The Press., 1884-02-21
WASHINGTON LETTER.

ficers by the majority was attacked and defended, Senators Vest, Conger and Rid dleberger taking prominent parts. Then | there was sharp controversy in regard to the use of money for political and par tizan purposes, In which Senators Beck, Hawley, Vorhees, Dawes and Harrison fig- ured conspicuously. Senator Beck stated that men had been before congress seek ing confirmation who had retaine d fifteen or twenty per cent. of the salaries of gov ernment employees under them in order to send delegates to political conventions. Senator Hawley did not doubt the existence of infamous abuses in connection with po- litical assessments, but thought no citizen of free country should be prohibited from contributing voluntarily. The next attack was made upon the cabinet. Sen ators Ingalls and Butler criticised Attor- ney General Brewster and Postmaster Gen. eral Gresham for delay in the execution of business in the departments, ,and MT. Brew ster was directed to report in the matter. The house of representatives first listen- ed to telegraphic appeals for relief from the sufferers by the Ohio river floods, de- bated the question for day, and voted an appropriation of three hundred thou sand dollars for the purpose in which &C., tion the senate immediately eoncurred
 The naval appropriation bill then came up and MT. Calkins spoke lengthily on the subject, taking the ground that the allow ance was altogether insufficient
 | The proposition granting fifteen hun dred dollars for the expenses of a com mittee of five members to go to the Arkan- sas hot springs and investigate the work now being done on the government reser- vation there was reconsidered, and caused considerable debate. It has been alleged that the men who control the hotels have monopoly of the springs, and that the waters set apart for free baths for the in digent have been greatly mis-used. The bill was amended so that the committee will consist of three and the amount to be expended be one thousand dollars. The house also devoted day to the Chalmers Manning contested election case, without reaching decision, and the senate con- 1 sidered the bill regulating the circulation of national banks. Both the senate and house committees have reported many bills for action during the week and there has been no lack of new measures ill both houses. The senate committee charged with the investigation of the recent political mur- ders in Mississippi started south Tuesday morning. Doubtless the usual crowd of democratic witnesses will be presented who will be prepared to prove that good dem- ocrats labored under such fears of hor- rible negro instruction, that they were forced to call upon the governor of the state for arms with which to protect their homes ' -.--s''.'# .
 The democratic national committee will find some queer complications when they come to decide upon the place for holding the national convention. The struggle is between St. Louis, Chicago, Cincinnati The McDonald- Morrison-C Carlisle wing want the convention held in Chicago Morrison thinks that will insure him the second place on the ticket, and McDonald is willing he should have it. The 'spush- err of the house has discovered that the people of this country are not moaning to make him president, and he will be satis- fled with the second place and the chances that Mcdonald will die before his term is out. The Payne party desire that the convention should be held in Cincinnati so that the Standard Oil king should be upon his native health, as it were John R. Mclean, who is Payne's chief bugler, naturally thinks that the city where his paper is published would be the best in the world in which to hold great polit- ical convention. There are number of the members of the committee who are known to favor St. Louis, but they will meet with stormy, and decided opposition from all the candidates, and for peculiar reason. These candidates know there will be 8 hot fight, and they fear that if the convention is held in the great hall of the chamber of commerce in St. Louis, where Tilden and Hendricks were nominated in '76 the delegates finding that 1t is impos- sible to reconcile the claims of really iv- ing candidates will have rush of senti- ment to the head, and incontinently nom- mate the old ticket over again.
 President Arthur's first levee or public reception of the winter, held at the white house, drew three thousand people to that building between the hours of eight and ten Tuesday evening. The usual arrange ments had been made for the reception. The parlors were decorated with plants, the conservatory was lighted and open, a number of policemen were on duty, and the Marine Band dispensed music in the entrance hall that drowned the buzz of voices. One of the most interesting fea- lures of the evening was the presence of six Flathead Indians ill charge of Delegate Maginnis of Montana. They wore full native costume of gaudily striped blankets, bear claw and shell necklaces, moccasins and other headed accoutrements. They stood for some time ill line against the wall of the blue room. facing the president and the receiving party of richly dressed ladies, presenting the antithesis of bar barism and civilization quite dividing the attention of visitors. They were then con- ducted into the east room where they held an impromptu reception, many of the guests crowding around them and shaking their hands. The original lords of the forest looked good -natured but bored with these democratic attentions. complained that 1t was very hot, famed themselves with their feather trimmed hats, and wiped thelr brows with their hands. One of them, Charles, was the chieftan who faced Senator Vest ill controversy when he visit ed the reservation last summer. The crowd was thought to be the finest repre- sentative gathering of the people seen in the white house fer several years. Nearly all of the delegates to the Mississippi river convention were present, and many mem- bers of the Illinois Press Association. 
 The difference in cost between the abso- lutely safe PRATT's ASTRAL On and the cheap and dangerous burning oils is but about $1. 50 to $2.0O per annum for an ordinary family, and yet to save this small sum many families