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dent thisreputed
through the press and Dyebi interview
from Mr. Drake, the commissioner of
insurance in the District of Columbia,
to have inserted his powerful hand
into the legislation of the different
states of this republic to prevent the
reduction of the salaries of insurance
officers, he has not seen fit as yet to call
up to his desk and administer the
proper instructions to the next secre
tary of the treasury, the present post
master general, the last chairman of
the national Republican committee,
who received and administered this
fund. The same effort on his part
would have restored this misappro
priated fund. Let us be honest, Mr.
Speaker. There is no man in this
great assembly who does not know
that during the last national campaign
this fund was received and expended
in the interests of a great political
party. While we now brand as crimi
nal that which has heretofore been
done, we recognize the fact that the
necessity of this legislation which is
now proposed grows out of conditions
which existed and occurred during the
last great national campaign. Let us
then in our inspiration and endeavor
to do right, while we pass this legis
lation, pay back what has been
stolen.’ ”
I feel absolutely certain that all hon
est men who read Robinson’s scorch
ing, blistering words will feel that he
was boldly saying what millions think.
R
Cushman’s Humor.
First and last, several representa
tives in congress have been nominated
by the public press as “Private” John
Allen’s successor as wit and humor
ist par excellence. Among them Fran
cis W. Cushman, representative from
Washington, has received that honor.
For some reason not necessary to
state here, even if I knew, the Wash
ingtonian is not enamored of Hon.
Ethan Allen Hitchcock, secretary of
the interior. Quite the contrary.
Truth to tell, most of the senators and
representatives from the far west are
rather hostile to the lineal descendant
of the hero of Ticonderoga. When
Cushman learned that Mr. Secretary
Hitchcock will retire to the shades of
private life on March 4, he declared
that when that event came to pass
there would not be a dry throat west
of the Mississippi river. Some time,
somewhere, somehow, somebody may
have said a more humorous thing, but
it may well be doubted.
•t
Republicans at Odds.
When he resigned from the cabinet,
under compulsion, Gen. Russell A. Al- .
ger, with all the facts fresh in his
mind, gave an elaborate interview to
a Milwaukee paper, stating his side of
the controversy, on condition that it
should not be published till after his
death. The moment the breath was
out of his body the Milwaukee paper
aforesaid sent it broadcast over the
land and thereby precipitated a row
among the Republican bigwigs which
is raging with amazing fury. Charges
and countercharges are being hurled
about with a recklessness that is
amazing, and in the general melee the
public may come into the possession
of much valuable information.
Recent events in Germany prove be
yond all cavil that Kaiser Wilhelm Is
something of a political campaign
manager himself. “ ’Twas a famous
victory” which he won. It seems to
settle definitely that Germany is to
continue her colonization program in
South Africa, or anywhere else that
the kaiser determines to make the ex
periment. Whether people believe in
a monarchy or not, they cannot help
admiring the courage and ability of
the princes of the house of Hohenzol
lern.
CHAMP CLARK.
BACK TO FIRST PRINCIPLES.
Judge Brewer, of the Supreme
Court, explains to#*-", American pub
lic the radical di 1 ® Ace in character
between a public’■ ,la private debt
—the citizen ganger his own
property for business reasons, and
it is possible that his children may
h se by his bad judgment, but he does
not place a weight upon their shoul
ders and deny them the right of act
ing, in turn, for themselves. Where
as, the government which contracts
a debt burdens the future, forgets
that each generation has its own obli
gations and wastes money in riotous
living without the excuse of business
foresight.
Execept in self-defense, why should
a government borrow money ? Surely
the history of our national debt is
but the record of how speculators
have bound the public to serve them
—how* politicians have sold or neg
lected the interests confided to their
guardianship, and how rascals have
profited at the expense of industry.
And yet we now hear Republicans
declare that to pay a debt drawing
interest would be a national calam
ity— to cancel an obligation would
paralyze business and keep a promise
of business purport and meaning,
would ruin us all at one fell swoop!
Surely the public cannot be victimiz
ed again as in the old argument for
the tariff which denied that we paid
taxes for the protection of favored
interests—surely Americans will not
endorse by their votes the proposi
tion that the debtor who has the
money to pay should stop interest by
keeping faith with his creditor. And
yet the public has endorsed this view
and will, most probably, do so again
at the bidding of the Republican
party.
