The Billings herald. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1882-1885, 1884-03-01
WASHINGTON LETTER.
(From Our Regular Correspondcnt.)

ton of the adjournment OF the
present session is the subject of
considerable talk among members
just now, though there are but few
who expect an early adjournment
Indeed, the general opinion is
that if the House makes no greater
progress than it has so far made,
the session will last until August.
1t is known that Mr. Randall favors
an adjournment at as early a day
as possible, and that he hopes to
bring about an adjournment be-
fore the national democratic con-
vention, to be held on the eighth
of July.
The political gossips around the
Capitol assert with great confidence
that a movement is on foot to fix
up a presidential slate for the DEM
ocratic party which shall be headed
by Senator Bayard, Of Delaware,
and ex-senator Mcdonald of Indi-
ana. Messers Bayard and Nc
Donald have been seen together
frequently within the past two or
three days, and it is understood
that they discussed the presidential
situation.
The House has passed very few
bills up to the present. Several
acts repeating land grants, the Fitz
John Porter bill, and a bill relating
to the number and pay of certain
officers and enlisted men of the
volunteer forces, make up the COM
pleted business. There are pend
ing on the calendar of the whole
House on the state of the union
about forty bills, among which are
the shipping bill, the naval appro-
priation bill the bill to pension
Mexican sol liers. and that to es-
tablish a department of agrlcult-
ure. On the House calendar there
are twenty eight bills and on the
private calendar 115.
There are 20 bills which have
passed the Senate awaiting action
and there are thousands, besides
all these that have been introduced
and no doubt very many more to
be il troduced.
From a report prepared for the
State Department it appears that
the total number of steamships of
the world on the first day of Sep
tember 1888 was 1874, of 9,232,O96
gross tonnage. OF this the the
British flag enters for 4,649 repre-
senting 5, 5,S19,819 tons, France holds
second position. among European
States, with 45S steamships, repre-
senting 667 ,474 gross tonnage.
The German merchant steam
fleet has a total tonnage OF 476, ,839'
After Germany, in the order of i'm
portance, come Italy, Spain, Hol-
land, Russia and Austria Hungary.
In the last five years the augmen-
tation in the number of the world s
ships has been 1879, having 8 3,O52,-
161 gross tonnage. The merchant
sail and steam marine of the world
numbers 43,S38 ships, with q
capacity of 22,879,973 tons.
The season has not been an
unusally gay one by any means:
On the contrary; the long continued
depression has had a most disas-
trous effect in reducing the amount
of social gapety. Still there are
always enough people who have
money to keep the ball rolling
and whose atmosphere is unaffect-
ed by local or temporary causes.
The "gay" people are largely the
rich from other cities, who live in
hotels and boarding houses, who
come for the winter months to have
a "good time" and to spend money
lavishlv in dress, balls, theatres,
suppers, and the like. 1t is those
who give most of the theatre par
ties in return for tho hospitality
in the shape of dinners and re-
ceptions which they receive; and
it is the floating population which
largely fills the theatres and opera
houses. Private balls have not
been numerous. The dancing at
private houses seems to. be gradu-
ally restricting itself to germans"
which employ a comparatively
small number of the guests, while
the rest are interested spectators