The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1882-05-18
Washington Letter.
From our Regular Correspondent.
WASHINGTON. D. c..


The Tariff Commission bill is at
last out of Congress, having furnished
the largest amount of chin-music of
any measure before that body for
years. Some of the speeches not de-
livered, but whose authors obtained
"leave to priot." are still coming out
in the Record I do not entertain any
great degree of admiration for those
Democrats who supported the bill and
forced the party in Congress to throw
away the advantage it might have de-
rived from square stand on the ques-
tion. The pressure has already be-
gun on the Presiden, in behalf of
persons anxious to serve on the com.
uission and the applicants do not
consider that they know nothing about
the subject of the tariff, but are com-
pletely absorbed with the idea of $40
per diem and expenses. The Presi-
dent will, it is hoped, put some ex-
perts on the commission, bat it will
require all his nerve and determipa-
tion to withstand the appeals Of the
politicians. It is generally accepted
here as conclusive that the comuis-
sion will manage to perpetuate it's
existence for several years to conc,
and if it makes any report at all at
the beginning Of the next session of
Congress, it will be merely one Of a
preliminary character. Indeed, the
longer the protectionists can keep the
commission in existence the better
they will be pleased. 1t can be set
down as dead certainty that nothing
will be done With the tariff during the
life of this Congress, and if the Dem
ocrats of the next Congress surrender
to the straight,out protectiooists as
they are DOW, any hopes the tariff re-
foruess may have of a revision Of the
present tariff prior to the Presidential
election of 1884 will prove ground
less.
Much has been said and written
lately shout President Artbur's man
pers and habits and mode of life, but |
am not Inclined to believe half that is
reported concerning the "higb old
times" of himself and few choice
spirits over their wine at the White
House. Yet is is uoques;ionably true
that the President if a high liver. He
likes good wine, good cooking, and
tho society of his particular friends.
In addition TO this he is an aristocrat
10 his feelings, tastes, and oil his in.
stincts Some time ago there was a
great hourishing of trumpets over the
asserted fact fhat at last we had an
old.time gentleman 10 the White
House. 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 stranger. But somehow
this tuue is no longer sung among
our society devotees. Beyond his
aristocratic ways and his free use Of
wine, there does not seem to be the
courtliness about the President and bis
ebode which was anticipated. There
is of late even disposition to criticise
his lack of courtesy. The other
evening at his card reception his in.
rited guests we're kept cooling their
heels in the open air more than TWEEN.
ty minutes after the hour named on
the cards Of invitation for the reeep-
tion to begin. Several hundred peo-
pie 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 Man
sion awaiting his pleasure. But they
had to wait for nearly half 40 hour
later, and the ladies, shlvering in
evening wraps at the White House
door, beaped q good many feminine
objuratious Oh the Presidents head,
as under the circumstances they GER
tainly had perfect right to do.
The society people used to sneer at
Hayes for not having wine at bis card
receptions, but at the levee the other
night neither wine Dor eatables we're
served and most of the invited guests
went supperless to bed unless they
took a cold bite at home. A select
few we're invited to dine, but the rest
were not offered so much as a sand
wich. To give she Fraud his due, I
must say that Hayes, with all his
stinginess, never failed to spread the
table on these occasions. But Mr..
Arthur cares only for the company
and countenance of a dozen or so
CHOICE spirits, aOd refuses to sacrifice
his personal habits OF comforts to the
Presidential Office. For his cbums
the White House doors are always
ajar ; for the public never. For his
chums the White House cellar is
stored with the rarest vintage and
cigars BY the hundreds That re.
minds me CT something. I was told
the other day that the White House
steward was asked b3 the President to
send up a box or two of cigars of a
certain brand. But they are all
gone, Mr.. President" said Steward
Crump. "Wby, I got several hun
dred boxes not long ago" II can't
help it, sir; they are all gone. You
can't see how, know, but I do. You
know your friends suoke good deal
and drink a good deal. They can't
drink more than they oan carry away,
but when they are asked to smoke,
sir. they usually put handful 10
their pockets to every one they put in
their mouths, and when they smoke