The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1879-03-08
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENCE.
Letter rrom Washington.

Why the Washington correspondents should
teedr brass buttons Fight in TIC Senate
Lobby The poor mans bond, etc., etc.
WASHINGTON, d. o., march,.
After the series OF fashionable excitements
which, during the past three months, have |
followed ono upon the other In such rapid |
succession as to tire the bodies and pail upon |
the souls Of the devotees Of fashion In this !
city, n halt is called. The season Of Lent
has arrived, and for the ensuing six weeks,
instead ofball, party, reception and rout, we
will ostcnslbly have fastlngs and prayer, con-
triton and penitence, In former days the
body was clothed in sack.cloth and ashes, and
tho most rigorous and rigid regime consistent
with health was observed during the season
beginning with Ash Wednesday, but Christi
anity has kept paco with progress, and to-day
the sack. cloth garment is myth and orthO-
dox fasting and prayer, and abstinence from
carnal pleasures, are replaced with short
very short-devotIonal services daily and the
substitution of daintlly prepared fish Of all
kinds on two days ofthe week, instead Of flesh
diet-and this Is modern Lent. The season
is now observed by the Roman Catholics, the
Greek and Episcopal churches, but in the
for mer II finds Its most practical followers
At the imposing services in all the Roman.
Catholic churches, the faithful have received
from the hands of the priests mark of the
cross in ashes upon the forehead. They are
expected to attend services daily during the
forty days to come, and especially upon the
closing days, when, with all the aids the lit
urgy of that church and Its symbolic service
can give, they typify the passion and death Of
the Saviour. Following this scene Of sadness
on Easter Sunday, they demonstrate by the
glad peals of the hitherto silent bells and the
swelling choruSes Of the Gloria the JOY they
feel at commomoratlng the Resurrection. The
Archbishop OF Baltimore has Issued the usual
Lenten reg ulations to be observed by the
faithful of this diocese.
| There was an immense jam at tho White
House reception Thursday nigt, and the spa
cious public rooms of the mansion were like
! the Scripture net-full of fish of every kind
1t was intended at the outset that the recep-
tlon should be conducted strictly as an official
affair Of a high order, but by degrees one after
another of all the lines OF demarcation that
had been drawn were broken down, until at
last the assembly was made up provoklngy
promlscuous, with all. that the word implies
here In Washington. The chief officials of
every department ofthe government and of
the foreign legations were there, but besides
them an unfortunate number who, in various
ways, had been smuggled in on false pretence
doubtless, or though want of q knowledge Of
tho character Of those to whom invitations
had been issued. There were two distinct
classes of gucsts-those who were invited to
the parlors, and those who were admitted by
official card to the vestlbule. To this portion
Of tho White House the entire corps Of
journalists in Washington we're consigned,
after full dcliber alton. AS this is the third
official occasion on which this mark Of distinc-
tion has BEEN conferred upon this class OF
gentlemen, none OF them attended. Tho So
clety correspondents, who are ladies, and
whose papers had signi6ed desire to receive
an account of this crowd, were kindly furn.
ished with cards like the following: admit
the bearer to the Vestibule of the Executive
Mansion tonight. Thomas Lincoln Casey,
U. S. A. Commissioner Of Public Buildings
and Grounds" Other correspondents received
the intimafio that If they would come up to
the White House and slip into 1t, that II
would be all right. Several ladies who have
the misfortune to be connected with the
press, but who were attending at invitation
of members of Congress and their families
were stopped at the door, and the whole party
subjected to general modification. Ill luck
attended the distribution OF invitations
about the departments The understanding
was that the line was to be drawn at some o
the higher officials, but at the close the invi
tions drifted down to clerks aud copyi,ts and
so all grades are dissatisfied, = he same IL
true of the army and navy, and through vari
Gus blunders all ranks of Washington society
are offended, wheEe none would have thought
of offence II the affair had really been an of
fetal gathering instead of in part promis
cuous assembly gathered through formal In
vitations.
, Dom Platt editor of he Capital, was knock
ed down and severely beaten at the Capitol
the other night, by william Mc1arrahan, the
celebrated claimant for property now held by
the New Idria q quicksilver Mining Company
Dom Platt, who is one of the attorneys OF the
new Idria Company, has been abusing Nc
Garrahan most shamefully In his paper fol
several years pack, and has otherwise takeu
an active partIagainst his claim. The effort
to call up McGarrahan's bill failed through
objection Of Senator Mcdonald, thus killing
the measure for this Congress. Piatt met
, McGarrahan shortly afterwards and said, ~
have beaten you again." To this McGarra-
: han replied, "Look out or will beat you
Piatt retorted by saying, "You had better
take care OF YOURSELF" and at the same tim,
made a movement with his hand as II to draw
pistol from his breast pocket. II will TAX,
/ Of Iv al "a
Garrahan, landing Platt stunning blow In
the face which he followed up by four more
I blows In rapid succession. Piatt fell to the
: floor bleeding profusely. Tho spectators
promptly interfered and carried him into ar
adjoining committee room. McGarrahan is q
quiet, mild-mannered, good-natured man, and
no one who knows him believes that he woult
have assaulted Piatt without sufficient pro
vocation. The inexcusable and scurriloui
attacks made upon him in Piatt's paper thes,
years back have been borne by MeGarrahaE
: with patience that few mon would have dis
played under the circumstances.
E The model for the proposed ten dollar GER
tlfcate has been designed by the bureau o
printing and engraving,i and yesterday re
ceiVed the approval Of Secretary Sherman
9 1t will be little longer than a legal tendel
r note. In the left hand corner Of the diverse
side appears appropriately vignett OF Ben
Q jamin Franklin. In the centre is the legend
: "U. s. refunding certificate slO," with hand
some square and other fancy figures. Below
Z in script is the legend "This certihes tina
> the holder has deposited with the United
States Treasurer $40, according to act of Con
I gress February 20, 1879, for refundlng thu
debt" On the reverse side the border is mad'
up Of scroll and geometrical lathe work. Th'
f legend is displayed, lone cent for nine days
ten cents for three months and forty cents fol
9 one year" Also, in script, that these eertih
, Gates, when presented to the number Of 1--WE
I or multiples thereof, will be exchanged fol
Z four per cent. bonds. The bureau will be abl'
to deliver these certificates in the course Of
couple Of weeks. The bill authorizing the
, issue originated in tho House and received
two amendments In the Senate. One changed
' the rate Of interest from so5 to four per cent.
: and the other extended the use Of the pro
, ceeds Of the sales Of these certificates to tn,
J, lo-4o bonds as we'll as we'll as 5-2Os.
The section Of the Army Appropriation bill