The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-06-30


It sometimes seems as if there is no
body i'm WASHINGTON that was born here;
that everybody is from New York. or
New England, Ohio, Virginia, the Gulf
states. the west or the coast But Of
course Washington has It's natives. and
here arises another popularity Of the
town-this old resident class holding
somewhat alool socially from the mere
transicnts who come and go with the
mutations of politics Iany Of these old
residents regard Themselves as the gcnu-
inc arstocracy of tho capital, and per
haps they are. but it is an aristocracy Of
hadesmcn and professional hacks and
beasts of prey.
4 striking characteristic Of the Fed
eral City is the determined and industri-
ons manner in which the natives Give
on" their visitors Washington cares
very little which party wins the presi-
dencv. $50 thcnew administrations which
come I'D every four or eight years bring
men Of money to be plucked. For the
man of money who comes into Washing
ton for q s0i0mn of month or "a year
or more q. score of locchcs lie in wait.
If he remains but % day or two the ho-
tells. which are Ike those Of Jersey City,
with New York prices, got much the
lest chance 40 him, though ably assisted
bv the cabman, tine waiter, the barber
and pretty much everybody else with
whom De comes in contact. Tipping is
here almost European and if one wants
anything 10 eat IN hotel or restaurant,
or decent treatment in barber shop, me
would better DE generous with his quar-
,ers.
The man wlfostays "a considcrablctimc
in Washington is likely 20 rm foul Of
the real estate sharp, the house agent.
the furniture dealer or the horde Of
tradesmcn. I'm ,hc colony of trn-ients
Washington umdosmcn arc known as
"robbcrs." though This offensive word
should not be too literally construed.
The Washington tradosman is honc-t,
but peculiar Hcis oll fogyish gcncr-
ally Often he is indifferent about sell
ing goods. llo SITS in tho front of his
store and doesn't rise from his chair till
YOU have made known your wants.
Then he rises rather Reluctantly, and
moves slowly after DE is up. as much as
to say you are putting him toa good
deal of bother
Sometimes, indeed frequently, he
doesn't keep the article YOU want. and in
such cases hc appears 10 be delighted.
il saves him the trouble Of getting mp.
Nor will be give you amy explanation of
/ bis failure 10 keep in stock tine article
Won seek. an De viii say is, We've
never kept IT," And he never will keep
it,. for after the average Washington
radcsman gets into q rut Of keeping GER
tain things. or not keeping thcm-par-
tciIarly the laiter-hc is sure 10 stay in
the rat.
In a largo stationery store on the ave
nuo ! asked for muclagc.
1--WE don't keep it,
"Why|
Don't know. Only, we've never
handled il. But ! can give you bottle
of glue
If YOU want your purchases delivered
at homo YOU must give the Washington
uadcsman plenty OF time. He will take
il anyway, whether you give it 20 him
or not This afternoon of Monday i'm
varably means Wednesday morning. 4
grocers clerk actually told me they
would deliver stuff for my dinner ''if IL
didn't rain SO the wagon couldn't 20
out" Persons who have lived here many
years say they never yet bad ANYTHING
delivered % them at the time promised.
As to prices, Che Washington trades
man is inexplcabie. The only known
quantity is the largencss Of his charge.
1t an depends upon the haste IN which a
man is to.ect rich In a mems furnish
inc store bought wool and silk shirt
for $3.50 Next door, "a few minutes
later, | saw n shirt Of same materials,
pattern and make marked $3.50.
"Why do you sell dollar cheaper
than your neighbour asked this dealer
Only ncighh0r says n is because ] ann a
fool l SAY il j, because ann not one Of
the robbers.
Perhaps the long, wide. lazy avenue
is Washington's most perfectly typical
feature. The street cars move very slow
". and stop anywhere and everywhere
These are the most accommodating street
cars on earth. Whona customer is ready
to leave store % clerl; is sent cut to la il
= street car and the car stops and waits
while the customer rather leisurcly
makes her way out the front door and 20
the middle Of the wide street On busy
shopping day a good walker can beat n
street car from the treasury TO the Capt.
tol
The life Of the avenue l. tie bicycle.
Ii is seen everywhere, and the wheel
men appear to be the only persons who
are in hurry There is nobody in the
throngs Of pedestrians who hasn't leisure
enough to enable hin to lounge in front
of the show windows. And what a
leisurely, lazy crowd that is which pours
out Of the departments at 4 p. IN. OF
warm summer afternoon and sauntcrs
down the principal thoroughbred
Government clerks are almost as lazy
as the negroes though they do not do
their sleeping in public, as Go the happy
sons Of Africa Every block or two
along the streets one comes upon sleep
ing darky. The bootblack sleeps in his
own chair, and the customer wakes him
up with some difficulty 1t is a fact that
in front Of Wizards hotel two boot
blacks, rivals in winter, form pool in
hot weather, the terms of the compact
being that while one sleeps the other
shall be on guard. with receipts divided.
Colored walters 30 TO sleep while stand
ing behind your chair trying to keep the
lilo. aN-aN Ma.l. Ln-.l--.. ..--.-.-L-- l..