San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-09-05
WASHINGTON LETTER.
cFrom our Regular Correspondent

In washington, Salu SJIdHSeE lIOLu
afar to your correspondent, the other
day, "was the beauty of the women.
/ had often heard of Baltimore's PEI
ticoated loneliness, the unsurpassed
sstyle' of the New York girls, and the
tiers: but, though l have dwelt in all
these cities L have never before seen
SO much female prettiness within
seven days as | have beheld at the
national capital during the week L
have spent here. The number OF love-
lyyoung girls one sees upon the streets
in the course of few blocks stroll, is
simply amazing. They all seem to be
SO Youthful, too, that one is tempted
to speculate as to what becomes of
them later on perhaps they all get
married and 60 off on perpetual hon.
eymoon journeys, and never come
back any more. Most astonishing of
all, to a person who has been like my
self resident of Boston, is the fact
that the young women of Washington
really have figures. The Boston girls
figure, if such it may be called, is u.s.
ually a zero in quality and unit in
quantity. In other words, she is the
same size all the way downfall
chested and entirely wanting in those
curves of grace which are generally
considered essential to the attract
iveness of the female form divine.
Doubtless it is largely a matter CHI
matte.
"The second thing I have taken
particular notice of in Washington is
the gentle manners of the people. L
like the voices of the women, too; the
soft southern accent is so infinitely
agreeable. The very negroes L enjoy;
they are so picturesque. 1t IS the
southern type of negro you have here
an altogether different creature
from the African further north. From
the little pIckaninny up he is always
interesting and frequently amusing.
In some sections of the country they
have evolved a theory that the negro
dies faster than he is born-in other
words, the race in this country is dy-
ing out. 1t seems to me that If the
learned statisticlans, who have for
mulated this doctrine, would pay a
visit to Washington they would mod
ify their conclusions. But L was
much astonshed to see the way in
which the shanties of the poor blacks
are mixed in with the handsome resi-
dences of the fashionable quarter.
The result of the Reimbursement
by the Navy department for new bids
on the three 2,000-tOn cruisers an
nounced In Saturdays Star, will be
watched by those interested in naval
affairs with great interest. These
bids, to be opened October 26, will, it
is hoped, be within the limit of the
appropriations. If they are, the de-
partment will consider that it has
Os,,f tln
tractors, but if the latter's figures re-
main high some interes ting develop
ments may be expected. In fact, a
crisis in governmental ship-building
has just about been reached, and the
time has come when a change of
method is inevitable. There are two
ways to build war vessels, one being
at the navy yards, and the other is to
let ontracts for the work. Formerly
the first plan was followed, for
the struggling infancy of Amer
lean ship building made contract
ing next t. an impossibility. OF later
years, however, the government has
wearied of the long period required
by the growth of ships built at the
yards, and the enormous expense
entailed, and has given the work to
private firms. For time John Roach
had almost a monopoly, daring one
administration, and when the p0liti-
cal tide turned it wrecked his fortune.
Ever since then the tendency has
been to put screws on the contractors,
limiting them in time, requiring more
and more in the way of achievements,
until it has come to beproverbial that
to take contract for a naval YES
sci meant almost sure ruin. The
Cramps have built number of ships,
and by reason of extra good workman
ship that has brought high premiums
have pulled through so far without
disaster. But the grinding downpro-
cess has had its effects, and the refusal
of the ship builders the other day to
bid on naval vessels within the limit
is but the voice of the growing dissat-
isfaction with the present methods.
When these bids were published
there were whispers started immedi-
ately of ship builders trust, formed
for the purpose of forcing higher pri-
ces and better terms. This, however,
is generally dtscredited by naval folks,
and the prevalent opinion is that the
high bids were merely the result of
necessity.
One thing that makes the average
member dread an early meeting of
congress in extra session is the idea
that when congress gets together it
will be long while before an adj
journment is had. They are prepar-
ed to be here all next summer. r.