The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1886-01-09
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent.

WASHINGTON, Dec. %, 1885.
As usual here, Christmas day was
one of quiet home entertainments, and
family gatherings. The Departments
we're closed, and so was the White
House. No one crossed its threshold
on that day. 1t was private resi-
dence, and the President enjoyed the
rights of a private citizen. On next
Friday it will be opened wide to the
whole world, er as much of it as can
crowd in during the hour from one to
two p. m. The New Years day re-
ception lasts from ten o'clock until
two, but it is the day on which the
official world of Washington pays its
respects to the President, and the Off
cial programme will consume the time
until one o'clock, when the reception
of citizens begins. The President will
first receive his Cabinet and the Di-
plomatic Corps. The latter will wear
the attire of their respective foreign
Courts. Then the Justices of the Su-
preme Court of the U. s. will come,
and the Judges of the U. S. Court of
Claims. Senators and Representatives
in Congress are next in order, fol-
lowed by the judicial officers of the
various District Courts, ex-members of
the Cabinet, and ex-Ministers of the
United States. Officers of the Army
and Navy will greet the President next
in the full uniform of their rank.
Then Secretaries and assistant Secre
taries of various institutions, assistant
postmasters-genera and assistant at
torneys-generaI, heads Of Bureaus,
Associations of soldiers, veterans, and
the Oldest Inhabitants Association.
With them the official reception
closes, and the peoples reception be-
gins.
Washington has never known
more prosperous Christmas tide than
the present one. Express companies
report that in number 0nd value the
packages sent from the city this year
are in excess of those sent last year by
at least thirty-fye per cent The clerks
in the Postofiice say that the number
of Christmas packages sent from here
this year exceed those of last year by
nearly one-tbird. And the merchants
report very great increased sales of
fancy goods for Christmas presents
over last year The cause of this diff
ference is in the policy of President
Cleveland At this time last year
thousands of people here felt that the
source of their incomes was menaced,
and looked to the tides of March with |
dread. They were too much perturbed
to permit themselves any expense
that was not absolutely necessary. A
large majority of the citizens here
whether they express it or not-feel
in their hearts that the President is to |
thank for their happy Christmas.
The President is credited with hay
ing said recently in regard to one of
his appointees against whom some OBJ
jections had been raised, that if the
objections were justified, he hoped the
man would not be confirmed. 1t is
due largely to the Presidents direct
ness and earnestness of purpose that
the Republican Senators have been
forced to assume more conservative
attitude toward his nominations. An
unfriendly critic said something re-
Gently about Mr.. Cleyeland's incarnate
commopplaceness and his sturdy in
dependence, which, be said, many
people imagined to be kind of ge-
MUS. In reply to this some one said
it was SO rare thing for US to have
a President who has the courage to
pursue a common sense policy that he
does become, ip so doing, kind Of
genins.
The Speaker of the House is spend
ing bis holiday time busy at work ar
ranging the House Committees. Mem
bers manifest much anxiety to know
where they will be assigned. The de-
sire to learn their fate in this matter
before an official announcement of the
committees was made, kept many Con-
gressmen in Washington during the
holidays, who would have gone home
for their Christmas dinners had the
committees been announced before the
Many questions Of
grave import to the people Of the
United States besides the tariff and
silver will have to be considered by
the committees that Mr.. Carlisle will
name. He is patriot, however, as
well as Statesman, and no public in
Lerest will be sacrificed by him either
the qualification Of grudge or
the Indulgence Of partiality, The
changes in the rules recently made
involve many changes in the commit
tees. One aim Of The Speaker will be
to place very cautious and judicious
members upon those committees that
have charge Of the appropriation bills.
The allusious that have been made
10 Senator Beck's recent speech on
silver as ap attack upon the Admins
trasiop were unfair He merely joined
issue With the 6papcial policy Of the
Administration, Just as be has been
sritiziug the fHsncial policy Of Re-
publican Administrations for years
past. He referred in terms of SYM
pathy and enlogy to the views Of the
President and Secretary Of the Treas
nry as o whole, But the Kentucky
Senator is an extreme silver men and
viii DO all be can to defer the suspen-
sion of silver coinage,