Telegram-herald. ([Grand Rapids, Mich.) 18??-1892, 1890-12-28
NOT THE VERY BEST
The Washington society Pictured
by Congrsss msn Cutckespp
COMMENTS on JUSTICE sEoUs
The orees VI Jastsee sf the ssPs~sAs
Sesrs IL Hsshly aoser~ess asa Aiss
Iserastss-Chrlss 81 the
White Hsese.

con, As | wired you briefly the other
night, has been tbs object OF a good
deal of attention on the part Of the local
papers during the last few days. They
hsVe not yet finished taking about the
General and calling hun VARIOUS pet
names. The General, as you know, had
The tementy last sunday 10 make a
temperance address, and IN the course
OF ms remarks he said that there WAS
more wine drinking in Washington
than IN any other city in the country.
Then he went on 10 say that there was
great danger IN the social customs
prevailing in this city which led men
and women 10 drinking and brought
about their ruin.
! nave no doubt Gen. Cutcheon was
perfectly sincere IN all that he SAID and
that he had no intention Of exaggerat-
ing or oyerstatng the case, but | am
compelled 10 say that either Gen.
Cutcheon has had very little experience
OF life IN large cities or else he has had
an experience here which has thus Tar
been denied me, and | CLAIM
TO know something about hle
and society in Washington. Ii
is "A fact-and everyone who has lived
here any length of time and has min
gled in all classes OF society knows it
that there is very little drunkenness III
Washington, that is, little considering
all the circumstances. Oh course peo-
pie drink here, and sometimes they
drink more than is good for them, bat
when you consider the continual round
Of dinner and lunches, at ali of when
wine flows in great quantities, IT Is sell
dom, indeed, that any guest will 60 Tar
forget himself as TO drink more than be
can reasonably take care of. Now and
then very young man who has Just
made his entrance into society oads"
up and makes a spectacle of himself,
but such things are rare. The last few
years have seen a wonderful improve
ment in this respect IN Washington.
Time was in the memory Of men not of
n great age when IT WAS no uncommon
slght TO see men In both Houses OF Con-
gress SO drunk that they had very little
idea OF what they were doing, and din
ners and receptions were only too fre-
nuently the cloak for debauch which
would nave disgraced any society call
ing Itself civilized. But this has all
been altered, and the spectacle of a
member of Congress intoxicated in his
seat would be so rare as 10 call for the
severest structures from the press and
the colleagues of the offending mem
Der.
People are apt to get mistaken
notion of society because there is so
much said about the doings of
society people III the newspapers. The
movements of the society world IN
Washington are chronicled with more
fidelity than any other city IN the
country, because there are more news
paper correspondents in Washington
than are to be found elsewhere, and II
is interesting and legitimate news TO
large circle of readers for them TO
know what their Senators and members
Of Congress are doing. Some people
are as mucn interested III knowing
what their representatives are dong IN
the socal world, as they are IN follow
ing their movements IN Congress. For
TINS reason the news Is furnished.
There are a great many men III Official
life who are possessed OF large fortunes,
and they naturally spend u good deal
of money, but society here Is not q bit
dIfferent than that IN any other city IN
the world. Perhaps tnere Is more del
crence paid TO rank IN Washington than
would be the case IN New York or
Boston, or Chicago, but in Washington
an official position is everything, and IN
that respect society at the Capital APP
prOaches somewhat closely 10 the society
of the capitals of the old word.
p
Judge Henry b. Brown is a man to
be congratulated. There Is hardly a
lawyer III existence. no matter how dis
tlnguished his position at the bar or
how large the fees he was making. who
would not consider himself fortunate
in occupying y seat on the most dis
tingulshed tribunal ia the world. aud
most of them would be willing to give
up large slice of their fortunes to be
able to don the silk gown. The justices
of the supreme court have always been
men of such high character and fine
attainments IS lawyers that. to bo en-
rollei among the elect, j. q certificate
of character. moral, mental and pro-
fessloDal. which all men covet. Ii -
true that Roscoe ConklIng refused the
CHEF justiceship. but CoBkllng was
without = parallel ana could do things
which other men would lot dare TO.
Apart from the dignity Of the posi-
ton, Il is n very comfortable thing 20
be Justice of the Supreme Court In
/ the first place there Is a salary of
| $1,000 year attached TO the Office, for
/ hfe. Presidents may come and 20.
administrations change and the great
men of today are forgotten and dlssp-
pear from the eve of the public IN
| few years. but the justices remain and
continue 20 draw, with worthy
regularity, Their stipTnis Of slo, 900 =
I year. snd 40 long ~ they attend 10
1 their duties ard preserve the dignity Of
I their Office, no power short ~ desta
I itsslf can trouble them. Wien jos
I tce has serTed ten ysais Or has
reached the age Of e2, he can be re-
( tired. and ne continues 70 orAN hls
sslsry 40 long as he iVes. although oe
3 never called upon q 90 anotoeF
I stroke Of work, and Any mental ln1ap-
E 81 renders = gustics ss,g lie Tor re-
Z tIreueut on fnil pRy. In tara fesps.cf
/ they arc far better Of TRAN navai ef
/ military officers. who, NheD they sfs
retired. receive only portson n ~
I sslarses vhxh they we're pa q rhen On
active duty.
The Justices work hard. bat 10 hard
sT psTasrs than . Eresf IFsnv othsf
naea. Coaft fnests 3: u oFcio0k. and
/ generally SS5eyarDs sboBf : @ 5. L
I tsges long VACATION dur ng tre hottest
/ awsufAs 81 sns sEranner When th2 ius-
tscsa ea or csrcst Thsre = 81 slr af
[ a s~e4 ~rzs 81 a ty-s5f tkls fsf.ssrf srN