The Washington herald., 1913-03-16

Hldhlns OF tdrlNe came Al long inter-
| walls. and the farmer was wise enough
! to admit that his wisdom wasn't great
| enough to enable him to comprehend the
mysteries of the tariff. He took what
| was given him, satisfied or not. as the
| case might be. morally. convinced that,
while it might be a great deal better.
| nothing could be much worse. And
Washington was not only remote phys
| ically. but far removed spiritually. There
vas none of the easy freedom Of inter
! course of the State capital Bill Jones.
| assemblyman. was known to every one
| who voted for him: Congressman Jones
was known only to handful of the
| voters. and was nothing but a name to
the rest.
Washington Then Dull.
The average constituent could have a
very good time at the State capital. but
at Washington he had a very dull time.
And then there was the question of eX-
pense. by no means an unimportant
question in those days, when every one
'as happy and there was no envy or
uncharitabeness in the breasts of men.
as the modern chroniclers tell us. 1t
cost more to come to Washington than
it did to go to the State capital. and
the hotels were more expensive and the
incidentals more numerous. II one
wanted to get away from the farm or
shop or Office and have a change and see
life. the State capital was the place.
All this has changed because in the
last thirty years or SO the entire political
and social life of the American people
has changed. Washington, the mudhole,
is now only a memory-a memory that
no one cares to revive. The mud and
the slush have gone with the old GUS
toms and the old ideas. Broad and WELL
paved streets; stately and tree-lined
avenues; public buildings that have not
sacrificed use to beauty, but in remem-
bering use, have not forgotten art;
hotels and restaurants of the first class:
theaters and shops and many fine resi-
dences-make Washington one of the
most attractive capitals in the world.
Formerly people used to come here; now
they live here, which Is the difference
between transiency and permanency. 1t
Is no longer fashionable or considered
necessary for our Statesmen to carry
their democracy with them to the table
or to show their love for the people by
their contempt for good manners. A
statesman may bleed at every pore in
battling for the rights of the down.
trodden, and still wear clean linen. A
bath is no longer the stigma of degen-
eracy. To live in a hall bedroom In a
boarding house Is not the surest way to
establish a reputation for craftsmanship
or integrity.
City Has PrOgressed.
In a word, the world have moved
very fast during those last thirty
years, and Washington has moved very
fast during those last thirty years
and Washington has moved with It.
There are now mary people living in
Washington who have no connection
with either government or politics.
who are not interested in the tariff or
the trusts. to whnrn it makes no diff
ference whether the Republicans nr
tie Democrats are in the majority.
They live in Washington because they
and its life more agreeable than that
of ether cities: they are more inter-
ested in pictures than in schedules; to
them music means something and pol
itics little, IL anything. To the ordi-
nary tourist. to Beatrice and her Ben
edict. to the tired business man and
his wife who want change and diver
sion, TO the schoolboy or girl, to the
man or woman seeking a holiday.
there is always much to see and to
interest in Washington. To the per-
son who comes to Washington with
letters Of introduction sthere Ii no
other city in America where he will
meet so many interesting men and
women.