Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1896-01-18
WASHINGTON LETTER.
[spRc1AL CORRESPONDENCE. !

/
ELKINs MADE A HIr-Steve Elkins
aas made q great hit His bond reso.
.ution stirred up the Senate a. it
hadn't been stirred up before this
,ession, and the speech he made on it
was great awakening. Elkins is q
good talker. There is nothing sadate
or sonorous about him. He hits away
1t his subject as plainly and directly
As though he were urging scheme up.
On board of railroad directors He
brings the atmosphere of the cloak.
room into the Senate chamber, and
there is Il rough and tumble frank ness
about him that makes it go. Elkins
has prejndices to overcome, and it
looks as though he were in fair way to
overcome them. He has set out to con-
vince the Senate that he is something
more than a national convention ina.
nipnlator, and he has already gone a
long way toward convincing them.
The truth is that Elkins has never
been rated at his true value, except
among the men who knew him lntim.
ately. He is big, broad fellow, with
scopy ideas. He isa man OF wide
culture and many accomplishments,
great reader and profound student.
He speaks several languages with as
great facility as his native tongue, and
he is muster of Legislative questions.
BUTLER BoRE-Young Butler of
North Carolina has lost no time in lie.
vclOping into bore. He made his
first speech less than week ago, and
the novelty has already worn off so
completely that everybody begius to
look weary and impatient as soon as
he gets on his feet Butler is enamo red
OF his voice, and he has an idea that
he is building a mission. There is no
place in the universe where voice.
ful mission finds so cool welcome as
in the United States Senate, Uncle
George Hoar looks daggers every time
the loquacious Tsrheel youth addresses
the chair Butler has not yet found
out that he can get haircut free in
the Senate barber shop. Perhaps when
he finds that out he will do better.
TELLER LIKES GREEK Senator Tel.
Ter is one OF the most cultured men in
either branch OF congress. He is a
great student and fine linguist. He
says he learned to read French when
young, but after he got into active
life forgot all about it till, years later,
i it became necessary for him to con-
suit book which had never been
translated into English. He set to
work to read it in the original 1t was
tough work, but he kept at it with
grammar and dictionary, and by the
time he had reached the end he had
recovered all his early faculty and
II great deal more with it. Now
the French tongue is as familiar to
him as his own, and SO are three or
four other modern tongues; besides.
OF all languages, however, he prefers
the Greek. II have no patience" he
says, with people who criticise the
study of Greek, and call it useless. 1t
is the most wonderful and beautiful
language man ever spoke, aud any
boy who learns to revel in its beauties
is better for it, 1t broadsns, enlight.
ems, mellows and invigoratea 1t is
the best language man can study. I
hope it will never be less popular than
it is today"
OLD IRoNsIDRs Herbert
intimates, in the following letter which
lie sent to the Senate, that he favors
bringing the Constitution from the
Portsmouth Navy Yard in New Hamp.
shire to Washington for preservation
and exhibition there. He says: II
have the honor to herewith make reply
to the resolution sent to this depart
ment from the Senate, asking that we
communicate to the Senate at the ear
lest date practicable estimates of the
cost of Thoroughly rebuilding the old
ship Constitution, now stationed at
Portsmouth, N. H., with such recon.
mendations as may be deemed proper
to make on the subject. ''In reply I
beg leave to say that the department
does not think it is able to rebuild
this ship and furnish her with q mod.
ern battery for the purpose Of putting
her in active commission. If, how.
ever, it is intended to put her in active
commission, estimates show the amount
to DE 1858, 900 without modern bat.
terry, and with modern battery $458.
900. On the other hand, if tue con.
gress should determine to put this his.
toric ship in good state of preser.
walton. to be kept, say, for instance,
here at the nation II capital, because
of her historic interest, and open at
all times to visitors, and reproduce
her as she was when she performed her
memorable service, it will take $780,
900.
SAVED $l,3ll, 765-Ssc. Morton's
third annual report discusses the
work of the several bureaus of the de-
partment, asserting that expenditures
have been reduced in some OF them
for the sake OF economy and increased
in Others for the sake of efficiency.
The report states that during the past
year over 10000 animals, cattle
and sheep were inspected for foreign
markets, Of which 675, 900 were shipped
abroad. Over $4,000, 900 pounds
OF pork were inspected microscopically
and exported as against 35, 600, 900 in
'94 and $4,000, 900 in 1893. OF the
amount exported last year nearly 49,
600, 900 pounds went to Germany AMI
over 100000 pounds to France.
The expenditures of the department
for the years 18)4-5 were $1,311, 766
less than the amount appropriated.
Atwood AND ACOUSTICS Represen.
tative Atwood of Boston may get a
craftsmanship, his friends think, in
spite OF the fact that it is his first term,
although it will only be the chairman.
ship of the committee on ventilation
and acoustics, which has not hitherto
been OF much Importance. However,
Mr.. Atwood, being an architect, will
have an advantage over the men who