Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1886-06-26
WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON. June 81, 1886.

week, probably on Capitol Hill, was
the defeat of the Tariff debate In
the House of Representatives
Among social events, the two re-
ceptions given BY the President were
first ID Importance. A Brazilian
Prince visited the city to see the
sights, Leopold, grandson Of EN-
peror Dom Pedro, and two conven-
tions, one of physicians and the
other of Horticulturists, composed
Of delegates from every state in the
Union, convened i'll this rendezvous
for national assemblies.
Nothing could have testified more
strongly to the interest which the
public takes in the Presidents bride
than the enormous throng of citizens
which passed through the parlors OF
the White House at the peoples re-
ception. 1t is said by the oldest at
taches of the Mansion that the crowd
was the largest seen there since the
days of Abraham Lincoln.
To stranger in this country the
concourse was astonishing. The
people were wedged in solid ranks,
six deep, from the Riggs House to
the farthest entrance of the White
House, before the reception opened.
After it had been in progress two
hours, and all the parlors seemed
crowded to their utmost capacity,
the crowd outside was as dense and
eager as it had been two hours pre-
viously.
The main objection to so great
mass of sovereigns, was the Difficult
ty it presented in having a good
look at the bride and bridegroom.
When so many thousands of people
were pressing on ones heels it seem
ed beyond all reason to pause for
single second, even to shake hands.
But the President was in the best of
humor, his wife wonderfully grac-
ious, and the crowd was good ma
tured and patient despite the bur-
rying and pushing and knocking and
squeezing it had to endure on every
side.
When Mr.. Cleveland was asked,
prior to the reception, how the crowd
should be handled, he replied "Treat
everybody alike. This is a public
reception and no favoritism must be
shown" With these Instructions
the task was comparatively easy.
Those who came i'll carriages were
treated the same as those who came
afoot. The carriages were driven to
the end of the line, and there the &C.
cupants alighted and took their pc.
sitiOns. After a while carriages
were kept out of the grounds alto
gether. The handshaking ordeal
continued steadily for three hours,
and the people passed the receiving
party at the rate of 33 per minute.
The Senate is too industrious to
give the President much rest. 1t
sends for his examination and APP
prevail, bills by the basketful. When
he went to bed on Saturday night,
he had on his table fifty -four bills,
the constitutional time for his ex-
animation of which expires to day,
and he had not looked at one of
them. There is another lot embrace
ing as many more that will become
laws on Tuesday unless he vetoes
them, and still more on Wednesday,
and it is scarcely possible for him to
read their text. Thursday and Fri.
day the Senate passed PIP bills,
about half of which have gone
through the House, and they were
dumped on his table today. Some
of these bills are saved by their num-
bers. They would certainly be ve-
toed if the President hac time to ex-
anime them.
The officers of the Grand Army of
Republic feel indignant toward the
President because he has not paid
any attention to a communication
they sent him some time ago with
reference to the failure of the heads
OF departments to enforce section
1854 of the Revised Statutes in max
ing appointments to Office. They
have repeatedly addressed letters to
Secretary Lamar, Postmaster Gen.
eral Villas, Assistant Secretary Smith,
Commissioner Black, and others on
the same subject, and receiving no
attention from these gentlemen, they
made an appeal to the President
month or so ago, enclosing him a
list of the soldiers who had been
discharged from the Departments,
and the number that have been APP
pointed during the present admins
tration. The communication was
handed him in person, and he prom
ised to give it his attention, assur-
ing them at the same time that as
far as he was able he would see that
section 1854 was enforced. The
committee have addressed n sacond