
penditure Of twenty millions wrought,
in four years, that which would have
called for century of labor elsewhere.
Unmindful of the howls of solemn old
property holders and the abuse of all
the press in the land, he held the
awful tenor of his way until his work
was done and then, u ruined man, dis
appeared from the scene of his triumph
He Is delving In the earth somewhere
in Mexico, striving to dig from its
bowels the same fortune he lost in
Washington. In the meantime the
Government erccts, at that capital that
he anchored where Washington planted
it, numberless monuments TO soldiers
and sailors, heroes of the sword, and
not one In honor of the great man who
made the National Capital national
monument of which we are now so
fond and proud
Nv
While here, Dom Piatt called on the
President, accompanied by Ben lie
Fevre. OF this event he says: The
President sat behind a library table,
near the windows, listening to q gentle.
man who talked long and earnestly to
the Administration and, as the Admin
istration had Its back to the light
could not well study its countcnance, so
| turned to the only portrait of presi-
dent / could see. 1t was that of Will
liam Henry Harrison, and the long
nosed, lantern-jawed compendium of a
| popular candidate stared at me as If it
had something on its supposed mind.
| Was 1t thinking, as | thought, of the
| first popular tumult organized in a
caucus and n success that rode the coon
of the log cabin into the Executive
Mansion and from thence along the
years TO that stout gentleman sitting at
the other side of the room? Who tells
us of the father of family who was
wont to say, "Now turn ON the chill
dren?" 1t always reminds me of these
crowding politicians of the caucus turn
ing on the children of larger growth
who go whooping some one, TO them
unknown, into the Presidency. The
knavish politicians know and that S
enough. While the politicians as
sailed the stout Administration Sen
ator Voorhees,, silver-tongued advocate
of silver, accompanied by Objector
Holman and three or four hungry
looking men, strobe in. expected to
see Senator Voorhees, and Old Objector
rush at the Executive and shake him,
but they did not. On the contrary
they sank modestly into seats, and the
President, released at last, rose and
looked at us, as much as IL to say:
"Charge in, gentlemen; the Admins
tration awaits your' We charged in.
My Hon. Representative pumped up
myfname in the usual manner, and the
President held out his hand. l seized
it, expecting to work it up and down
like a pump handle in the old Presi.
dental style. To my surprise: the Ad
ministration did the pumping in little
joke on end, and suddenly thrust iuto
his notice. We turned round, and the
new power stood before me, facing the
light. / have heard lions roar in my
time, so that | am somewhat used to
the beast. and found myself studying
Grover Cleveland very much as one
studies combination of wax and old
clothes at Madame Tussaud's museum
] saw a stout gentleman Of medium
height in n well-titting Prince Alber
coat, buttoncd so as to show the slight
est glimpse of white shirt front,
noticed the partially y-bald head wa
heavily developed in the rear, and helC
up by a full, round neck. The fact
indicated more force of character thar
thoughtfulness. l had subsequently
the honor of private interview, il
which ! had the Administration all t.
myself for over an hour. The Presiden
not only listens patiently, but he talk
frankly. He does not pose either il
public or private, and this is deliciousl,
refreshing.
Nv
Mcssrs. Evarts and McCulloch ar,
both owners Of fine farms. An irrcv
erent correspondent describes the twt
gentlemen as meeting at the residenc,
of the Chief Justice, and discussing
the merits of their respective domains
Mr.. McCulloch insisted that he wa
never lonesome on his farm, and thougl
his family went off to Europe and lef
him this summer, he was always occu
pied and contcntcd in bucolic scenes
He did all the Chores" for one thing
he insisted. "Yes, do all the chores
on my farm, too" said Senator Evarts
emphatically, "and my heaviest chores
are to walk down to the pastures ant
watch the cattle" Senator Stanford
who owns ranches galore, agreed tha
there was no greater pleasure than T.
lean on the rails and watch the stocl
feeding in the pastures.
SORE throat and lung troubles yield /
| Red Star Cough Cure. Price ob cents