Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1882-05-25
wAsH1NeToN LETTER
LFrom ow R.grIar cerraBoaa.rll
wAsuIseTos. D. q. May IS. lssa:

From our Regular CorraBoadsFfa
wAsHISeroS. D. c.. May Is, 1852.
The Tariff Commission bill is at last
out OF Congress, having furnished the
largest amout OF chin-music Of any meas
ure before that body for years. Some OF
the speeches not delivered, but whose au-
thors obtained ''leave to print" are still
coming out in the Record. ! do no. en
tertain any great degree of admRaIion
for those Democrats who suppOr4d the
bill and forced the party in Congress TO
throw away the advantage it might have
derived from a square stand on the ques-
ton. The pressure has already begun on
the President in behalf OF persons anxi-
GUS TO serve ON the commission; and the
applicants do not consider that they know
nothing about the subject of the tariff.
but are completely absorbed with the
idea OF $40 per diem aud expenses. The
President will, il is hoped. put some ex-
perts OH the commission, but it will re-
quire all his nerve and determination TO
withstand the appeals of the politicians.
It is generally accepted here as conclusive
that the commissions will manage to per-
petuate its existence for several years to
come, and ii it makes any report at all
the beginning of the next session of Con-
gress, il will be merely one of prelmin-
ary character. Indeed. the longer
the prntectioEists can keep the
commission in existence the better they
will be pleased. 1t can br set down as a
dead certainty that nothing will he done
with the tariff during the life OF this
Congress, and if the Democrats Of the
next Congress surrender TO the straight
out protectionists as they have now, any
hopes the tariff reformeTs may have OF a
revision OF the present tariff prior 10 the
Presidential election of 1884 will prove
groundless.
Much has been said and written lately
about President Arthur's manners and
habits and mode of life, but am not in
clined to belive half that is reported con-
cerning the 'high old times" of himself
and few choice spirits over their wine
at the White House. Yet it is unques-
tionably true that the President is a high
liver. He likes good wine, good cooking,
and the society of his partlclar friends.
In addition to this he n aristocratic in his
feelings, tastes. and all his instincts.
Some time ago there was great flourish
of trumpets over the asserted fact that at
last we had an old-time gentleman at the
White House-a man of the old school,
who would entertain royalty and restore
the Executive Mansion to the courtly
manners to which for some years it had
been a astranger. But somehow this tune
is no longer sung among our society de-
votees. Beyond his aristocratic ways and
his free use of vine, there does not seem
~ 81 Oh tho proeidQnf 4
and his abode which was anticipated.
There is of late even q disposition to
criticse his lack of courtesy. The other
evening at his card reception his invited
guests were kept cooling their heels in
the open air more than twenty MINUTES
after the hour AIMED on the cards OF in
vitation for the reception to begin. Sev-
eral hundred people had been invited to
call on him between the hours of eight and
ten o'clock. The president set the time
himself. When eight o'clock came it
found two or three hundred early birds
in front of the Executive Mansion await
ing his pleasure. But they had to wait
for nearly half an hour later, and the la
dies, shivering in evening wraps at the
White House door. heaped good many
feminine objurations on the Presidents
head, as under the circumstances they
certainly had perfect right to do.
The society people used to sneer at
Hayes for not having wine at his card re-
!. Jcslticns, but at the levee the other night
! neither wine nor eatables were served,
and most of the invited guests went sup
PEERLESS to bed unless they took cold
bite at home. A select few were invited
to dine, but the rest were not offered so
much as sandwich. To give the Fraud
his due, I must say that Hayes, with his
stinginess, never failed to spread the ia
BILE on these occasions. But Mr.. Arthur
cares My for the company and conten-
ance of dozen or SO choice spirits, and
refuses to sacrifice his personal habits or
comforts to the Presidential office. For
his chums the White House doors are
alway aiar; for the public never. For
his chums the White House cellar is
stored with the rarest vintage and cigars
by the hundreds. That reminds me of
something. l was told the other day
that the White House steward was asked
by the President to send up box or two
of cigars Of certain brand. 'tBut they
are all gone. Mr.. President" said Stew
ard Crump. "Why, | got several hundred
boxes not long ago.. II can't help it,
sir; they are all gone. You can't see
how, know, but lido. You know your
friends smoke good deal and drink q
good deal. They can't drink more than
they can carry away, but when they are
asked ito smoke, sir, they usually put a
handful in their pockets to every one
they put in:their mouths. and when they
smoke again they goto the boxes for az.
other handful, not to their pockets for a
c;oar - PHONO