Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1883-02-03
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent. ),


thrown in by way of episode and
recreation. When Senators, Men,
bers, Cabinet Ministers, and JUS
tices OF the Supreme Court are seen
in swallow-tail coats, with the gOr-
geously arrayed wives and daugh-
tiers of some other men, at two
o'clock in the morning eating
chicken salad, scollOped oysters,
drinking champagne and inhaling
carbonic acid gas, one begins to get
an insight of the real sources of bill
ious legislation an lax administra-
ton. No wonder that it is difficult
for Congress to assemble at the ear
W hour of III a. m, or that on the
calling of the senate roll one day
last week Senator Butler, of South
Carolina, was the only Senator who
answered to his name.
The social entertainments began
on Monday evening, or rather on
Sunday, for il is on this day that
Royal Bob," as the late President
called Mr.. Ingersoll. holds his re-
ceptions, and they were continued
with undated fury throughout the
week, ending with grand ball
given at the British Ministers in
honor of the husband of her royal
highness the Pricess Louise. But
Tuesday evening eclipsed all others
in the number and brilliancy of the
social entertainments when society
divided the hours between the resi-
licences of ustice Wood, the Span
ish Ministers and General Beale.
When / tell you that many men of
prominent official position were at
all three of these entertainments,
and that they were expected next
day to be in their offices or in the
halls of Congress transacting intri-
cate delicate business or discussing
questions vital to nation, ques-
tons that tax the best thought and
best energies of men, you will allow
there is cause for denOuncing this
social folly run mad.
The curious thing about these en-
tertainments i'm Washington is they
are but little freauented by gay
youth. The devotees are mostly
old married and middle aged peo-
pie from whom brightness of eye,
smOOthness of skin, and grace and
litheness of limb has departed.
According to the present inten-
ton of the dominant party in Con-
gress, the sessions of both houses
during the coming week will be de-
voted almost exclusively TO the tar
iff question.
The tariff bill framed by the ways
and means committee was taken up |
for detailed consideration by the
House of Representatives under the
five minute rule to-day, and its con-
sideratiOn is to proceed throughout
tine week, Interrupted only by the
delivery of eulogies on the late
Orth, some time
Wednesday afternoon, and on the
deceased Representative Lowe, of
Alabama, at 3 O'Clock Saturday.
The Senate this morning resum-
ed its sessions, in committee of the
whole, on the finance committees
tariff measure, now pending as a
amendment to the
House bill for the reduction of in
ternal revenue taxation. The I'M
1erstanding is that the majority
will prolong each days session of
he Senate until as late an hour as
nay be necessary to accomplish
substantial progress upon the bill
before adjournment. By this
means it is hoped to- advance the
bill nearly or quite to the point of
inal action by the close of the week,
)ut the realization of this hope is
lot generally expected with much
When the Forty-seventh Con-
yress expires it will have been in
ession eleven months-eight in the
Ong and three in the short session. {
Ten of these months are gone, but I
hirty working days remain, and {
most of this brief residue must be {
on the appropriation bills. {
Under these circumstances the ma .
GRITTY, whose members cannot agree
.mOng themselves on any bill, pro-
roses to hold the minority respon-
ible for an extra session, should the
President dacide to call one. There s
las been scarcely a day of either 1
essiOn, since the first one began in
December, 1881, in which the duty {
# framing and passing revenue
ills has not been urged on the ma
Drity by the minority. That duty G
las been Systematically shirked. {
he FOrty-seventE Congress cannot
scape this condemnation due to
hose who trifie with great public {
bligations.
The army appropriation bill will t
be reported to the Senate
uring the next few days, but none L
the appropriation bills will be L
allied up for action in either
louise of Congress until the week
blowing.
Washington, Jan. %, 1883. !.