Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1909-01-28
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent

L
night when the Supreme Court Justices
were the honored guests. These re-
ceptions are all so much alike that were
a person introduced into the East room
during one of them he would have no
way of Judging in whose honor it was
given except by observing the guests
who were given precedence. There is
always struggle though for the in
vitations to the receptions in honor of
the Diplomats and of the Judiciary for
as these are the first two of the season
they are most largely attended and
one sees at them the greatest array of
distinguished men and gorgeously
arrayed women. However the Presi-
dents strained relations with Congress
may effect politics they do not seem to
effect in any way his social relations
with its members and there are only
few of these with whom he has come
into direct conflict or who he has as
signed to the Ananias Climb that absent
themselves from his receptions and
throng that crowds the White House
on these occasions The list of guests
invited Thursday would fill seven ordi-
nary newspaper columns of fine print
and the line of carriages that had as
sembled before the doors were opened
at nine O'Clock extended for more than
three city blocks. The additions which
have been made to the White House
since President Roosevelt has presided
there have greatly improved the facil-.
ity with which invited guests can enter
its door but it is an impression not
soon to be forgotten when one for the
first time, with a possible fancy that
the President and Mrs. Roosevelt will
be waiting just inside the door to re-
ceive him, finds himself in the great
pushing crowd that is moving inch by
inch through the corridor and up the
stairs to the main floor of the execu.
tive mansion. The stairs are the parti-
.cularly trying stage of the journey for
it is often from thirty minutes to an
hour that one must take to make that
fiighG of about twenty steps. From
side to side and end to end it is packed
with people so close that one can move
neither forward nor backward until the
receiving party gives the signal for the
Biue Room doors to be opened and the
line begins to move through the rooms
known as the Red Room and the ban
quet hall to the receiving party. At
the door of the Blue Room the ap.
preaching guest is asked his name and
this is mentioned to the President by
his aid, Colonel Bromwell. The Presi-
dentgenerally repeats the name, ,grasps
the visitor by the hand and with deft
movement passes him on down the
line, or rather through the passage
way made by the receiving party on
one side and the especially honored
guests who are grouped on the other
side of velvet rope This progress is
made usually in undignfied haste by
the person new to the performance.
He has vague recollection when it is
over of the flash of the Presidents
teeth, of Mrs. Roosevelt and number
of ladies in very decollete gowns. The
next day he will read in the paper that
all of theCabinet ladies were present in
the receiving line but in his embarass-
,ment and haste he has not seen them.
The Prohibition wave which is
sweeping the country skipped the Ma
tional Capital this week when the COM
mittee Of the Lower House of Congress
disposed of prohibition in the District
of Columbia by tabling the bill intro
duced' for that purpose. The liquor
question has been very thoroughly
gone over in Congress and while there
are many members of that body who
believe that temperance is a good
thing for their home towns and states
there we're many dissenting voices to
the proposition to let our Legislators go
thirsty for the several months that
Congress is in session here every year.
When it was apparent that the District
Committee was opposed to letting the
Capital go dry the friends of prohibi.
tion expected to effect a coup by pro
posing that the matter be left TO the
residents of Washington and that eva
sion was also voted down. Two mem
bers, Representative Campbell, o.
Kansas, and Representative Sims, O.
Tennessee, alone supported the bill tc
introduce absolute prohibition in
Washington.