National Republican., 1883-08-14
The SUMMER CITY.
Some Reasons Why Saratoga is Not a Desira-
bic Place in Vacation Time.
The Outrageous Demands Of Landlords
and Waters.
No Chance 10 Commune With Nature"-Go Bath
'ug or Get Sun Burned.
Gossip About Washington and Other Pco-
pie stopping There.
Nnecfnl Lsiinr.


SARATOGA, N. Y, Aug. 12.-In tho choice
language of the poet, Here we are again !"
which the same would imply that we have
boen here before. Yes, for several successive
seasons. 1t is place Of which the average
mortal tires after three consecutive summers
of six or eight weeks each. This say from
an unpreiudiced and unbiased standpoint
not that have Jared badly at the hands of
any unscrupulous bonifaces; on the contrary,
mine hosts, Ed. Harris and Charlie Losekam,
of the Clarendon hotel, formerly of Willards
and the Maison Dore, in the federal capital,
have cared for me with the faithfulness and
solicitude of mother toward her infant Off
spring. Nor can 1 complain from a matrimo-
NAL point OF viow for in July of last season,
and at this very hotel, met for the first time
the young lady who now returns hither with
me as my better half. You will pardon me
and care not whether or no obtain pardon,
from prejudiced habituos of this place, if
briefly state few of the reasons why Sara
toga becomes unpleasant and tiresome. Much
Is written daily about its many attractions
which do not for moment deny that it
possesses, while we hear but little of its
faults and imperfect ons. In the first place,
this is city-not country. If people want
to follow up city pleasures $50 called) in sum-
mer as we'll as winter, If it is their delight to
be clothed in bandbox attire all the year
round, and keep late hours and dance them
selves down to skeletons, and eat indigestible
food let them do it; but 1, for one, will not
be counted in that class. A true summer
vacation is the season Of rowing, fishing,
swimming, hunting, climbing, and running;
of old clothes, sunburnt compilations, plain
food and ravenous appetites; of outdoor
life and early hours-the season for trough
ing it."
Again, one cannot live here in first class
fashion for less than SEQ week, while most
of the high livers pay $35. City life is ac-
companied by city prices. Nor is this by
any means all that must be expended. The
fee system, which ought not to be counte-
nanced in any country and, least of all in free
America, has grown to tremendous proper
tions at this place. One can get little If any
attention or comfort at the large hotels with
out buying up the head waiter, table waiter,
housekeeper, chambermaid. hall boy, elevator
boy, bootblack, porter, and even the cook;
and tho fees they expect-I might almost
say demdnd-are by no means of the
widows mite order. | know Of q gen.
tleman, guest with mis- family at
the Grand Union, who gave the head waiter
$40 as STARTER" in order to secure a prom.
inent table, and who fees his waiter dollar
day. ] am told that this is about the usual
mode of procedure at that hotel. Accord
ingly, at the same rate, 1t is easy to estimate
that the chambermaid would receive So o
week, the bootblack 81, the housekeeper So
for the season, the elevator boy fifty cents o
vvaa L, rixraJ
on departure, the hall boy 81 week, and the
cook about ~ q week, or more if extra dishes
are desired. All this Is disgusting and sad,
but true and undenable
This is not good season here. and for sew
eral reasons. The weather has been compar-
atively cool and comparable in the large
cities, and many people have remained at
homo and saved money. Tho exodus to Eu-
rope has been large, and Richfield Springs
and other watering places growing in
popularity have without doubt robbed Sara
toga this summer. But the chief cause lies in
the fact that the men who sedulously watch
the ticking machines throughout the country
for living have not been making much
money of late, and for obvious reasons have
not ventured far from home.
r In spite of these facts the hotels and board
ing houses, while not we'll filled last month,
are now doing q fair business, and will doubt
less cover expenses and clear something be
better than the other large houses, and has
been turning away people for the last fort
night Its guests, some of whom have re-
Gently put up at the Genesee house, in Buf.
falo, say emphatically that Harris and Lose.
kan know how to keep first class hotels. /
write thus not at all as an advertisement for
these gentlemen-they need none-but be-
cause they are we'll known and liked in
Washington, and are two of the growing
hotel men of the land
If were asked to tell who are here, should
have to reply, Everybody, as usual" Too
many names of people and descriptions of
what they wear appear in the newspapers of
to-day, and shall mention but very few of
the everybody that might be recorded
Stilson Hutchins, Hallett Kilbourn, and
JEFF Chandler have been having good time
at the Clarendon for week past. Mr. Hutch
ins tells me that he intends to leave In few
days for Manchester, n. H., and Mr. Kilbourn
will accompany him as his guest The three
have had considerable sport while here, Mr..
Chandler being the most reserved of the
party.
Mr. t. @. Crawford the we'll known Wash
ington correspondent for the Chicago NeiGs, is
sojourning at the Clarendon, with his wife
and bright four-year-old boy, Jack. Mrs.
Crawford, daughter OF Congressman Joyce, of
Vermont, is q fine musician and remarkably
accomplished lady.
Mrs. and Miss Snead-the Grundys--are
as usual on the ground writing pleasant,
social letters to Washington and other cities
Ex-Gov. Curtin, of Pennsylvania, imbibes
at the Hathorn spring every morning at 0
o'clock. Ho looks stronger and younger than
he did last winter while performing the
arduous duties of a representative: and If he
Is heartily sorry that he ever changed his
seat from one side of the house to the other,
he has not been heard to say SO during his
stay here. If the democrats have sense
enoSHph to name such man as presidential
candidate at Gne next crisis, they will not be
ridmIculed, eveDif they are defeated.
a, Inc loviaf and ever popular Leopold
morse, tr.eh the Hub" is here again with
ms iaHily, and l have had several pleasant
cRstS with him. He seems to think
that he made more money un-
der contract in selling clothes during
"the late unpleasantness" than he has made
while in congress; and this is certainly in his
favor am inclined to believe that Morsei is
as good republican as l am, way down in
the depths Of his big heart and think he
was often ashamed of being the only demo-
cratic member from the eleven districts of
the Bay state in the last house.
The Albany boss" John +. Smyth, is wad-
iling about cannot call it walking-with
word to this friend and a hearty shake of the
hand with that friend, but he has not venti-
lated his upper story much on the political
prospects, except to say that judging from the
tone of the letters he constantly receives from
all parts of the Empire state, the republican