Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1886-06-02
FROM WASHINGTON.
The Presidents Purchase of a Summer
Residence.
THE MARRIAGE OF THE PRESIDENT, WE'D
NEsDAY, JUNE 2ND-THE OLEO-
MARGARINE BILL, sc.
(Correspondence of spectator.)

WASHINGTON, d. c., May 80, 1886.
Mr.. Editor The President has several
times during the past week, driven out to
his recently purchased summer residence
upon the Tenallytown Road, and on We'd
nesday he sat upon the broad front veranda
for more than an hour and enjoyed the
magnificent view which is obtained from
this point. 1t is generally conceded that,
in nothing that Mr.. Cleveland has done
since he became President, has ne shown
greater good sense than in the purchase OF
this estate. The place has long been
known as "Pretty Prospect" and it was
rightly named. The locality is quite an
aristocratic one. Near by is "Woodley,"
which was formerly the home of Philip
Barton Key, and now is occupied by Chief
Engineer Henderson, of the U. S. Navy,
while short distance to the westward is
Grassland" the country seat of Secretary
Whitney, and upon the opposite side of the
road is the estate of the Georgetown Col
lege. Not only has the President secured
delightful summer residence, at a suf-
ficient distance from the city to enable him
to pass the summer months in comparative
freedom from the cares and worries incident
to life in the White House, and at the
same time near enough to insure his pres
ence npon short notice if occasion demand
ed, but at the same time his investment is
likely to prove very profitable ONE
Massachusetts avenue, which is soon to be
extended, will reach very near the estate,
and delightful drive of one and half
miles will then separate it from the White
House.
Every indication about the White House for
some time past, has been such as to point to
social crisis of some kind, and the fact that
the Presidents wedding was to take place
in June has been generally accepted
Newspaper correspondents have fathomed
every possible source of information, in
hopes of ascertaining the exact date of the
occurrence, and having failed, they had
resolved themselves into sort of self-con-
stituted committee ofarrangements and Writ
ually settled the question in their own minds
BY unanimous decision of the aforesaid
committee, the date was set upon June
10Th, and the ceremony was to take place
in New York City. Everything having
thus been settled, excepting perhaps some
of the minor Details the official announce
ment which was made on Saturday morn
ing, to the effect that the wedding would
take place in the Blue Room of the White
House, on Wednesday evening, June ID,
created a sensation not only among news
paper men but the geneaal public, such as
has been seldom equaled. The arrange
ments will be of the simplest order. The
President will go to New to-day and will
participate in the Decoration Day obser-
vances, and will return on Tuesday in COM
pany with Miss Folsom and members of
her family. The ceremony will take place
at O'Clock in the evening, aud will
be followed by a wedding supper in the
State dining room.
Probably no bill that has been discussed
during the present session of Congress has
excited more general and hearty interest,
both among the members themselves and the
general public, than has the bill which i'm
poses tax of ten cents per pound upon oleo-
margarine and other substitutes for butter,
and making the Internal Revenue Bureau
responsible for the collection of the tax
The bill won place upon the calendar on
Monday, and the debate was opened by
Messrs W. l.. Scott, of Pennsylvania, and
Mr.. Hopkins, of Illinois, both of whom
spoke In favor of the bill. They maintain
ed that SO great had the industry grown
that the dairymen of the country who are
engaged in the manufacture of butter from
milk alone, cannot long survive the COM
petition of the oleomargarine makers, and
that the tax is proposed as method of re-
stricting the manufacture Of an unwhole-
some product. The opponents of the bill
insist that the bill is unconstitutional upon
the ground that it is an attempt to regulate
by protecting one class at
the expense of others. The sentiment in the
House is however overwhelmingly in favor
of the bill, which will doubtless become
law if a vote is secured upon it.
In accordance with the usual custom the
President issued an executive order closing
the several Executive Departments on the
31st inst, to enable the employees to parti-
cipate in the decoration of the graves of
soldiers who fell during the rebellion. A
very large majority of the clerks will how
ever avail themselves of the unusually low
excursion rates which are being offered by
the railroad companies to Harper's Ferry,
Penn Mar, Luray Caverns, and other points
of interest. Fl.