The Portland daily press., 1896-02-15
AS ONCE 1T WAS IN WASHINGTON.
Customs Change With the Years-social
and omcial Life Before the War.
philadelphia Times. }

was formerly the residence of Stephen
A. Douglas, +" said gentleman who has
beensa frequent sojourner at Washington
during the past 40 years II was we'll
acquainted with Senator Douglas, and
often had the pleasure of calling upon
him in that house. 1t was one of row
OF three houses, all of them residences of
senators. do not know how the name
came to be applied to those houses, but
in the fftiss they were called Minnesota
row. Senator Douglas lived on the COR
ner, Senator Rice of Minnesota lived
next to him, and Senator John Q. Brock
inridge of Kentucky occupied the third
house. Theyfwere regarded at that time
as amang the handsomest and most fash
ionable houses in the District of Column
bia. Although they are in thickly set
tledspart of the. National capital today, at
that time they were surrounded by
woods, commons, pastures and all other
evidences of suburban residence.
"Psople nowadays have distorted
idea of the hospitality of ante bellum
times. The truth is the customary hos.
pitality of the national capital was
Southern hospitality, and it was vastly
different from the society and social GUS
toms Of the present day. At that time
if any man had expended $500 OF $1,000
or $4,000 upon an entertainment of one
evening, he would have been regarded as
unfit for association with leading men
and women Of that day. The mere ex-
penditure of large sums of money would
have sayored too much of the shop and
of the salesman.
Senator Douglas was one of the most
charming entertainers l have ever
nent men Of the day. he had his regular
servants, and they served refreshments
such as were in those days to be found in
the homes of the plain people and OF the
leading people of thu country. No one
ever heard of set dinners with regular
decorations in stilted manner, such as
prevail at the present time. The enter
tainments were of a primitive nature;
that is TO say, they were of homelike
nature.
81 want to tell you one thing concern
ing Senator Douglas which ought to be
known to all men. The prevailing i'm
PRESTON, and one that has long prevailed.
Is that Senator Douglas was given to
habits of over indulgence in strong
drink. 1 know that to be an erroneous
idea. He was exceedingly abstemious
when compared with other men. As
matter of fact l do not believe that he
had any special liking for strong drink,
but felt it Incumbent upon him to take
part in the social customs of the day.
Senator Robert Toon BIS of Georgia
was in those days frequent and well
cume visitor at the houses i'll that row.
He was one Of the most charming, mild
mannered gentlemen / have never
known. 1t is true that in the Senate
chamber and upon all public OCCASIONS
he appeared as man of extreme indie
pendence of character and of absolute in
dependence Of utterance; but in private
life, in his own home, ne was one Of the
most unpretentious, quiet and loyable
mon have ever known. There was
prevailing impression that he at one
time said that he would call the roll Of
his slaves on Bunker Hill under the
shadow of the monument but Senator
Toombs never said anything OF the kind.
He was constantly saying sarcastic and
bitter things concerning the aboltionists
of that day, and that expression. which
was invented by some writer Of tho time,
seemed SO characteristic of the man
that 1t was generally accepted as true
that he had made such an expression.
he was always aggressive and alert con
corning the interests of his State and the
Southern section of thu country He
was always gentleman, and never 80
offensive as to give utterance to remark
which would have made him disagreeabIe
to gentlemen with whom he was CON
stantly associated on terms of personal
friendship
Another thing that appears to me as
remarkable is the change which has &C.
CURED in official life in the national cap
ital. In the days before the war it was
customary for gentlemen from the South
who came to Washington as bers of
the House of Representatives or as Sena-
tors each to bring with him young
man who was to act as private secretary
for the purpose of being trained in poll
tlos, because politics was the gentleman
~ profession OF the Southern people at
that time. The private secretary of a
Representative or of Senator was re-
garded as student of politics, and his
standing was such as student of Yale
o. Harvard might obtain in the cities
where those institutions are. According
to his family history and ancestry and
his own personal merit the private secre-
tary of Senator or Representative was
received in society, and he was regarded
as highly favored gentleman. Nearly
su OF those yong men attained or
achieved distinction as officers and
soldiers in the Confederate army during
The Civil War, and number of them
have become members of Congress since
the conflict closed"
Everybody should know what a good
medicine Dr. Bulls Cough Syrup is; it
mas cured many thousands and will cure
Won.