Chariton courier. (Keytesville, Chariton County, Mo.) 1878-current, 1884-03-07
WASHINGTON LETTER.


MARCH ;, 1884.
There was notable assemblage at
the White House ShrCve Tuesday
evening. The President held his
last official reception for the season,
and Senators, Representatives, Cabi-
net officers, Supreme Court justices,
army and navy officers were invited
to meet the members of the diplo-
matte corps. Heretofore the foreign
legations, IN full court dress, have
been the cynosure of all eyes on
such occasions, but recently the
navy officers appeared in their stun
ming new uniform, and those gaily
caparisoned sojourners were effect
ually cclipsed, and, it is, supposed,
got some new ideas about clothes.
Notwithstanding the fact that the
American navy is without ships, as
has just been humiliatingly emphi-
sized by the purchase of one and gift
of another from England for the
Greely relief Arctic expedition, this
same navy on land is unrivalled out
side the circus ring as thing of
beauty, and realizing this to be so,
Secretary Chandler ordered the Off
GERS of the navy to present them
selves in special full dress at the Ex-
ecutive reception Tuesday evening.
Though Lent has begun, a list of
gay entertainments were arranged
for Ash Wednesday eve, the brilliant
social season intending to die royalty
crowned with flowers and full of
punch. No one who has not spent
season in Washington can have an
adequate conception of the garrish,
extravaganza that pervades official
and social life, and the season just
closing has never been surpassed in
brilliancy, Ievity and dissipation. 1t
is to be hoped that our too festive
statesmen and jurists will now devote
more time to their legitimate duties.
Social pleasures take up entirely too
much of the time of Congressman,
Cabinet officers, Judges of the Su-
preme Court and others in public and
official life, whom one would suppose
to be lifted by age and dignity above
such vanitles. When members of
the Cabinet are seen drinking punch
and campagne at O'Clock in the
morning, it is not surprising that the
work in the departments is so far in
arrears, and that those having busi-
ness with~the government 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 en-
tire clerical force of the government.
Such saturieal tog work because it
lis ruinous to health. Worn out
ibodies with pale faces are seen at
every turn IN this dissipated capital,
and it is high time 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 de-
voted more than a week to debate on
the MACPHERSON bill, involving the
relation of the funded debt to the
national banking system. The last
bill passed by the lower House of
Congress was the military academy
appropriation, after long and en-
tertaining but unimportant discus
sion on the good and evil features of
West Point as an educational insti-
tuition, in which quite number of
Representatives participated. Mr..
Ellis favored paying the professors
of West Point handsome salaries, be-
cause, he said, it was the great in
stftutlon of the American people
more important than others, and
mentioned list of men educated
there who, he claimed, had wreathed
our flag with victories, and far more
than repaid for the moneys expend-
/ ed on the institution. Mr.. Holman,
who is not addicted to unnecessary
speech making, was incited to make
some remarks ut this point. He
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