The National tribune., 1899-06-01
CHAT OF THE CORRIDORS.

Mrs. Elizabeth II. p. Davis, the Ma
tional President of the Ladies' Auxiliary
Society, gave a charming reception at her
residence, rs + street northeast. Wash
ington. ID. C., on the evening Of Monday.
May 22 TO the delegates and visitors to
the Encampment of the Maryland Divis-
ion, Sons of Veterans. The reception was
largely attended, and Mrs. Davis, assisted
by ladies of the Society, dispensed the
hospitalities very gracefully.
Last week Washington was in the
throes of n Peace Jubilee. Preparations
for the same had been going on for months
and a great deal OF money, time, labor and
genuine artistic talent had been layiShed
upon it. The parades, decorations, floats,
etc, were things OF the highest excellence
and beauty, and were well worth going far
To see. They created much enthusiasm
in the city, but, alas. very little outside of
it, The strangers that came to the city
were so few that they had to be hunted
for-they certainly were not manifest on
the streets. There were various reasons
for this, one of the strongest of which is
the peculiar position that Washington
sustains to the country Immediately
around it. Every other city of its size is
the commercial, social and generally the
political capital Of n radius of from 100 to
200 miles of the country Immediately
| around it. There are several hundred
| thousand people at least who buy their
goods directly or indirectly from it, who
sell their products to it. Their brothers,
sisters, cousins and aunts live in the
city, they read the city'S papers, and
their political affiliations are with the city.
Therefore, any sort OF public display or
function in the city will bring great mum
bers of them in. They will come in to
discuss business matters, talk politics,
visit their relations, do some shopping,
renew acouantances, etc. There is no
connection of this kind between the
people living around Washington and
| those in the city. The interests OF the
MARYLAND people are mainly with Balti-
more, where they sell their products and
| buy their goods, and whose papers they
read for news, politics, market prices and
social gossip. Similarly, the Virginians
have all their relations with Richmond.
Neither cares as much for what is going
on in Washington as people thousands OF
miles away There was not enough about
the celebration to induce visitors to come
| from a distance, and it was held at a
busy time in the year for those who have
money and inclination to take long jour
neys. The men who got up the Jubilee
were misled by their experience with In
auguratiOns, and particularly by the
GA II. National Encampment of 1892. 1t
was veIy hard work then getting the
people to take an interest in the National
| Encampment in advance, and securing
subscriptions was like pulling teeth. But
after the Encampment had literally over
flowed the city, and poured millions Of
dollars into the tilis OF the merchants,
| then they wanted Encampments all the
time. Money could be had very easily Tor
another, and the Peace Jubilee was an
attempt to reproduce Encampment con-
ditiOns. | am very sorry that so much
good work should have had so poor a
return.
One of the startling features in the mag
nificent floats of the Peace Jubilee, and