The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1882-05-18
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, D.. C..
-a9aselLe May, 15. 1882.

l. The Tariff Commission bill is at
last out Of Congress, having furnish
ed the largest amount ofchin- music
Of any measure before that body for
years. Some of the speeches not de-
livered, but whose authors obtained
''leaye to print" are still coming out
in the Record. / 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 derived from a square stand on
the question. The pressure has al
ready begun on the President in be
half of persons anxious to serve on
the commission; and the applicants
do not.consider that they know moth
ing about the subject of the tariff,
but are completely absorbed with the
idea of $40 per diem and expenses.
The President will, it is hoped, put
sGme experts on the, commission, but
it will require all his nerve and de-
termination to withstand the appeals
of the politicians. 1t is generally
accepted here as conclusive that the
commission will manage to perpetu-
ate its existence for several years to
come, and if it makes any report at
all at the beginning of the next ses
sion of Congress, it will be merely
one of a preliminary character. In
deed, the longer the protectionists
can keep the commission in existence
the better they will be pleased. 1t
can be set down as q dead certainty
that nothing will be done with the
tariff during the life ofthis Congress,
and if the Democrats of the next
Congress surrender TO the straight
out. protectionists as they have now,
any hopes the tariff reformers may
have of a revision of the present tar
if prior to the Presidential election
of1SS4 will prove groundless.
Much has been said and written
lately about President Arthur's man
ners and habits and mode of life,
but 1 am not inclined to believe hall
that is reported concerning the singh
old times ofhimseif and q few choice
spirits over their wine at the White
House. Yet it is unquestionably
true that the President is a high liver.
He likes good wine, good cooking,
and the society of his particular
friends. In addition to this he is an
aristocrat in his feelings, tastes, and
all his instincts. Some time ago
there was a great flourish of trump.
cts over the asserted fact that at last
we had an old-time gentleman in the
White House. man of the old
school, who would entertain royalty
and restore the Executive Mansion
TO the courtly manners to which fol
some years it had been a stranger.
But somehow this tune is no longer
sung among u society devotees.
Beyond his aristocratic ways and
his free use of wine. there does not
seem to be the courtliness about the
President and his abode which was
anticipated. There is of late even a
disposition to criticise his lack OF
courtesy. The other evening at his
card reception his invited guests
were kept cooling their heels inthe
open air more than twenty minutes
after the hour named on the cards OF
invitation for the reception to begin.
Several hundred people had been IL.
vited to call on him between the
hours of eight and ten o'clock. Tie
!, President set the time himself
When eight o'clock came i. found
two or three hundred early birds in
front of the Executive Mansion n
waiting his pleasure. But they had
to wait for nearly half an hour later
and the ladies, shivering in evening
i wraps at the White House door