Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-11-20
THE COMMON SENSE VIEW.
Some FfctiOns about Happenings Il
Washington Exploded.
Washington Cor. New York Sun.

Washington Cor New York Sun.
One of the queerest misrepresentation re-
| garding Washington-that it is a drunken
place-has just been disproved again. for the
| dozenth time. Last year 1,5OO liquor licenses
| were approved; this year only 1O37, a decrease
| of one-third in year. It is among the society
people, though, and among members of Con-
gress, that the scarcity of drunkenness is most
remarkable. Formerly any day that passed
without the spectacle of q drunken legislator
! upon the floor of the House or Senate was re-
markable. Now the rule is the other way. In
those days, too, the fact that a member was
drunk when he was quarrelsome was consid-
| cred an extenuation; now it is thought an ag-
gravation. If a member is seen at the capitol
under the slightest influence of liquor his
friends, II he has any, hustle him off home, and
the whole thing is hushed up something that
would injure him seriously if it were known.
Among the younger members drunkenness is
practically unknown-those who do indulge
being the hold-overs from other times
In society this is even more marked. Wine
and liquors are served more freely here than
in any place in this country. Washington is a
famous dinner place. and the ubiquitous punch
bowl has given spasms to many well meaning
but ignorant people from the outside. But such
a thing as young society man drunk in q pri-
waite house Is absolutely unknown. Once, three
or four years ago, at large private ball. a
young man, who was VIGOROUSLY hard case.
and rarely went out. got drunk and was put
out of the house. 1t put him under a ban. and
probably the most effective temperance
sermon ever preached to the young gentlemen
of Washington. As for the talk about the
drunkenness and gluttony at the Chinese ball
year ago, there never was a greater SANDER
upon any society than that The way most of
the people at the ball heard first of these apoc-
ryphal performances in the newspapers
from the outside. There was a great crowd
and jam necessarily-that was all. 1t is only
another instance of peculiar affection to
which Washington is subject-and that is hav-
ing historical accounts of imaginary events
sent out by inexperienced correspondents.
Cases in point are the scandalous stories about
President Arthur that were telegraphed all
over the country and printed everywhere except
in Washington. Here their falsty was SO well
known that at a conference among the princi-
pal newspaper editors it was considered best
not even to notice them by denying them. Else
where people to this day pull long faces and
denounce the state of affairs that prevailed at
the White House in Mr. Arthur's time, when.
as a matter of fact, nothing could have been
further above reprOach than the life at the
White House. In the same way the stories of
President and Mrs. Cleveland's suppOsititious
quarrels news to Washington. and the
newspapers here. knowing the perfect incredi-
blllty OF these things, won't give time space
to contradict them. Likewise the ridiculous
story about Miss Willard being snubbed by
Washington society because she taught music
in school, when the slightest familiarity with
Washington life would have been guarantee
enough that the thing was impossible And if
this wasn't enough, list of the houses where
Miss Willard was entertained would have been
conclusive.