San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1882-11-30
Washington Letter.
IProm our regular Corresp Ontent.l


WASHINGTON, d. c., Nov. 10, 1882.
In nv COMMUNICATIONS about the Interior
Department the other nay, met Commits
sioner OF Railroads Armstrong, who recent
~ returned from tour ''of inspection
through the West, over the roads subsidized
by the government, having been absent
about three months. He looks sleek ana
fat as though inspecting" agreed with
him and reports everything lovely ON the
Pa,iac roads, which was rather to be expect
"a in, in view OF the fact that he traYelep
in a special car furnished by the Union IA
ci6c-Jay Gould-and provided with I'M
Limited commissary supplies for the men,
bars of his family and relations comprising
the party. / ran across them ut Denver
this summer and saw the handsome parlor
and dining car, with its sleeping arrange
lnents and a cook and porter. 1t looked n
good deal as though the commissioner was
GA a first class pleasure trip. Mr.. Armstrong
il n very clever gentleman, and makes an
honest unbiased report concerning the roads
In question, but in view of the fact that
these roads have swindled the government
right and left heretofore, and that he sue
ceedei in Office orc French, who was dis
missed in disgrace for connivance with
them. he might have done better than to
accept such hospitality on his first tour OF
inspection"
For the past six weeks or moreover
since October's mellow air began to tint
The ieaves-W Washington has been complete
ly showed under with bridal couples. There
was never anything like it. To all appear
auces every married couple in the whole
country comes to see the Capital and then
sail TO Mount Vernon to shed few tears
over the tomb of Washington. 1t is good
omen, they say, to make wedding trip to
Mount Vernon. One day not long ago
there we're seventeen couples on the regular
trim of the boat. During thai week there
were more than fifty couples in the city,
and in one hotel were sheltered eighteen
brides and husbands. They scatter while
here and one meets them everywhere: at
the Treasury, in the Capitol, and even on
top of the Washington Monument.
1t seems TO be settled that the notorious
Tom Oehiltree is elected to Congress from
Texas. Tom has been one of the eccentric
characters around Washington more or less
for the last ten years. He is stout, GENIAL
hportiye sort of customer; consort OF the
iudgeS and majors about the hotel lobbies,
having no special qualifications for the of
flee of Congressman, though perhaps as well
fitted for the place as many Others who get
there. His faculty of inventing good ma
tared yarns is distinguishing trait, and
in the House he will tower head and Shout
ders, like Norway pine, above Congress
sional pigmies who try to make little no.
toriety by taking liberties with the truth.
There may be competitors in the field who
have achieved certain local celebrity for
nmpering with the truth, but for ornamen-
al work, with deep founces and a double
row of fluting up the back, there are ex-
perts who regard Tom Ochiltree, in a nation
al sense rs the most scientific producer OF
romantic fiction of the age. He is not ma
licious, ugly and dangerous, bit genial, YER
satile and amusing-as much OF an Ameri-
can feature as the cotton gin. While he is
in Congress the standard for Munchausens in
that body will be raised. Another inc
dent of the Congressional campaign is the
petticoat issue said to be involved in young
William Engllsh's candidacy in the seventh
district of Indiana. Mr., English's wife was
formerly an actress, who, because of her
antecedents, had been denied recognition in
aristocratic society in Indianapolis. This
has aroused her wrath and made her ambi-
tious of going to Washington with the So
cial prestige accorded to the wives of Rep
resentatives in Congress. To accomplish
this she appealed, report says, to William
H. English, who placed his barl at his sons
disposal. But there must be some mistake
about the size of the bar'l, or else it is not
n potent factor in the yirtuons city of In
pianapolis SPOT.