The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1885-10-03
FROM WASHINGTON
From our Regular Correspondent.


WASHINGTON, D. c., Sept. 20, 'S5.
The Washington people look forward
TO gay society season this winter. As
that is the general consequence the first
gear of new administration, but they
are not quite sure that President Cleve-
land will contribute very much to the
social brilliancy. He has given such
unmistahable evidence of quiet tastes
that the people who expect the White
House to be the centre of society very
much fear that the impetus for social
splendor will have to be sought else
where. Some people insist that the
President must do great deal of enter
tanning in order to get acquainted with
people aud to learn something about
society. But the President has left his
purpose to the conjecture of those in
terested, and has yet given 70 intima-
tion OF what he will do. Since he has
occupied the White House he has per-
sistently refrained from accepting invi-
tations to receptions and other social af-
fairs, having gone out but twice. Miss
Cleveland has shown the same disposi-
ton, preferring to live quietly and with
out the excitement attendant upon
society indulgence. She went out but
little in the Spring, having with her as
guests some friends from New York.
When she returns about October 10, she
will be accompanied by some ladies. who
will remain with her the greater part of
the season. As far as known, there
will be no social occurrences of note at
the White House, aside from the recep-
ton. The President does not, it Is as
serted, care for banquets or dinner par
ties, and the usual State dinner will be
the extent of the entertainment in that
direction. He likes, however, to have
friends to dine with him, and will pro-
badly follow the custom.
The crowd of visitors is unusually
large for this time of year, and is getting
larger every day. Let's of them are
sightseers, brides and grooms, &c, but
a large proportion of them are not
strangers. You can tell the strangers,
you know. And you can tell the Office
seekers. Well, they outnumber the
others just now. Strangers and sight
seers generally get Il guide TO show
them about. They always want to
know how hight is to the canopy in the
dome, when she Capitol was built and
who owns the pictures around the walls.
Then they want to so TO the whispering
gallery and see the echo stones, and
some of them want TO know if il really
whispers, and what it says; and then
say, "Ain't it funnyP' Then they want
to sit in the Speakers chair, put their
foot on the centre stone under the dome,
and to see the lobby, where all the big
railroads are built. The larger part OF
the visitors here now are after places
under the new administration. They
are after the members laying their wires.
They are swarming in every dav. Some
of them wear beavers, and button-hole
the members on every occasion. Some
are seedy and don't know anybody, but
just sit here and wait. When one of
them settles upon what he wants, he's
the appointment. He runs up and tells
the watchman and then his neighbors
what he's going to be, and after that
AhN1 EiNN MN lllo Alllts L uty are tQGus
"Mr. Inspector" "Mr. Marshal, " "Mr.
Collector" "Mr. Auditor" &c. If
two settle upon the same place, there's
trouble. and they have to compromise
the matter and think over again.
The great passion in Washington Just
now is gaming on the races. There are
in active operation at the present writ
ing, five pool-rooms where betting on
horse races all over the country is carried
on openly. a test case was made last
spring, but the courts held that Con-
gress had failed to pass any legislation
which would cover the subject. Then
influential New York parties came here
and. opened pool-rooms, aided by local
talent. Betting on horse racing has
reached the size of a mania and the evil
is constantly spreading. Thousands are
lost where hundreds are won. 1t is only
a matter of short time when the in
eyitabie smash will take place in Wash
ington, and it is certainly only uttering
a kindly worHof caution to employees,
whether under the government service
or not, to see that men who are hand |
ling funds do not, as the phrase goes,
play the races"