New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-02-04
TOPICS AT WASHINGTON.
WHAT IS TALKED OF AT THE CAPITAL

AND GOssIP-THE Observation-Disclosures
NEw-YoRKERs AT THE CAPITAL.
(FRoM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNE
WASHINGTON. Feb. 3.-Probably the average
newspaper reader, who regularly skips the Wash
npton dispatches on the Tariff debate, Will not be-
ieve It, but II is nevertheless fact that Congress
the House at least-is seldom interesting to the
spectator in the gallery 1t is now. The subject
Is a dry one except to those who take students
interest in It, or to those who know that the turn
ing of Congressman's hand NAV mean disaster 70
their business for years TO come. Some OF theso
anxious men can be seen here aud there In
the galleries, porting over copies OF the laili
bill and intently watching the proceed
ings; and they look If they Iouhu
Congress anything but dull. But those VINO
have mel her natural an acquired interest III
the subject like TO watch tho debate also, LOT inc
reason that Congress itself-perhaps 1t would Do
better to say again the House-is so keenly INFER
ested. tn only now and then, and hen usually
bv chance, that the sightseer in washington comes
upon a stirring scene in the House. TWO members
Will get into parliamentary squabble. There Is
"gIve and take" for a few moments. Members
stop their lstter-wrting at their desks and listen
or break away from the groups of chatting aAd
smoking men at the back of the hall In five min
utes il is all over The letterwriters go on writing
the smokers 90 on smoking, the takers
90 on talking The Reading Clerk, perhaps,
resumes the reading OF bill I'm his official monotone,
or n member drones off speech from pile OF man
nscript and the House has become the Same chaotic,
lstless noisy, onuSing and tiresome crowd OF mon
il had been for days before and will he for DAYS 10
come. But the Tariff bill touches almost every
member at some point, and through it many man
hopes to reveal TO an astonishe1 world unexpected
attributes of statesmanship The result IL that the
House is full almost every member IL In his seat.
AID the close attention given to the business in
hand results in degree of order seldom seem The
speakers all talk earnestly, and usually briefly and
every little while the members rise and stream
like schoolboys between two telers standing In the
little semi-circle in front Of the Speakers desk
voting in this way on some amendment. All TINS
gives briskness to the scene it s sadly lacking in
as a rule Whether it ia because the tourists have
found this out or not. the city isnow crowded with
strangers.
The social whrlicig is going faster than ever be-
cause when Lent is over this Congress Will be over
with It, and the most must be made OF these last
days. Perhaps the rate isn't any more rapid here
than II is III other cities, but the circle is so much
smaller and the same faces are met so often chat
il seems sometimes like spinning around on one
The wife of Sena or Perkins gives luncheon at
which various Browns, Joneses and Robinson', most
" in official life, are present. Anerwerd they all
meet at an afternoon tea given By the wife OF Cen
eral Dash and again at the house OF Commodore
Bowsprit OF course they all call upon the wife OF
Secretary Blank this being her receiving day, ana
they are quite likely TO meet there; and they may
meet at several more teas beforea number OF them
dine together at Senator Smiths. a few hours
later all the Pcrknses. Browns, Jonese- Robin'onN
Dashcs Bowsprits. Blanks and Smiths meet at the
ball given ty General Sabre OF the Army-there arc
somany Generals who not ofthe ATmj lana never
were. apparently. that some d ,tinction Ia neces-
sary-and later again at reception. winding MP
with german. By his time th'Perkins"s' Browns
Jopesc,. Eobinsons etc. are tolerably familiar with
the personal appearance Of each other. n young
lady whose father occupies official position
which compcls her 10 go into society with the same
system and energy that a general enters upon
caInnaign gave a her round Of wo Tho other day
a luncheon, twenty-one calls, three afternoon teas.
a dinner, three parties and german and tins
wasntmuch Of a day either. But Washington society
i, becoming more diversified every vear. an that,
too IA the best part Of it. Tia" number 81 people OF
culture and wealth who choose tins CITY as winter
home is growing st ably, and the evidences Of pro-
gross toward metropoltanism are increasing on
every hand.
The MARQUIS Of Lorne has come and gone. leaving
behind mm the Impression Of a good-naiured
and reasonably democratic ,onng man. who would
ON no account assume air, Of social geIouy over
Queen Victoria because his fathers wcre dukes III
scotland when the Queens were still! petty princes
in Germany As IL vivacious and i.rcvercnt young
person connected with the Diplomatic Corps put IT,
no was the guest Of his mothcr-in-law inscad Of
the President as one absurd rnmor had il he would
be and he was handsomely entertained by the
President General Sherman and others There was
come portentous sh kugo' head over the fact that
al the ball gwen at ,hs British lie sa'Ion in honor
If the Marouis supper was served to him a. a
separate table. in company with number of ladies'
connected with the highest officials the rest Of The
guest. were served standing. II remarked that
no one could remember that anybody out the En-
peror of Brazil had been treated with tIs Distinction
Bat 10 proof has yet been produced THAI hose who
were served standing failed to got enough to cat.
and tins awa,, seems 20 be the important question
at evening parties
II was an important event, socially and other
wise. when the sun began TO shine here las Tuesday
ihout the SLIGHTEST warning to the inhabitants
The weather here has brcn what the weather seems
to have been every whrr- Tor the last six month
bcyond the scope of the ordinary vocabulary The
.I.- of dull gray clouds tina has hung over the city
almost without a break since New Years day has
turned the usual winter brightness Of Washington
INTO dark days of dampue53 and chill,
wholly without any suggestion Of Southern
mi dness aud warmth Char 3 Wyndhan, ~ Eng
lish actor who has been playing here this week to
full houses, has even more OF a Tud &c against the
Weather Bureau than most of us. He Is an
tbusiagtic admire IF America and Americans aud
when he was bringing his company over he tried TO
conso them tor q brief exile from En- Gland by tell
ing them of the magnificent weather they would
have here. He talked about the splendid blue skies
and the eltt ring sunshine Of an American winter
os eloouently as Bob Saekch could have done. And
hi, fellow-actors have hardly seen the sky or the
SIM fhcs they came. Now, however, they arc hay-
ing some real Il publican weather, and as Mr..
W,udbam has been led by his