The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1883-02-16
NEW YORK LETTER.
From Our own Correspondent.

healthy tariff reform, have entered
upon a system of filIbustering which
will probably defeat no one but them
selves, and is already costing then
the 1.-THE of popular respect and con
fdence which they yet commanded
The Republican managers are not tt
be beaten by such game as this
They have determined to pass the
Ways and Means Committee bill, nc
matter what the expense of time and
labor. They wisely hold that if by
Republican persistence and votes the
tariff shall pass both houses and fall
between the two, through Demo.
cratic opposition and filibustering,
the party cannot be responsible for
the defeat of the plan of tax and
tariff reduction, and it can 60 before
the country claiming that the Dem,
ocrats defeated the bills. The House
is certain to hold night sessions next
week and the Senate will continue its
late sittings.
Everybody unites in saying that
never before has living in Washing
ton during the season been so eXpen.
sive as this year. Dinners, lunches
and receptions are so frequent and
SO expensive, that even well TODD
members find the pace too hot.
Should the present session be long
one a great many people will be
driven to serious straits ere long.
Even the admirer Of Democratic
principles must find in the position
Of that party in the State Legislature
something SO absurd as to arouse a
feeling very much like pity. The air
which has been rent for months with
cries of fraud and reform, are now
silent. Yet, what has been done :?
Nothing, absolutely nothing, and what
is worse, the leaders calmly tell us
that there is nothing to be done, no
reform to be instituted, no abuse to
be abolished. New York always has
been a badly governed state, but now
she is not governed at all. The only
real practical measure passed thus far
is the passage in the Assembly of the
bill fixing fares on the Elevated rail-
road at five cents, and as this has yet
to go before the Senate, that worthy
body may yet defeat it. The lobby
prepared and provided by the rail-
road people was extremely powerful,
laborious and skilful. That in the
teeth of it the bill was passed with
the overwhelming majority of IoS to
6 votes Is triumph of popular opin,
ion almost unexpected. The rail-
road companies will at first no doubt
avenge themselves on the public by
reducing the wages of their en-
ployees and running fewer trains /;
but as this policy will lead to further
reduction of income, it will in very
short time have to be abandoned.
Tomorrow the Lenten season be-
gins and for that matter everybody
/ suppose is pleased that a period of
rest for the weary pleasure seeker
and ball goer has set in. A suitable
finale to the Carnival season was the
grand fancy dress ball of the Lieder-
kranz Society, at the Academy of
Music on Monday even ing. 1t was
the thirtieth annual ball of this ia
nous society, and ! am free to say
that it was the only marked ball of
the season worth seeing. The cos
tunes were novel in design, rich in
material, and magnificent in make
up. There were diamonds by the
basketful i might say, and the OPEN
ing pageant was masterpiece. The
churches this year propose to attract
people to penance and meditation by
very elaborate musical programmes.
In other words they intend to dis
guise the proverbial sackcloth and
ashes as much as possible to make
people take them up. In one lead
ing Episcopal church which prides
itself on its chancel choir, a number
of old manuscript works of Bach and
other composers Of sacred music are
to be brought out. st. Stephens