Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1897-01-08
Our Washington Letter.
A NEWSY BATCH OF GOSSIP FROM
The NATIONAL CAPITOL.
The New Years Reception Magnificent
Atfair---Judge Howell Being Inves-
tigated.

| All Washington was out Friday to wit
ness as spectators or take part as invited
| guests In the New Years reception at
the White House. The reception is al
ways the principal social function of
the year and lnaugurates the social
season. Each year finds it more
| brilliant than the last and '97 was no
exception. From IL until 2 O'Clock
the roll of carriages was continuous up
to the entrance and the stream of
guests was as bewildering a mass of
color as a tulip bed In spring or the
| colored field of Kaleidoscope. At
this reception, you know, the stately
ceremonial of a European court is OBJ
served. There is a due order of re-
ceiying through which no one can
| break. First comes the cabinet, then
the diplomatic corps, the gentlemen in
full court dress and the ladies in full
dress, next the supreme court sena-
tors and representatives, the officers of
army and navy and then after this
brilliant andsbefeathered crowd have
been received, the common people are
admitted. Some of the scenes enacted
during this later rush were ludecrous
| while others were disgusting 1t was
u shock to ones ideas of the proprieties
to see stylishly dressed young lady
madly clawing and crowding in vain
| effort to get ahead in the procession.
| ~
| What will be the vain out come of
| the Cuban question and what position
will Cleveland and Congress take are
| the questions OF the week. The Spanish
| authorities from minister to attache are
angry because the customs officers
| granted clearance papers to the COM
modore. 1t really seems as if that
| action was decidedly out of place if the
Cabinets position was correct. How
can the government give clear papers
| to a vessel which Is known TO have
board cargo of arms and ammunition
for use against power with which the
United States Is at peace. But then the
friends of Cuba are pleased as it COM
plicated the situation.
~
An effort is being made to secure the
abrogatlon of the treaty with England
regarding the building of men-of.w war
on the Great Lakes, 1t meets with much
opposition from some who hold
| that the treaty now does not forbid the
building of such vessels but only the
keeping of naval force on those wat
ers. They want the treaty left alone
and the government to 60 ahead and
build revenue cutters of sufficient size
to mount six inch gun or two.
~
There is resolution pending before
the House for the Inauguration of an
| other international conference on the
Honey question. 1t isn't meeting with
any great amount of support and will
probably remain in allegiance until the
opening of the next congress. Con-
trary to the reports in some of the
| newspapers no official communication
has been received from Spain regard
ing a settlement of the war in Cuba.
~
Much speculation has been INDUCED
| in of late over the numerous confer
ences between the president and Oleney
and the attorney general. All sorts of
| rumors were alloat but at last the secret
is out. The president is for foreclosing
the government loan on the Pacific
Railroad and it is understood that all
the cabinet favor it. At present the
sum of $40, 900, 900 has been or must
be paid by the government and the
president thinks that the arrearage is
about large enough.
TX
just now a Senate subcommittee is
investigating Judge Charles Howey of
Mississippi who has been nominated
Judge of the court of claims. The
charge of manslaughter Is what has
come up. The Judges friends admit
that he killed his man but say that it
happened ten years ago and that 1t was
done in self defense. According to
their statement Howell had quarrel
...I.