Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-02-10
LETTER FROM NEW YORK.

A Top Coat-The Average New
York Clerk-Political CAPITALIZATION
| League BOrcs-NO Head MOney-The
De BelleviIle Divorce Suit-Margnret
Mather-A New Trick, Etc.
| special Correspondents OF The EVENING STAR.
NEW YORK, February g.
| The long Newmarket top coats are now the very
| popular thing among fashionable men, 1t was
only recently discovered that they resembled the
coats worn by the Russians They are usually
made OF livery cloth, dark greens and browns pre-
dominating They are double breasted, with ten
big buttons down the front,and yoluminous skirt
| that falls within four inches of the ground OF
course the fashion is English. After the .theater
at night 1t Is impossible to distinguish the fashion
able young man from his footman. Both wear
light trousers, white cloth overgaiters ana brown
| gloves The gentleman also wears side whiskers
| exactly like his grOoms. He sometimes saves HIM
self from being called ''cabby" BY wearing single
glass and cane. Footmen do not commit these
| 1oileS
| THE AVERAGE NEW YORK CLERK.
| The average New York clerk, born here bred
here, and whose ancestors have worked here as
clerks for generations past, Is curious creature
He is about five feet high, OF slim nervous build,
and light, delicate features. He weighs something
over one hundred pounds and most of that is cheek
not always insolent cheek-but cool assurance
| That tides him over Troublesome situations, and
oyerthrows bigger men. He Is plucky little
fellow, and tries to make up In fury what he lacks
to the gilded gambling palace, and he is always
ready to parade the elephant for the bene-
tit OF the horny handed countryman who
creature 81 ali characters He is good bad, in
dinerent, an infidel or Christian, Hebrew or a
have described. He is small because his races has
been stunted by confinement at sedentary work,
and by lack Of exercise His brain is not large but
very active, and he often makes successful bust
| ness man. He rarely makes his mark in literature
or In the arts that would be entirely out Of his
line OF training. He runs in groove, and II
| he has no bad habits he dies in the end q re-
| spected citizen.
POLITICAL capital"
During an exciting political contest in this city
money seems to grow on every bush, and both Of
the contesting parties have bank account that
apparently knows no limit The honest citizen in
| the simplicity of his heart asks where all this
| money comes from. 1t comes from his own pocket
If the truth were told. 1t comes from assessments
on the salaries OF Office holders who paid from
the city treasury, filled by onerous taxation. 1t
| comes from outrageous campaign expenses which
make the honest candidate groan with horror. 1t
comes from the wealth Of dishonest men who seek
| impunity. 1t comes from brides paid to police
officials and other city officials to secure immu-
nity to criminals or permission to carry on illegal
nual blackmail of over $40, O60 year from gamb-
ling. houses, disorderly houses, prize-hghting
| TO keep all the money. That would not be what
he is put in that precinct for Part OF the money
into ts esrt9 anS It
fitting that this money, gathered in
corruption, should be spent in corruption. 1t goes
| men. 1t goes to support host OF mean, crawling
creatures, who seek to live on the party, and who
Ing Honest poltciaps nav 70 dIsdaln To engage IN
this vile traffic, but they willingly hand over their
money 10 be put where it will do the most good.
The evil is one OF the greatest curses OF our sys
tenn Of government, and the only hope Of relief is
| that education may in time teach the lower
classes to throw on the yoke Of these vulgar
| hOrdes
UNION LEAGUE SPEAKERS
| There was a bored audience on the anniversary
OF the Union League club, because WilliamxM
Evarts talked nearly two hours, Mr.. Luther r.
Marsh talked another hour, and at II p m. Mr.
William E. Dodge, Jr., began another long speech.
All this occurred while about a thousand men
were waiting for the collation.. This was most
portentious affair On the bills OF fare were two
pages covered with the names OF fancy dishes.
| But when the collation. was served which was
happily begun before the speeches ended, there was
long line OF anxious and hungry men, strug-
gled hard for some very ordinary food. But. when
1t came to cigars, the members and their friends
were sent to the cigar counter to purchase. This
reveals a sad state OF morality among the club
garss For the simple reason that not even the
members OF the Union League club can be trusted
to put their hands into free box OF cigars While
| the speeches were going on could not help but
think that while the members OF the Union League
club gave great deal of money to carry on the
| war, 1t is also true that many members OF the
| Union League club made good deal Of money out
| OF the war. What fat contracts In clothing, In
arms. in munitions OF war, In saddles, in horses,
in transportation were there not scooped by the
members OF this club? What shOddy made them
rich? What poor relations were placed in fat po-
upon contracts did they not gobble? venture to
say that for some OF them every dollar they gave
to patriotism they took ten dollars out OF the
| Treasury OF the United States.
NO HEAD MONEY
There is a terrible middle in the affairs OF the
| commissioners OF emigration now that the supreme
court has decided that head money is unconstitu-
| tionaL The commission is deeply In debt; it has
| 900 paupers to take care Of: it has no adequate
source OF revenue; there bills to abolish it in
Albany. and to replace it at Washington. Mean
While. the steamship companies, who have de-
feated the head money bin, are bothered lest
| arrived emigrant left again to the mercy OF the
emigrant runners as in days OF old
THE DE BKLLEvILLE DIVORCE SUIT.
1t looks as though MIR. Fred De Bellev.lle, OF the
| Union Square Theater, would have some trouble
| In proving his entire innocence Of the charge pre-
ferred against him by his wife. Nothing could
offer greater contrast than the character Belle.
vile plays in "a Partisan Romance" and the
character given by his Wife, and supported by the
afdavits of ten or twelve highly reputable people
In the play De BeeviIle Is man of the most Scrup-
ulous and high-souled honor. who willingly gives
up fortune OF three and one-half millions to a
| y,
can scarcely be considered as belonging. simply to
| satisfy his idea OF justice and honor. He plays
large-hearted and noble gentleman whose impulses
and actions are not only always beyond reproach,
but positively 1dyllic. 1t rather shocking to q
man OF sensitive temperament to see him accused,
and apparently with justice, OF being scoundreL
| The charge OF his having three wives indicates
| certain lack OF moral sense which Is somewhat
intensified by the story that after sQusndering the
| fortune OF one OF his wives he attempted to muir
| der her on an overland train from San Francisco
Mr. De Belleville has not turned in his answer yet
1t Is just possible he Will be able to explain away
the alleged three wives and the alleged attempt at
murder, but should not care to take his chances
myself. He is fine looking fellow, about six feet
hgh,with broad shoulders and deep chest Straight
limbs, small hands and and clean cut. though
somewhat 1eshy, face. He dresses we'll, and con-
siders himself standing terror to the affections
| OF WomanhOod.
MARGARET MATHER.
1t is time to enter protest against Manager j
M. HIPS way OF doing business. He is the enter
prising Chicago dry goods merchant who Started
GU: some years ago with Denman Thompson and
made his Joshua Whitcomb pronounced fnan-
! ctal success. Before that Thompson had been
grubbing along on small pay and engagements
that were anything but permanent Hill saw him.
believed that he was good actor started out and