The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1890-07-25
WASHINGTON LETTER.
(From our regular correspondent.)


tremes meet here as elsewhere. was
forcibly reminded of this when 1 saw
Senator Ingalls, and Blackburn meet
In the senate corridor this morning.
Mr.. ingalls, would hardly have been
recognized by aperson who had not
seen him for eight or ten years. He
used to be oneof the most carelessly
and outlandishly dressed men IN the
senate; his clothes were cheap and Ill
fitting at all times. Now, there is no
better dressed man in the senate than
he, and no matter what the weather
may be he always wears the highest of
standing collars with neat scarf just
peeping over the top of his always
closely buttoned frock coat, which
when he is not presiding over the SEN
ate is sometimes tasceful black and
white mixture, but today it is the con-
ventional black.
In his hand is a small leather bag,
not unlike miniature mail pouch,
which contains the result of his morn
ing's work at home. He rarely comes
to the capitol except on committee
days until quarter to 12 o'clock, pre-
ferring to remain at home where he
can give more time to the prodigious
amount of work which he does than
he could in the committee room.
Mr.. ingalls, has the pallor of the as
cetic student, and it is no exaggera-
tion TO say that he is one of the best,
If not the best read man in Washing
ton, on general subjects. And it is no
wonder; he devotes all of his time
outside of the senate to reading, and
rarely devotes any of his time to amuse-
ments of any kind. He is usually
credited with being cold and distant,
but 1 think. unjustly. He is, of
course, too dignifed to be effusive, but
with whom he knows we'll he is ex-
tremely cordial; but nobody ever
thinks of calling him by his Christian
name, in fact, it is doubtful il there
are fifty men in Washington who
could tell you, off-handed. without
stopping to think, what his Christian
name is. In politics he is the RADICAL
ist of the radical republicans, and yet
he is one of the most popular presid-
ing officers the senate has ever had.
Senator Blackburn is about as differ
ent from Mr.. Ingalls, as it is possible
for one man to be from another. To
begin with his appearance. his face
has the ruddy glow of good health and
digestion, and shows to the student Of
physiognomy that he is fond of good
living and of being in the open air; he
is neatly dressed in pin checked suit
with cutaway coat, and without q
vest; plated shirt bosom surmount-
ed by white turn down collar, under
which is carelessly knotted a flowing
silk scarf of dark color completes the
picture. Dignity and he are strangers,
and nine people out of ten who speak
to him and say Hello joe" When he
met Mr.. ingalls, he had just come out
of the senate restaurant, whittier he
had gone to get etsome-well, say Apol-
lonarls, though that isn't Kentuck-
ian's usual tipple.
Mr.. Blackburn is not a student in
any sense of the word, and he would
rather see good horse race than to
read the best thing ever put in print
but owing to his extensive knowledge
OF human nature, which according to
Pope is after all the only thing worth
studying, he Is one of the most sue
cessful criminals lawyers in this coun-
try
Senator Blackburn is as radical a
democrat as Mr.. Ingalls, is arepublican
and yet he is personally justas popular
with his political opponents as with
those of his own party; in short he is a
man that everybody likes. All this
occurred to me as saw these two men
shake hands.
Washington has long had the name
of being a paradise for social adven-
turers, owing to the peculiar nature of
its ever changing official society, and
an occurrence here this week would
seem to make the name strictly applic-
able. Ayoung man who has been cut
ting aligure in upper tendon for several
years, visiting the daughters OF sena-
tors and others of prominence, has
gotten himself into the hands of the
law by writing somebody eIse's name
on a check, and as if that was not
enough for the high flying society peo-
pie with whom he has been hob-nob-
blng, the fact has now leaked out that
the father of this young society swell
is negro whitewasher in Boston.
Hustling, bustling, genial John
Wanamaker has fitted away to Sara
toga fora while. He celebrated his
fifty-fourth birthday last Friday, but
most people guessing at his age would
put it at least ten years less than that.
Mr.. Wanamaker has made many per-
horo l,,,k I, n NJ ek,