Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-03-30
Correspondence Of THE EvEx1Sa STAR

Correspondence of THE EVENING STAR
New YORK, March 90.
The various committees having in charge the
celebration OF the centennial of Washington's
Inauguration have cause to wish they had
never been born, or. at any rate, that they had
never been appointed. 1t was a great social
triumph to be member of a committee to ar
range this great national celebration and
every man appointed thanked his lucky stars
for the good fortune Of being chosen. 1t looks
now as If every man appointed grew several
inches Immediately thereafter in his own esti-
mate Of his social stature, too, and acquired
corresponding disdain for ordinary mortals who
didn't get an appointment. From the start the
committees managed things in such a way as to
keep out everybody except their ''set from
having any enjoyment at all in the celebration,
and, of course, this way of doing things once
antagonized the outsiders, who weren't at all
backward in speaking their minds about the
course pursued. Then there were internal
struggles in the committees themselves; fac
tions and cliques We're formed, and Greek fire.
qnently met Greek in a set-to that wasn't at all
consonant with harmonious work. But the
greatest row of all arose over the committee's
blank refusal to allow the legislature of the
state OF New York to sit on a reviewing stand
and see the parade go by. The legislature had
expenses of the celebration and had given its
permission for all the state militia TO attend
and hence thought it had some rights: but
Ward McAllister and his assistants let the senate
and the Assembly understand plainly that the
-Four Hundred" and not the state legislators
were running this show, and if the legislature
OF the state of New York wished to look on
when the parade went by it could run its
chances with the rest of the democratic
multitude and roost on the curbstones Then
a nnv Ilt ,lly.
bill Withdrawing the Jurisdiction of the best
part OF 5th avenue from the New York park de-
partment, and putting it in the hands of the
senate and assembly, and said il there was any
further lnsolence apparent in the centennial
committee they would rescind their big appro-
priation and order all the state troops to stay at
home. And then the outsiders who had been
snUbbed by the committee just howled their
approval, and the members of the committees
began wondering If perhaps after all there
might not be some higher and mightier power
than theirs In the land. So the legislators will
now build their own reviewing stand with nice
soft pine boards TO sit on, On the best site for
viewing the parade that 9Th avenue affords.
which by their own law they are N absolute
control of.
But this, although one of the worst calamities
that has befallen the centennial managers
isn't more than small fraction of the troubles
the great balls Of the winter here the nolics
stopped the wine selling and wine drinking
after l o'clock in the morning. Somebody re.
minded the swells of the centennial ball COM
mlttee of this fact, and suggested that per
haps they better see about this early closing
business before they ordered the wine The
sWelIs OF the committee swelled up still more
with tine imitation Of princely hauteur, and
said with an arrogant curl of several lips
Please to remember, sir, that this is not the
Arion ball, nor the Liederkranz ball. This is
our ball, and the police will not dare inter-
fere." Then they appropriated $4,000 for
VINE, and the suggester of the cautionary
measures looked sick. Yesterday an orpaniza-
ton known as the Personal Liberty league.
winch has notion OF making the early-closinp
pointed ten of its members as snectsl
detectives to attend the centennial ball
ana II they can catch ANYBODY look
ing Tor the bottom Of q wine glass after the
prescribed hour they will immediately swear
out and serve warrants of arrest ON Ward Me-
Aillster, Stuyvesant Fish and the other swelIs
VINO SAID this Is our ball." 1t isn't an easv
job for even McAllister to get bail at o'cIocf
Ia the morning, especially if q justice is too
sound asleep In bed at home to want To oman
court for that express purpose and there 10.
QUITE so much princely Lautem as there was in
the actions OF the committee and the spe
8ester OF cautlonsry measures is sarcasticaIfv
proposing that the ball begin at o'clock in
dILTaCtlnn 90
that the guests won't have to get away with ali
that U.s. worth of wine in one short hour.
-"
The great German society, the Liederkranz
is working in harmony with the Personal
Liberty league in this matter. Ever since
Capt. Reilly's policemen stopped the wine sell
ing at the Liederkranz ball at O'Clock. that
society has been making its influence felt in all
circles where any measure can be brought IN
bear to indirectly aid in the repeal of the OBJ
noxious puritanicai law. The society has
worked on a system. One committee of its
members has used its influence with the MAYOR.
another committee has gone to Albany to lobby
through the legislature a repeater; another
committee has pushed charges against Police
Capt. Reilly for allowing his men to interfere
with the guests of the ball in an insulting way,
another committee has been about gathering
evidence against gambling houses, dance
houses and the like in Capt Reilly's precinct,