The Washington herald., 1909-03-05

President Madison signed the proclsnaa-
ton Of the Treaty Of Client which ended
the contest with England.
Benjamin Henry LatrObe was employed
TO reconstruct the Capitol and to him be
longs the honor Of having planned, built,
end rebuilt the Old south wing. Of hav-
ing rebuilt the old north wing. and 0f
having designed the T0JUnda and the cen
ter structure He designed and construct
ed the Old Hall Of Representatives, and
reconstructed the old Senate Chamber
and the Supreme Court Room, with their
lobbies and vestibules.
Old Days in Congress.
All this was not 50 long ago as time
runs, but it takes US back TO recall that
in those days the members Of the House
sat with covered heads, as they do still
in the British Parliament. and that the
practice was not discontinued here until
1S2S They took snuff in great quantities
il those days. too, and urns Of snuff were
placed in each house for general con
sumption, with duly appointed officials TO
see that they were kept filed There
used. also. in those days. 10 be an official
penmaker in each house. for steel pens
had not yet come into use and ii was the
era Of goose-quills-
. But the history Of Washington is so
bound up with the history OF the nation
that there is scarce street or public
building that cannot be tagged with an
anecdote OF some great man, some na-
tioual figure. But that we are not so
Young a Capital after all may be seen
~
the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad during
the period Of JacksOn's Presidency It
was drawn by horses in those days and
al one time the cars were propelled with
sails so that they made. with fair wind,
some fifteen miles an hour
Last Meeting of Randolph and Clay.
It was during Jackson's Presidency. al
so. that John Randolph. Of Roanoke,
arrived in Washington on his way 10
Philadelphia for medical aid and hear
/ ing that Clay was about 70 address the
Senate had himself taken 70 the Capitol
and laid upon sofa in the rear Of the
Senate Chamber.
lift me up" he said. when Gay arose
% speak 7 must hear that voice once
more"
Clay. as soon as he had finished. made
bis way 70 Randolph's side and held out
( his hand
I am dying" said Randolph. "and I
came here expressly 10 have this inter
I view with YOU
| With moistened eyes the two men who
/ had often met in keen encounter upon the
floors Of Congress, and OTce IN conflict
I upon the field OF honor" cordially grasp
ed hands. voiced few broken words.
and parted forever in peace and good
will A few weeks later and John Ran
/ dolph had ceased 70 live
I Il was an afternoon in February. 1s37.
while the electoral votes were being
! counted that Senator Clay remarked 10
! Vice President Van Buren. with courte-
( Gus significance. 1T IS a cloudy day.
sir
But the sun will shine on the fourth Of
/ March. sir" was the confident reply
But il did not. after all and that fear.
of cloudy day for the fourth. has been
/ the bugbear OF all inauguration commit
/ tees ever since.
Picture of van Burcn's Days
a graphic picture Of the Washington Of
I Van BweB's time has been left Us by
! James g. Beret once mayor Of the Capt.
/ tai City. L was still "a struggling VII
/ lage." so he saws and he wrote:
: There was not a paved street. and the zde-zlks
we're very nrerec WbIe the crossings from ere SIDE
F cf the street 20 the other were formed q narrow
HaE-to1es. and the cutters II cltbicStones were
rendered necessary o. carTy Of the drainage. which
40 the tine. was entirely OF the sIT1ace. There
was 10 Ezslirht ard no wafer CEceTt what WAS
taken iron the VunTs dIstributed ovs- the CITY
F a pump would often 81 ont n order and that al
uays created t7oube IN the ueighbcrhcod. uec oniy
with the families but with the servants. who had
to travel Of square OF two 70 md pump and
st water f1T domestic uses There were no cay
ri1-cs- nor cmuihlses ncT colveyauCes q any sort
The lighting was with oil lamps. s7arssiy DIS
tritG-ed ard or dark nights the population had t7
s-1rs IFS way about the town as bcSt they c~ud.
Bot with al these difficulties Ws>hinS-o- TosSsszal
many advantages for socal erioymeut and cunnfOr-
Presidents Would Carve.
Simplicity was still the watchword then
At White House dinners the President
would carve and serve to his guests. and
after dinner the carpets would be lifted
and the floors chalked for dancing. In
those days. too. the young society men
tried hard 20 emulate the Young bucks
Of London and after eScorting ladies home
from a dance would go out roisterins,
. wreuching off dOor-knockerS. breaking
windows. and defying the right-waJch-
men
And then returning 10 the Capitol again
only few years after the Van Bureu
administration, it requires little stretch
Of the Imagination 10 hear an aged Seaa-
tor on the aoor speaking To- colleagues
whose eyes are sUffuSed with tears
Nsy tie blessing of heaven rsst Upau the whole
senate and each mtmber of It. the senator is
-
every one r-5-urd q, the heneft q Tho nation and
the Advancement q his ovu fame ard reuoUn.
And when vr1 shah retire to the bos-n cf your CD
. stitusr-s usy yrI meet with thst most cheCrlrc
and C1u-ifgiuz cs al huua1 rewards-theIr cordial
/ Well done. Ecdd and faithfgl servant. And now,
Nessrs. President and Senator's. I b5d y0u a long
a last. and friendly farewell
It Is Henry Clay whom We have heard
speaking. his speech well described by
Senator Preston, one of Clay's colleagues
as an epoch in legislative history" And
So the Senate adjourned 20 take last
leave Of the great man. Yes, there were
giants IN those days,
Dickens Nickname for Washington
The City of Magnificent Distances
Washington has been called. the epigrau
was coined by Charles Dickens. who Wis
tied Washington in 1872. "a fashily dress
ed. shOck-headed youth. with hint OF
the cockney about him." 4 contemporary
described him. That must have been q
brilliant season. FOR it witnessed Also Tie
visit of Lord Morpeth. afterwards Earl ot
Carlisle and the Prince de JoinviIe
youngest son Of Louis PHILIPPE. stiH. al
that time. King Of France This was
the same prince who twenty years later
2
with his nephews. the COmte de Pari.
and the Due de Chartres. as aids on ths
sta1 OF Gen Mcclellan During PTeSi
dent Tyler's time. also. came 20 Wash
mgtOn one John Howard Payne. author
Of Home. Sweet Home who sought
himself. % leave home by way OF a con
t.-.1o~ v,acfrfen