The daily gazette., 1880-02-10
SECOND EDITION
Washfngton Letter.


THELENrEN sEAtoN-rAs sURcEAsE OF
FAsHroEABLE TURMOIL APRosrEoTs
OF ExcITrNa DEBArE IN coNoREss-
| THE IsTHMUs cANAL-c CENSUS SUPER
vIsoRs. '
(From our Regular Correspondent.)
ns9WAsHINGToN. ID. O., Feb. 9, 1880.
Take IL all In oil, this has been rather
duii winterin Washington. The numbe
or strangers In the city is smaller than
usual. 1t may be that the smallpox
scare bas kept them away, but both in
the Capitol, and In the salon, on the
Avenue, at Receptions, and at hops, there
appears to be4a smaller number Of stran-
gers, and less political and social excite
| ment than there has been during any
previous winter since "the war There
has been the tsual nuibsr of Prssiden-
tial and cab nst ifscept.ons; the hotels
have q ven weekly! hops; tho theatres
have blazed with The usual complement
OF otose stars; there has been no lack or
"briiliant weddfng., =" and no scarcity of
"refgning bellies; but still IL seems tu
me that neither Vanity Fair nor the po-
itical cockpit have been as interesting
~ herefofQIer u is common remark
that President Hayes receptions do mo-
draw as well as those Of his predecessor,
and there has not been an occasion dur
Ing this session suffi cienIly big to over
crowd the galleries of the House or Sem
ate. But the remaining weeks of the
Congressional session will be more ex-
| c,unR. There are several subjects al
Most ready to be submitted or reported
back wbieh will en!iven debate and re-
lieve the routine. In the Senate, con-
trary 70 general expectation, a decided
opposition y manifested to any action
looking to the assertion of an American
policy with regard to inter oceanic COM
muDication. The Gordon resolution
viii come up early next week for con-
sideration. and the indi cations are that
the very animated discussion which was
begun in the Democratic caucus will be
continued. The House Committee on
commerce are nearly ready 10 submit
their Interstate commerce bill, and this
will onliveD matters In that end OF the
Capitol. To-day or tomorrow the Sen.
ate Committee on census will report
back adversely number of nominations
for census supurvis ors, and this will lead
to a. partisan dispute in .executive se,-
sion: The Republican Senators will, as
q rule, sustain the nominations Of the
President aud eDdeavor 70 have them
confirmed. There are several of these
uObiuhptOubj bnat VIII O6 DltC 'fIy con-
tested. The fight over Simmons, OF
Georgia, which was begun before the
conmittee, must be settled in executive
session. Senator Wallace Is doing his
best 10 defeat the confirmation of Sher-
wood, nominated for supervisor of the
Philadelphia district. Speaker Randall
Is just as earnestly labor. ng In behalf Of
Sherwood, though he is o Republican.
Wallace and Randall are rival leaders OF
The Pennsylvania Democracy, aud this
contest over Sherwood transfers their
dispute to Congress-. There are other
matters, TOO, that will add to the interest
OF congressional proceedings; such for
instance, AS the proposed investigation
of M mister Seward.
Day afIer tomorrow the Lenten sea-
son, always strictly observed in WASH
lngtcp. will commence, and the fashion,
ableseason will end in a climax of rerp-
sicborean festivities and masQ uerade
balls. Blessed be the benignant phiIan-
trophy that invented Lent. The mad
tnrmpll or fashion has ravageI the face
of beauty, until the fair de butanCe of last
Autumn ls already pale and passe. In
no other country 10 youthful dissipation
carried to such an extreme, aud IL IL Inn
posi- BILE to avoid the conclusion that the
older civilizations, cross the Atlantic,
daughters out of society until they have
been married, ana In preserving for hus-
bands that maiinal freshness which the
American young lady dissipates upen
Tom, Dick, and Harry.