San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1884-03-06
WASHINGTON LETTER.
wAsHIsaros Feb. 10th, 1884.

the last OF his receptions for the sea
son. and Senator'S, Representatives,
Cabinet officers, Supreme Court jus
tees, Army and Navy officers have
been invited TO meet the members OF
the Diplomatic corps. Heretofore
tho foreign legations in full court
dress; have been the cynosure OF oil
eyes on such occasions, but recently
the Navy officers appeared in their
stunning new uniform, and those
gaily oomparisoned sojourners were
eifectually eclipsed, and, it is sup
posed got some new ideas about
clothes, Notwithstanding the fact
that the American Navy is without
ships, Ms has just been humiliatingly
emphasized by tho purchase OF one
and the gift ofanother from England,
for the Greeley relief Arctic exedition,
this same Navy on land is unrivalled
ontside the circus ring as a thing of
beauty, and realizing this to be so,
Secretary Chandler has ordered the
officers Of the Nauy to present them
selves in special full dress" at the
Executive reception Tuesday evening.
Though Lent has begun, list of gay
entertainments have been arranged
up to Ash Wednesday eve, the brill
liant social season intending to die
royalty, crowned with flowers and
full of punch. No one who has not
spent a season in Washington can
have an adequate conception of the
garish, excessive extravaganza that
pervades social and official life, and
the season just closing has never
been surpassed in brilliancy, levity
and dissipation. 1t is to be hoped
that our too festive statesmen and
jurists will now devote more time to
their legitimate duties. Social pleas
ures take up entirely too much of the
time of Congressman, Cabinet officers,
Judges of the Supreme court, and
others in public and official life, whom
one would suppose to be lifted by age
and dignity, above such vanities.
When members OF the cabinet are
seen drinking punch and champagne
at two o'clock in the morning, it is not
surprising that the work in the de-
partments is so far in arrears, and
those having business with the govern
ment offices have to wait until they
grow old before they can have their
cases attended to- The example set
by those high in authority is followed
by the entire clerical force of the
Such q saturnalia OF
dancing and feasting is, to say the
least, inimical to work because it is
ruinous to health. Worn out bodies
with pale faces are seen at every
turn in this dissipated Capital, and
it is high time that public opinion
should do something to stop the rout
that so seriously interferes with pub
lie business.
The Senate continues to discuss
the financial problem, having devot-
ed more than weak to debate on
the Mcpherson bill, involving the
relation of the fun led debt to the
National banking system. 1t is
favorable vote will be
reached on Tuesday, and being
Democratic measure that it will also
pass the House. The last bill pass
ed by the lower House of Congress
was the Military Academy appropri
alton, after a long and entertaining
but unimportant discussion on the
good and evil features of West Point
rs an educational institution, in
which quite a number of representa-
ives participated. Mr. ELLIS favored
paying the professors of West Point
handsome salaries because, he said,
t was the grrat institution of the
American people, more important
han others, and mentioned list of
men educated there, who, he claimed
lad wreathed our flag with victories,
md more than repaid for the moneys
expended on the institution. Mr.
who is not addicted to I'M
speech making, was melted
o make some remarks at this point
He asked if Mr.. Ellis could not men
ion multitude of names equally il
ustrious in the employments of peace
thought the grand purpose of this
Republic was to secure the blessings
If peace and that the judgment of
he people will be that Harvard,
Brown and Princeton were no less
than West Point. He
hought the Military Academy was
It best but a precautionary measure
"A point around which the Nation
night rally in its hours of adversely,