Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1893-11-07
Letter From Washington.


The following letter was unavoid-
ably crowded out of our last issue:
MR.. HAINEs.-I have been in
Washington city for nearly two
weeks. have not attended the sit
tings of the National Congress for
years, so thought before the cold
weather sets in, and the bright days
of the beautiful month of October
ends, would HE away to tue Ma
tional Capital, see its sights, watch
and take in the deliberations of the
assembled wisdom of this wonderful
country-in lien of trip TO the
Worlds Fair, WI ich distance, ex-
pense, fatigue and bewilderment
from its almost infinite exhibition of
strange scenes, motloy groups and
varied Notwithstanding much
exposure-absolutely forbade my
presence. Located most pleasantly
with relative within a few minutes
walk of the capitol / have wendell
my steps TO this (take it all and in
alp the finest building or superstruc-
ture in the world. Its architectural
finish is complete, its composite ma
terial stone, marble and iron, public
halls. committee rooms, rotundas,
corridors, ETC., within its numerous
statuarY and paintings-whiIst its
chamber for the sittings of the two
Houses of Congress, with ample
room, comfortable surroundings,
beauty and completeness of finish,
with acoustics qualities perfect, the
whole as enc grand combination,
make it a magnificent monument to
the skill and ingenuity of man, and
a grand structure of art BETTING the
greatest country and people upon
whom Gods sun, the source of all
light and heat, shines.
''Breathes there a man with soul 80 dead,
Who never TO himself hath said,
This Is my own. my native land"
The Senate has been the great CEN
ter of attraction. Thither the crowd
has rushed and filled its spacious
galleries daily. The silver question
has been the important theme of
discussion, the unconditional repeal
Of the Sherman silver act as urged
by Mr.. Cleveland and sustained by
the majority of senators Of the two
great parties. The lower House, as
you know, passed the bill weeks ago
and sent it to the Senate, but there it
has hung like Mohamed's coffin in mid
air, the agust body unable to come,
to vote on its merits. The humili-
atiDT SnpnforIo 0rasanfe ifsoIF - I,o,l,,
of statesmen renowned in the past
for its dignity, it's wisdom, its con-
servatism, majority of its members
in favor of its passage, yet prevent
ed by n little faction, a mere coterie
called Populists or silver men, the
number of whom you can count on
your fingers, by their interminable
tongue-waggiDg, talking to kill time.
10 obstruct or prevent action, defiant,
Boosting of their power and Haunting
in the face of the majority, their brag
and bluster-and this for weeks has
been kept up. The Senate in its ma
jority powerless, no rule at hand to
squelch the conspirators, great de-
Lucrative body in the cluch of a set
of blatherskites, one is almost con-
strained to cry out, OH for q day of
the Hon. Thomas Bracket Reed or
some such man with an iron hand. /
am happy to say at the time of this
writing the clouds are breaking, the
light is streaming, the power of the
tilibuster is broke, and the time
seems near when the vote will be
taken, the majority will triumph
thanks TO Grover CIevelaud's coIlos-
sal backbone and patriotism.
1 have heard such lights in the
Senate as PETER, Teller, Jones,
Stewart, Morgan, Pugh, etc. Oh
shades of the departed Webster,
Clay, Calhoun, Preston. Wright,
Benton, Crittenden! The giants of
the past are gone, it would seem,
never to return.
L notice Senator Faulkner going to
and fro in the chamber daily engaged
colloquiallY with the senators. as
If intent to bring together the diver
gent eIements-laboring actively,
doubtless, to harmonic the parity
L take it. because of his pleasant
genial spirit and mapner, he is pop
ular on both sides of the chamber.
/ have not seen Mr.. Wilson in his
seat in the House. l presume he is
mostly in the Committee room labor
ing with the tariff question with which
his brain is full.
had pleasant visit from Mr.. T.
R. Baker, formerly of Charles Town.
He will be remembered as the popu-
lar host of the Carter House. He is
engaged here at the 'Hotel Ashton, !"
where he will be glad to see his old
friends from Charles Town.
Yours, Co.,
j. W. TONGUE.