Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1875-01-09
UNDERTONES

the part OF the other newspapers of the city,
and also of all public men who have gwen
the matter any attention. Nearly all the let
tiers that have been printed on the subject en-
dorse, not only the original plan, but the list
! of names suggested either in whole or in
! part. To the recommendations aud conclu-
siOns of most of these letters little or no objec
! tiOn can be made. The proposition brought
/ forward by a correspondent the other day, 10
/ divide the present avenues, and give TO the
! portions thus separated different Names
! would be likely, however, 20 lead to confu-
/ sion in many cases, an. more would proba-
| bly, be lost than gaine' by its adoption. 1t is
/ that sort of thing that plays the mischief
| with fellow in London. But the great al
NantageS of the proposed change must not be
/ lost because IL Il al impO>>ib.lity to satisfy
/ everybody with all the details Of any plan
that may be proposed, or with any list of
! names that may be suggested. To please
| everybody, is great deal too much TO eX-
| pect. Ii is equally certain. however, that
| after plan has once been adopted, and the
| names, whatever they may be, are selected
| ana formally applied, everybody will agree
| tlat the change Is a vast improvement on
| the present system. That much may be put
down as settled in advance. 1t now only re-
| mains FOR some one in Congress TO introduce
| bill, not to authorize. but TO make the
changes as proposed. There might be some
! difference Of opinion on details and possibly
! some discussion on the selection of names;
| but these are small matters, and could easily
| De ADJUSTED. As 10 the ultlWatG passage of
| so excellent measure there ought To be no
| doubt, as there can be to il 10 valid ohiec-
; ton.
Philadelphia paper makes the melan-
| chOly admission that most Of the cut flowers
and especially the choice rose buds sold in
that city come from Boston, and also that
most of the celery sold i'm her markets is sup
piled from New York. If this be true. and
there is probably no reason to dOub: il. will
some person kindly rise and explain where
the article sold in our markets as ''Philadel-
phla print butter comes from? The above
statement in regard to flowers anl celery is
calculated To awaken feeling of uncertain
ty as to the real nativity of that costly lux
ury. And faith in butter is almost as impOr-
tant as IN sausages.
~
There was much force in the point pre-
sented by Mr.. Frye just bef0Te the rec ass "a
TO the great difference betwceh the salaries
paid TO the employees of che House and
Senate and those who are al little removed
from daily personal contact with mem
bers. The captain of the capitol pc
| lice, for example, gets 5000 per an
mum, while the librarian of the great
| national library, whose place il would be ex-
| ceedingly hard to I'LL properly, at any price,
| receives only $1,000. Without passing upon
the question as to whether the first named
! officer is overpaid or not. il is quite clear
| that, from the wide difference in the quail
ties ard training required 1Or the two posi-
! tiOns, there ought TO be a more intelligent
graduation of salaries. And it is likely that
| the popular verdict would be that Mr.. Spot
| fOru'S pay should be increaS~ 4, whether that
of the other officer referred TO be touched or
not. Considering his qualifications for the
! place, the character of his services, and the
/ Iact that they are given all the year round. 1T
| is hardly too much 10 say that ii ought TO be
| made at least equal to that of member of
| Congress. What NJ. c. or U. s. 5. could fiji
| his place?
What il is worth to have voice that other
| people want to hear may be meaSurably un-
derstCOd by the fact that Adalina Patti was
recently paid f8' } to sing in concert during
| two evenings in Liverpool-three songs being
| set down Tor each night. -Four thousand dol
| lars, gold, or over, for six SongSi or at the
rate of nearly seven hundred dollars a song
| say a hundred dollars minute. This is
| equal to Nevada silver mine, ald very
| much better than the Little Emma as
| almost any Englishman can tell you.
| -
One would think, from the prices charged
for riding in its parlor and sleeping cars, that
| the Pullman car company might furnish its
| passengers with so common a luxury as ice
| water. Yet, as a rule, ii does not do so,
| greatly TO its discredit. An inquiry of the
| car porter as TO the wherefore of this small
| bit of economy generally receives the answer
| that the fault is that of the rail way company,
whose business il is to see that ice is supplied;
| the brakeman, on the other hand, is pretty
sure TO tell you that it is owing TO the greed
of the Pullman people. Wherever the lault
| may be, il is ineXcusable. And il must he
admitted that appearances are rather against
! the car company, whose duty would seem to
be 10 make its special patrons comfortable;
| and ii certainly charges enough TO be able TO
afford what can no longer be claSSed as lux
ht1f to 10 axx-fra
| are rich enough to pay the prices charg Il.
Look at the matter for moment. A section
| in a palace car from this city to Pittsburg.
| for inStahce,-a run of about twelve hours
costs four dollars, and all a single passenger
| gets for this very considerable outlay, in ad-
toierably comfortable bed to himself or her
| self for that length OF time. To this must
| generally be added a gratuity of twenty or
twenty-five cents to the porter; for be il
| known, TO the eternal disgrace of the com
Iany, that in many cases it pays this en-
| plOye no osalaIy-compelling him to live on
| what he can pick up from passengers, and
obliging him, meantime, to procure his uni
| form at his owI expense from its supply
| agent! Now the saLle sum OF money paid
for section will secure the same person
| twenty-four hours accommodation at a first
| class hotel, including the range of the whole
| house, and the occupancy OF a roomy, COM
| Portable h-d chamber foi all that period of
| time, with three or iour good square meals,
may be desired, and ice water without
| stint. Do not these facts make a bad show
ing for the Pullman company? ManifeStly.
| it ought either TO give more for the money il
gets, or reduce very considerably the price il
charges for what it gives.
%**
Was the lately announced Albani concert
| here indefinitely postponed because the
| manager feared that the house would not be
| filled at the prices charged? If that was not
the reason, it ought to have been. Two dol
| lars admission and one dollar extra for a re-
served seat is a pretty steep tariff for mere
| concert, even in flush times; for season OF
| depression and scarcity of money, like this,
| it is simply extortionate. Another thing:
| why are popular singers who appear
| in opera at the start in other cities
| always brought to Washington to pick
| up what they can in concert a while
| before playing in opera?-as they generally
| do, little further along in the season. The
| practice is a sort OF imposition that ought to
be frozen out by our opera going people. A
| little combined staying away would do the