, 1884-03-09
WASHINGTON T
from our Regular Correspondent.

Congress spent the major part Of the
week in debating two bills, both Of
much consequence. In the house the
discussion was upon the pleuro-pneu-
monia bill; it was diffuse and irreve-
liant at times, but any legislation that
affects In a comprehensive manner the
cattle interests Of the country is of vast
Importance, and it is a cause for con-
graduation that the bill was passed.
In the senate, the bill providing for the
construction of seven steel cruisers for
the navy, with the addition of a steel
ram, and three torpedo boats was pas
sed after prolonged debate. The other
congressional events were the funeral
Grafton over eastern democracy, when
the orator, Representative Hatch,
found a very lively corpse in Mr.. Eaton,
who supplemented his senatorial
amusement Of dumping onto Blaine''
by performing a war dance on the pros
trate form of the Missouri member;
the spicy testimony in the Keifer-Boyn-
ton investigation; the beginning of the
investigation by the ~tireless Mr.. SPRING
er. of the new chaptersin the star route
scandles; and the passage by the SEN
ate Of the house bill to repeal the test
oath. The Danville investigation has
run aground for lack of funds, and
will be suspended till Mr.. Randall is
good enough to report back a special
appropriation for it from his COM
mittee.
The vascillating society Of the capt.
tai observed Ash Wednesday by attend
ing divine service in the forenoon and
going to the Italian opera at night.
The President, who is about as glad as
anybody in town for the brief respite
afforded by the first day of lent, finds
time to attend to his religious duties
as well as political responsibilities, and
he did not neglect the presidential pew
at st. Johns. But at night he too was
at the opera. AS the figure head of
Washington society, he sat with Mrs.
McElroy in the orchestra. There we're
many more devotees at the opera than
at the church, but then there was lit
tie of the former and there will be forty
days Of church going, Garments of
sack cloth are not conspicuous, and no
great shade of somberness has passed
over the gay world at the capital.
There will be fewer very low dresses
worn during lent, which is something
to be thankful for, and consequently
there will be less blushing among mod
est women. This question Of very low
necks has much agita ed Washington
Of late, by reason of the alarming dis
play OF the fashion at the White House
receptions.
Payne Of Oklahoma, like all of the
great men Of the west, has come to
Washington. 1 ran across him the
other day, and was startled. He is
over six feet high and looks strong as
an OK. Decidedly the best specimen of
q cowboy we have had in Washington,
and Just such a specimen as Walt Whit
man would adore. He talks like the
leader OF a holy crusade, and says that
whenever he really gets a decision that
he is wrong from any competent tri-
bunal he will desist from his efforts to
establish himself and his followers in
the Indian Territory. Whether genu-
Inc or not. he is an original and inter-
esting character-more 80 than Bel
ford, or Finnerty, or the 'famouser"
Ochiltree.
Speaking of these great men reminds
me Of a difficult undertaking which
Mr.. Arthur has accomplished this week
he has had Belford, Of Colorado, at
dinner. Perhaps no president ever had
q more doubtful job, but upon the oc-
casion of this state dinner Bedford man
aged to achieve full evening dress.
This probably gave Mr.. Arthur much
relief, for he doubtless expected that he
would come in the same costume which
he wore at the Tabor wedding, namely:
swsllow-tail coat, white necktie, and q
loud" pair Of spotted trowsers, and
WV Sbab q NV bCOh biaShChCo "
a fortnight. Bedford kept wide awake
during the repast, and subsequently,
when Madame Nilsson sang in the
presence of .he large company present
In the drawing-room, Mr.. Belford was
quite overcome with his emotion. There
wal another event at the White House
last week not down on the regular pro-
gramme. barney Biglin and the other
New York boys came over, and they
were entertained sub rosa of course,
with an old time dinner at which the
President presided.
The Woman Suffrage Association
will be in possession Of the Nations
Capital and Capitol this week. They
hold their annual convention at Lin
coin Hall, beginning tomorrow. The
advance guard has already arrived, in
GLIDING the war mare of the suffrage
movement-Miss Susan B. Anthony,
and with her are Phoebe W. Cousins,
May Wright Sewall, Abigail Scott
Duniway, Lille Devereux Blake and
other prominent ~suffragists. Eyes
we're going to have a very enthusiastic
convention" said Miss Anthony, ''ant
we expect to accomplish by 1t agitation
agitation! educationl educationl'
LENox.
Chicago Stock Market.
Ght.-- -- DA ----t-Na