New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-02-25
GOSSIP AT THE CAPITAL.
WHAT IS TALKED OF IN WASHINGTON.

IPpoy THY REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNE
WASHINGTON, Feb. 24.-Ihe tariff and the opera
have been the two topics of the week. ana the ' III
has not been the more popular Congress reselio'''
opera bouffe too closely to be able to compete SUI
cessfully with the MaplesOn company anu ',i"o
Patti The solos heard at the Capitol are Vi N''u
often TO drive the audience into the cioah-i'o'''
and out of the galleries. and the chorises are "'"
steal " speaking, very ragged lndeei' eSpo''" CO
this t,ne when every member is singing hlgn larIl
or low tariff IN anv time he pleases and some uoh'
know whether to "sing small" OF TAIL vi
not at ALL Grand opera Is ai"aNo
signal event in Washington and, coming III i1'n'
finds the mass of fashionable society Tree u noi ''
The highest official society IS usuahy '"'"N'
.,arrqIv represented in the theatre audiences here
except on some special occasion. During ,no
season. those who lead society are working TOO
hard every night I'D to the small hours in the morn
inc at that rather exhaustng occupation to De aoo
IN tnrp aside for the theatre which is, however,
fayorite resort for lonesome Congr sSmeu NOV VI
society type. who want to get away from the gloom
of their hctels The opera draws every
ono and when the audience gath r. HSeI'
together on the first night. it is there Iounu
that. az usual in Washington, evefyoouv
meets everybody. Everybody" is thero-'ho
President. number of the Cabinet mos. %
the Diplomatic Corps Senators aud hepieS,"''''
without number. and full showing Oh al u
of Washington society. Tins makes COSBY SUI. ~,
audience-bringIng together 50 many peoPio VIM
know one another
Poor Mr. Madison had another taste OF the tr'a,s
of an oper1 manager at the opening OF Ills
season. Patti was announced to sing Oh "''|"'
night and single tickets had been sou ioi ma
richt as well as for her other appearance, for %
each rs compared with S3 for the remaining i"i-
formances. Late on Tuesday afternooh-too la'o
TO announce it in the afternoon papers" was
fnrd that she was TOO much ndispOsed to sing that
night There was nothing for it but to put SEMI
ramide. in which she was to make her first appear
ance over until the next night and produce Will
lam Tell" which had been set for Wednesday 10
holders Of season tickets 1t made no difference but
others were told as they arrived of the change. AS
there was no time to inform those who had bought
tickets for William Tell" the audience consisted
that night of few besides the holders oil Seasoh
tickets. who about half filed the house Tue next
day the work of relundi,g money to the ulSap
pointed purchasers Of tickets for william zen
and exchanging seats Went on. Patu was not I'D
full strength when she appeared That night
but at tie matinee today she sang IN her best
voice On both occasions the National Theatre was
literally packed. As the case has been III o'heI
cities Scalchi by her sympaihetlc voice. Won per
! haps larger share of the houors than the great
prima donna herself. On fnaay hShI
"Riroletto.n with Gaassi. Ab1ni and Scalchi, was
gwen before densely crowded house, ana was lol-
! lowed by the ballot with Nine. Cayalazzi There
was rather a peculiar incid mt that evening Mr.
| Mapeson had gone to the White House aday or two
before. saving that Mime Patti who had sung before
all the crowned heads OF Europe, would like 10 sing
before the President. 1t was arranged that there
/ should be an informal concert, Friday evening.
after the performance in which Nine. Paiu
al / not take part. All the principal members OF
/ the company were invited. and about seYen'y-hVe
guests were bidden-and Nine. Pat did not come.
Albani was there and sang twice, although she had
already sung in the opera, and other Singers were
present. As whole, the season must have been
great financial success. The company goes from
here to Boston for a two weeks season. after when
the spring season begins in New-York.
In one wefk this Congress expires, and new one
with House OF 32j members comes into lega! ex-
istence. though ther, is 10 probability that 1t VIII
meet before the usual tIm' in December. IN IN
crease in the SIZE OF the House has revived the oid
talk about taking ont the members desks ana sub
sutnting benches or seas. on tho House OF
Commons plan. The matter came up III
debate TIE other day. and one member wanted
chair, put in with writing apparatus on the arm
but the subject went over to the new House to h'
settled. 1t seems almost safe TO pr dct that th'
desks will never be taken out, or that if they ar
they will be put back again promptly. The las
time the experiment was tried, Mr. Mcpherson
tbe Clerk of the House. says, was at the beginning
Of the session of 1859 on the motion of W. p. Miles
of South Carolina. Before Congress adjourned The
/ IIouse bv an almost unanimous vote, ordered tn
desks restored. The one objection to them IS ina
they make the hall large that only "A few men
wbo have been favored with big lungs can be hearC
in it, But this seems to be an unnecessary EVIL. p
long as the member of Congress must act
| priyate secretary errand boy, department agent
and general factotum for bis constituents. the dehI
system seems to be the best. When some member
wastpg an hour of the time of the House with pros
and useless speech the other members reed not 81
still and twirl their thumbs; they can make an at
te,nDt 10 catch up with some of their correspondence
or do other work, which would not be possible with
! out n desk The pressure upon Congressman q
latter writing aud errand-runnngiseem to be stead
iv increasing and seems certain 20 Increase VIII
the growth of population that some of them hay
Leen wondering whether the States could not he IN
duced TO establish agents here, whose duty II shou
be TO answer inquiries from citizens at nome, AM
do other proper business that now falls upon tn
. nest rcd Congressman. Meantime, some OF then
say that they cannot understand why 80 many pee
ple business men especially, who know the value
time and who also understand business method
sbopld constantly call upon their Congressman
do tbe most trivial things for them. Senator froi
one Of the larger States, who has to keep two secr
torics-pav,ng hem out of his own pocket-ln ordC
to hold his head above The water OF his correspond
once at all. was complaining to me the other dal
= "Therc" said he, is letter from business iirn
asking simple question abont de?arIneI
l. matter. which they want me to forwai'
. If takes day TO reach me- an
another dav before can Start it off to the depar
. | meut another day, perhaps two, before tne ~