San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1885-03-19
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From Our Regular cOrrespondsn,
WASHINGTON, Mar, 7th, 1885.


WASHINGTON, Mar, 7th, 1885.
The unanimous verdict on the in
auguration is that it was the most
brilliant, enjoyable, and generally
successful occasion of the kind in the
history of tho government. More
people were here, and they enjoyed
themselves better than ever before.
The festivities proceeded without q
hitch or disappointment from begin
ming to end. But the chief sight was
not what tho people saw, but the peo-
pie themselves. Never was there
such notable gathering on this
continent. And in mere numbers.
the crowds excelled anything known
outside of a few exceptional gather
ings, such as the Philadelphia cen
tennial. The multitude which faced
President Cleveland to hear his views,
and be witnesses to his covenant with
the nation, was perhaps the largest
body of citizens ever collected in one
spot. Experts differed widely as to
the number, but many judges OF
crowds estimated it as high as one
hundred thousand, OF even higher.
Fully quarter of u million people
fanked the procession, and at night
the same vast crowd choked the broad
acres of the White Lot to see the
fireworks. The ball was a popular,
as well as artistic triumph. Here
again the people crowded by thou
sands in an unprecedent jam.
"Cleveland's luck" stood him in
good stead at his Inauguration. The
day was all that could be desired,
the streets were in perfect condition,
and nothing was wanting to complete
the comfort OF those who marched
and those who looked on.
One novel feature in the cere-
monies of Inauguration day was let
ting the public get peep for the first
time at an executive session of the
Senate. The House did not pass the
Grant bill till after IL o'clock. Tho
President was at the Capitol, and
promptly sent an executive COM
munieation to the Senate naming
Grant as the zone person" whom he
wished on the retired list as general.
But it was now half-past eleven, and
it was manifestly impracticable to
clear the galleries and turn out the
distinguished guests who crowded
the floor. Hence the Senate, by un-
animous consent, proceeded to execu-
tive business with open doors. But
for some reason those free and easy
scenes which gossip pictures in exc
cutive sessions did not take place.
Nobody smoked, no Senators put
their feet on the desks, no one told
creamy stories. The public is now in
doubt as to whether the hilarities OF
executive sessions are o myth, OF
whether they were only partially in
itiated into their mysteries after all
The Forty eighth Congress has at
last expired. Nominally it was two
years old, but it's conscious and wake
full days amounted In all to only 234
An unprecedented volume Of business
was presented to it for attention, but
only a small proportion was acted up
on. Among the few Important bills
that escaped the common fate were
those establishing bureaus of labor
navigation and animal industry; tc
repeal the test oath of 1862; to reduce
the rate of postage; to remove certain
burdens on navigationi to provide q
civil government for Alaska; to de.
clare forfeited the Texas Pacific land
grant, and to provide for the ascer-
certainment of the French spoliation
claims. Among the failures of note
were the Morrison horizontal tariff
the various banking bills, the Blair
educational bill, the electoral count,
the bankruptcy bill, and the silver
| s1lsnnnsinn bill u.