The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1896-11-04
He Saw the Capitol.

he saw the capitol
As Star reporter waited at the Bait
! imore and Potomac station for a train
/ from New York, an accommodation
from the South came in, and one of the
/ passengers from it ambled along up to
/ the gates and came head on to the man
waiting for somebody else. He was "a
/ sharIreyed, hairy-faced, thin necked,
store-clothed, misunderstanding sort Of
chap, and the reporter was undecided
at first whether his "find" was knave
or fool, and he wasn't long finding
| out.
Say" said the new arrival with
that friendly familiarity any stranger
uses on a reporter, some way by intui-
tion, for there is no outward evidence
that reporter is what he is-''say, Pm
looking for the Capitol of the United
States. You've got it in this town,
haven't you ?'
81 presume you mean the Capitol
building" replied the reporter with be-
coming dignity.
"The same" replied the new arrival
with the accent OH the first word.
"Will you tell me how to get there from
here %
fright out through this building and
on out the street till you come to the
wide street beyond, and turn to your
right. The rest Of the way you may
walk or ride, as you prefer"
The nan was apparently in no hurry,
for he showed a disposition to linger
and converse.
ats right big buildin', amt it?'
he asked.
zone of the largest in the world -
81 understand it cost s0methin' like
forty or fifty millions of dollars, and
the taxpayers had to pay for it," and
there was disagreeable tone in his
voice.
Whats the difference what it cost ."
said the reporter. at is the Capitol of
this great country, and we can afford |
to have it pretty gOod.r
The man grew visibly excited.
That's what I'm here fer" he said,
fiercely. "Im gettin' ready some cam
paign speeches for the Populist party, |
and | thought if I'd come here to the |
capital of the nation and see what ex-
travagance there has been here, | could
talk sense to the down-trodden and OPP
pressed people of my party and all 9TH
ers that has been bearin' the burdens
of the rich all these years. Right here
in this one buildin' there has been
enough of the peoples money spent To
buy farms fer hundreds and set them
up in comfortable homes. It's shame
and outrage, sir, and the hand of the
sufferin' people should shut on the
throat Of their despoilers, sir. This ma
ton amt nation for rich people, and
there never was any Use of that kind of /
a buildin' fer the government to be car
ried on in. I've never saw it, and I'm
here to take look an go back an tell
my people the plain facts in the case,
sir. Where did you say I'd go to find |
it?''
The train from New York had come |
in and the friend the reporter was look
ing for did not arrive.
''Come with me-" he said to the gen.
tleman from Popville, 'and I'll show
you"
The man grew more vindictive as he |
walked along, and he was hot a. cotton !
when they reached the avenue.
'There's the Capitol" said the re-
porter, pointing to the east.
Possibly it was that the sun fell pecu
liarly upon the building at the moment,
or il may merely have seemed 80, but |
the great white dome, set between its
pillared wings, appeared to float above
the green of the earth into the blue of |
the sky and to stand out beyond ard |
above the city as if it were not made |
with finite hands, but had taken on the |
spirit of the infinite and set itself as a
seal forever i'm the heavens.
The reporter, as often as he had seen
the building, was impressed with the |
beauty of it, ana he turned to the stran-
ger with him. For fully two minutes |
the man stood gazing upward as if look |
ing into the sky, but his eyes were on
the dome. Then he gulped as if swal !
lowing something.
God forgive me-" he said with quiv-
ering lips. II didn't know that any
thing out of heaven could look like |
that, and I'm goin' back to my people |
down there where we ought to know |
better, and Pm gOin' to tell them we've |
got the greatest COVER 'ment on earth, |
and we've got to stand more taxes, if |
it's necessary to keep a single hinge |
from fallin' off, or palm from comm |
loose. Much obliged to you; goodbye" |
he concluded. "I'm goin' right back |
home on that next train,n and he broke |
for the statiOn.-W Washington Star.