The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-02-24
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular correspor dent.l


The President received Congress
the other night, when all the repre-
sentatiyes with their wives and
daughters went up to the white
house. 1t must have seemed odd to
them TO go there once on some other
errand than to beg for office. This
was understood to be the Presidents
last entertainment for the season.
The worst of Presidents entertain
ing is that to entertain at all he must
do it in very grand style. Anything
short of an elegant and expensive
menu would be unsuited to the white
house, and it would get away with a
large part of the Presidents wages to
give four crush suppers during the
winter in addition to the state din
ners. 1t is said that supper could not
be provided for one of the card recep-
tions at the white house for less than
$4,000, which is good deal for WASH
ington, although calculated to make
New York merchant prince smile
and to convulse with merriment the
dec. ndents of junk dealers, soap boil
ers and shop. keepers who now lay
rtsown the social law in New York
clubs and similar aristocratic organi-
cations. However it is, everybody
gets dinner before going to the white
house levee. Congress is getting fear
fully stupid even to itself, and, be.
yond an occasional tiff between men,
bers, puts the galleries to sleep Sena-
tor Morrill, says the tariff question is
plain as pike-staff. Mr.. Morrill,
looks like Charles Sumner, and some
people say this has been a drawback
to him. Senator Lamar's recent anti
tariff speech was the best hat has
been made during the session. Mr..
Lamar is much liked, but a very Pc
culiar man. He never takes part in
a discussion unless he is thoroughly
equipped, and refers constantly to his
manuscript. His utterances always
command respect, as he is exceeding
ly accurate in all particulars, but af-
ter making even his most successful
speech he is always respondent and
thinks it a failure. After making
very fine speech on one occasion he
was observed in the evening stand
ing disconsolate and alone and look
ing thoroughly detected. A brother
senator went up to him and congrat-
ulated him warmly. His melancholy
face Frightened up. clay it on
Thick" said he, 81 need it all-don't
be afraid of OVERRIDING It'll was just
thinking what a failure it had been.n
Most of the impromptu speeches in
the Senate and House are like the
imprCmptu recorded in Dickens
which kept the speaker awake every
night for week preparing it. A
good many impromptus are known
by heart by a dozen or so persons
before they are delivered in Con-
gress.
1t seems pretty certain that the tax
on whisky will not be changed this
year. Commenting on the ignomin-
ious failure of the whisky interest to
pass their bill through the House
which they attempted to do on the
sly Wednesday night-an observant
member said last evening: 1.-The
fact is this business has been misman-
aged by the whisky fellows. Those
who are ION the make could not get
it out OF their heads that this was a
bill with money in it, and they
would not have it any other way. A
good many of these statesmen are
going out of Office in a few weeks
and they do not propose to give away
good merchantabIe votes for nothing.
The distillers agents who have been
engineering the job have been MAX
ing poor mouth all winter, and
trying to play in sympathy. They
find it won't work, and now they are
brought face to face with the unpleas-
ant truth that they have been vast
ing time. The presence in the city
of small army of paid lobbists, some
for cash and others for con-
tingent fees, has produced as bad an
impression as though the whisky
men had really raised a big corrup-
ton fund. Next time they will eth
or keep their lobbiests at home or
send them to Washington loaded. If
their cause has merit in it their best
policy will be to leave Congress to
its own business"
The Secretary of War now occupies
his new quarters in the magnificent
state, war and navy building, the
finest of all our public buildings. The
Offices occupied by the Secretary and
by the General of the army on the
second floor are models of comfort
and elegance. In the recent removal
Of portion of the War department
offices many historical objects were
to light which had been hid