The Portland daily press., 1874-03-19
Washington News and Gossip.

WORKING ON AN APPROPRIATION BILL
The House spent most of Monday in debate
upon the Legislative Appropriation Bill. The
bill proposes a reduction of $4,000, 900 over the
reduced estimates. The opposition to the bill
was mainly of technical and political charac-
tar, and consisted of the reiteration of detach-
ed portions of familiar Democratic stump
speeches The chief appropriations to which
objections were made are demanded by exist
ing laws. The clause making the necessary ap-
preparations for the salaries of members, was
quickly passed without comment, but when an
opportunity appeared to propose a reduction of
ten dollars in the annual wages paid to gOvsrn-
ment employees, the Demo cratic leafe rs were
quick to denounce 'the corruptions of the Ad-
ministration."
A SHARP REBUKE OF DEMOCRATS BY DEMO.
Graf.
Mr.. Niblack of the Democratic side, alone
hau the manliness to rebuke these petty attacks
upon the bill, and said it was unworthy of the
opposition to attempt Z be stingy and parsi-
monious as regarded the salaries of employees
when there were ways enough in which reform
could be effected, without seeking to strike
down small salaries for the sake of cheap pop
ularity. He severely arraigned some members
Of his own party who bad not hesitated to urge
the passage of the increase of salary law, and
who have not yet returned their back pay, for
their attempts to reduce the wages of honest la
bor Whenever the Republicans took part in
general debate, the familiar ''extravagance of
of Buchanan's administrator" was found to
be sufficient reply to all charges of political
profigacy.
MONUMENT TO SUMNER.
Subscriptions are being raised for the cree
ton of monument to Mr. Sumner here, un-
der the direction of the President of the Senate,
the Speaker of the House, Frederick Douglass,
MaiOr Ben, Perley POore, and the Governor of
the District of Columbia. Congress Is to be
asked for site, to be called Sumner Square,
on which the monument is to be erected
Society and Fashions.
Vaenciennes ruche with simulated vests of
rose or ciel blue silk, are among the spring nov
elites for the neck They are worn with black
silk dresses and freshen a costume very pretti
ly for the evening.
A new freak of fashion consists of birth an
nouncement cards. They are very small. and
the announcement reads: Compliments of Mr..
and Mrs. - and son Tor daughter, whichever
the case may be) Feb. 80, D. m.
A fashionable christening party in Boston
was postponed, last week, in consequence of
the non-arrival of a steamer from Europe hav-
ing on board the lace dress (made to order) in
which the baby was to have appeared. The
clergyman engaged was disguised.
They used to tie the sash on the left side in a
pretty bow, but now, as they are worn of such
wide and handsome ribbon, the ladies put them
wherever there is a ''break'' in their dress.
There is nothing like combining cleverness
with economy, and the first two combined with
fashion
1t is said that you can always tell FreLch
woman in the street by the adroit and graceful
manner in which she gathers her skirts about
her at the crossings. The same may be said of
an American woman, only, instead of being
adroit and graceful at this sort of thing they
are clumsy and awkward. When the roadway
is dry and clean, they raise their skirts suffi-
GENTLY high to wade creek, and when it's wet
and muddy they allow their dress to cling
about their heels, in an almost nauseating
manner.
At musical party, the other evening, one
Of the young ladies, who was Cd the programme
for ballad, lost her self-possession and cour-
age at the eleventh hour, and said she "really
couldn't sing before SO many people. Whereupon
her father, who was among the guests, entered
into an angry alteration with her, which term
mated abruptly by the daughter calling her
father fool, and announced her intention of
going straight home" The rapid return of
the demoisele's self-possesson and courage SO
startled the company that the party broke up,
soon after.-B0ston Gazette.