Washington Letter

Froia our Regular Correspondent. Washington, D. C, May 21, 1884. Tlie smooth streets of the capital havo beea eulivened during the week by tlie whlfllng wheels of bicyeling vlsltors who have greatly enjoyed the leagues of asphalt pavement which reuder Washington the wheelman's paradise. Tlie peculiar advantages offered by this city for the sport, have made bleyeling very popular liere, but the meeting this week, of clubs f rom varlous parts of the United State?, {{are a new idea of the hold the latest mode of locoinotlon has obtained ou the communityat large. On Tuesd iy, in the cours-e of their ten-mik' parade thpy whiilod throu;h the White House grounds and lifted their caps to the President who, standing on the pórtico, s.iluted cacliclub as it passeil. After thir races, banquet and speeches, tïtfj pnrted fr another year. Congress has liad bef'ore it tliii week, i mas of miscellaneous business. The Sen.ite has passed :t number of bilis for u.v ..-..- tTi jiul'iic uuiiuins in CüM;un towns, and citie?. The agrieultural appropriation was discussed and passed, and au item of $15,000, was added for the purpose of distributinjr over the country, gratis, silk worm e?gs. Sunator Ingalls was ctrODgly oppoeed to this. He held that in a country wliicli last year manufactured eiglit}1 milliou dollars vvorth of silk products, only one-fourth f which was from raw material, there was no necessity for authorizini the agrictiltuial department to spend raoney in disiributing silk worm cgüfs, or Information about the leaves on which the worm pastures. The able Kansas Senator complained that the Oovernmeutwas becomingaltogetlier too paternal, too maternal even. He quoted the old nursery rhyme, " Who ran to ontcli me when I fe)). And ltissed llie place to muke it well ? My motlier," to show that the governmcnt, by interfering in all matters that ooght to be left to private energy, and to private enterprlse aml industry, was turning the people into a raceof dependeuts, mendicants and paupers. The bilí for a bureau of labor statistics, passed by the House of Representatives, is being roughly handled by the Senate. A democratie senator acknonledged it to be one of the worst billa he ever saw, requiring one man to do with $25,000 a year what cannot be done with less thau millions. " Strikes, their causes, effeets and remedies" comes under one of tbe lieads of the bilí. That, the senator held no man ever knew. " If we were to live here as a body for the next hundnïd years" continued he, "and every man in this body were to grow brighter every dajr, at the nd of the century, 1 do uot suppose one of ua would be able to comprehend and i expUiu whai is n.....-.. - . . , „ of labor statistics: "Sti-ikes, their causes, effect, and remedies." Senator Van Wyck, said, " within tlie shadow of the Ctipitol, natlve laborera have been driven from public works and their places supplied by Italians, and others who carne here under a system of contract. He preferred to sec the b'll to prevent the importation of foreign laborera take precedence of the onc I that was pending. The Home has passed some approprlation bilis this week ; talked about a bankruptcylaw; wrangled over the contested election case of Peele against English, and giren another blow to free trade, by decliniug to reduce rates on work. of art, whctlu-r thé production of foreigo or American artists. In Uiis city of monuments.most ot wnicn have been erected to waniois, another statue was unvelled on Wednesday. This was dedicated to religión, and stands :is the memorial of the Lutherans to the reformer, Martin Luther. Au immense concourse of spectators wltnessed the ceremonies, wliich were marred by some awkwaril nccidents. The givinsr away of I the platform prodnced a little panic, bnt 110 hum. The orator, Senator Conger, was interrupted by a musical p:irt of the procenten, which was belated; and the drapery around the figure refused to drop off in the gracefal magical mamier that was intended. It hunjf obstinately, umi Í had to be torn off by force. The boarders at ¦ certain hotel, where ! there is a worthless colored waiter named Minuic, hare made matters worse by callin- her " i necro-minnie-ous faiiure.'' -