The Penn's Grove record., 1882-04-29
LETTER,
WASHINGTON. APRIL y. Is:

&OEN ~ GhN
WASHINGTON, APRIL 81, ISS2.
One of the stormies. sessions Of the
House this season was that Of Monday
last, tie excitemeug growing out OF Mr..
Pages endeavor 20 get up and pass the
new Chinese bill under a suspension OF
the rules. 1t was apparent that plorethsn
the necessary two-thirds were in favor
OF the motion, but for various reasons
it was made the occasion of great up
roar aud confusion. Mr.. Rice, of Mas
s~uchusetts, was the only member pres
ent who could speak against the bill,
and he could not BIZ heard. When he
vote came 10 be taken, of the two han
dred and t~hirty-eight members ouly
thirty-seyen voted no. Here ia WASH
ington there IS not a very strong Lcal
sentiment in favor of anti1ilinese leg
islation, perhaps because our people
come in contact with and know ouiy
the better class of Chinese-tbe nobil-
ity, or those who come here as represen
tatiyes OF their Government-and there
fore have no prejudice against them.
There could be no objection to Chinese
if they were all alike those who have
resided here. The late Minister, who
returned to China a few months ago,
was q man of the broadcast pattern than
whom no foreign representative has
stood in higher esteem among intelli-
gent people at the Capital. His success
sor is, evidently, u statesman. Yet
with all this We learn even from inter-
course with them something Of the Cd
dities of this singular Eastern people.
Among the many curious and heauti
full things in the drawing at that
Legation brought bere by the present
Minister are a number of dolls about a
foot high dressed to represent accurate
ly Chinese men and women, and there
is also intruded among them aud plsced
without design, in NEST suggestive
proximity to IL woman playing upon a
Wind instrument, a representation of
the Chinese ideal Prince of the Devils,
which is of solid clay and so heavy as
to be lifted with difficulty. He is dress
I'd in bright red Loose garments, has
full whiskers and q mustache parted to
show "a horrid leer on his lips in which
! h., apas taGa po,-t ap.d ubioh u.oYId ID
credit to Mephistopholes. lie is a very
wicked, but a jolly looking devil. Son g
veryold bronze and Chira vases are al
so in this parlor and all along the walls
and scroll panels with Chinese charac-
tiers upon them expressive of some NOR
al sentiment. 1t is a, singular coinci-
dence that on the very day the Presi-
dent held the special meeting at which
it was decided that the anti Chinese
bill should be voted, it vas observed
that his picture lad unintentloDally
been placed on a stand bet wesn two
Chinese notices, one of which read
"Be IA man." and the other, BE gener
ous,' which might be construed aS ell
joining him to have backbone enough
to veto the bill and to be generous with
the territory of the big country over
which he pre- sides. When first hey
came here the Minister and other gen.
ilemen OF the Chinese Legation used al
ways to offer Tea to their visitors, but
they found so few gentlemen who ac-
cepted ii that they now keep apon tie
centre table in their parlors dccanters
OF choice wines and handsome glasses
and u silver salvor full of assorted
cakes, Nevertheless / hear Of several
members of tile two Houses OF Congress
and other officials who regularly turn
down their wine glasses at dinner par
ties, declining any spirituous beverages.
l saw Attorney General Brewster and
the acting Vice President, David Dav-
is, both refuse wine at a recent dinner
party. The latter said he stopped wine
and tobacco over a year ago, and his
health had improved in consequence.
Two gentlemen-Hon. Aleck Stephens
and Gen. Schenck-wnerever they may
dine, observe always the same rules as
regards food and drink which they en-
force upon themselves in private. The
latter always takes along his bottle OF
ginger ale to dinner parties and never
drinks anything else.
According to the understanding ar
rived at by the Republican caucus the
contested election cases are to be
brought forward and settled at once.
The first case taken up is the Lynch
Chalmers contest from Mississippi, the
committee recommending that the seat
be aw; rded to Lynch, the colored con-
ttstant. 1t is rumored that the Demo
| Gratis propose to flibusser on this case,
I they can have no good xcHse for any
| such course, as there is no doubt that
Lynch was elected. If the Democrats
want TO tillbuster they had best do it
on some of the cases where the commit
tee has shown undue psrtisanship, as
there are some of that character. it is
claimed. Tie impression at the eau
Gus meeting the other night was that
the committee could dispose of all its
work in short order, but calculations
were net made for Democratic filibus-
fering. The Republican majority, of
course, will stand ly the committee,
and an exciting time may be expected
before these matters are disposed of.
The Democrats are making vigorous eft