Judge Blount, in the North Ameri
can Review shows that we must drop
the load of the Philippines, and de
clares, “If we had devoted to our
rivers and harbors the uncounted mil
lions spent for assimilation and edu
cation since 1899, we should now
halve no railroad problem.” <S|iniee
the Times-Union has made the same
remark several times since 1900, it
must agree with Judge Blount, but
why the American voter follows the
Republican party to his loss along
a path marked out for him we can
see and understand as little as Judge
Blount. But in all this we see signs
that we are coming back to first
principles though experience is a
dear school.—Times-Union, Jackson
ville, Fla.
M H
The physician who discovered that
whiskey produces electricity in the
stomach has stumbled on nothing
new. A good many men shock their
friends every day after they are well
charged.
K
A Syracuse man reported to the
police that while he was out to lu-nch
some one entered his room and stole *
a clock. The thief evidently had his
movements well timed.
Tn addressing him as “The Beloved,
Most Cherished, Exalted, Most Hon
ored, and Excellent President,” the
SuHtan spread it on pretty t'hjck,
but the knowledge of how some sen
ators refer to him in private keeps
Mr. Roosevelt’s head down to normal
size.
fttte WEEKLY JEFEEESONTaK
WHY THE CONFEDERATES
WOULD DIE FOR GEN
ERAL LEE.
An Incident.
Dear Mr. Watson:—
Your beautiful tribute to General
Lee, on his birthday, has prompted
me to give a personal incident which
illustrates the cause of the devotion
of Lee’s Army to their noble com
mander.
In the latter part of the summer,
or fall of 1864, while the seige of
Richmond and Petersburg was on, a
part of Grant’s army had been mass
ed, and a successful charge made
against the Weldon Railroad just
south of Petersburg.
A counter charge by the Confeder
ates had been successful to the extent
of re-capturing the railroad, but
had not pushed Grant’s troops back
far enough to re-capture all of the
lost ground, and, therefore, a part
of our men were engaged in throw
ing up new breastworks between the
railroad and the position then held
by the enemy.
Near the old gas works a citizen
had a two or three-acre patch of corn
in roasting ear.
General Lee ordered a guard to
watch over that corn night and day
to protect the citizen’s property.
The writer, then a mere boy sol
dier of the 45th Georgia Regiment,
was helping in the work.
Goaded by that craving feeling that
every old soldier remembers, that
comes to one who has not had their
appetite satisfied for weeks past. I
decided to risk the bullet of the
guard and the punishment of army
discipline in the determination to get
some of that corn.
Leaving the workers for a short
time I made my way through the thick
undergrowth and over the fence, se
cured two roasting ears.
Returning along a path through
the undergrowth I stopped, struck a
match, collected leaves and twigs and
soon had a small fire.
Having removed the shuck, I had
my two ears of corn standing on end
baking one side at the time, by the
coals. I was stooping to turn my
corn, when I heard a horse walking
behind me. Turning around— great
Heavens! General Lee had brought
“Traveler” to a standstill, while he
sat there like a statue.
Now, every old veteran that reads
this will know exactly what I ex
pected. <
To be ordered to headquarters for
punishment. But that noble old
Roman did nothing of the sort.
With his face all wreathed in
smiles, he looked, first into my fright
ened countenance, and then at my
corn, and with a slight pressure of
the bridle-rein with the left hand,
causing “Traveler” to slightly sway
to the left, while with his right band
he gave me tbe most graceful salute
I had ever seen. In return I gave
him the most grateful, though not
tile most graceful one, I had even
seen.
The grand old hero pulled his horse
from the path, a sad expression pass
ed over his face, and I believe he
said, “My poor boys are starving!”
I ate my half-cooked roasting ears,
and with appetite partially satisfied,
went back to work, determined to
stand by General Lee until death.
Often, in all the years gone by,
I have asked myself, “Did I de
wrong? Did General Lee dcS
wrong?” My conscience answers,# \
no. And if the owned that
corn is yet aliveJfc should see this,
he will
He had the power to punish and
he had the power to pardon.
When the final history of that «
great struggle is written, I hope
something of this incident will be re
membered as an inspiration to those
in authority in the ages to come.
This personal incident made me a
better man in after years, as it taught
me not to condemn my fellowman un
til I knew what prompted the act.
W. F. SMITH.
Flovilla, Ga.
m n m
CONFEDERATE ARMY BILL.OF
FARE.
(From News and Sun, Griffin, Ga.)
Some days ago, the following Con
federate bill-of-fare, printed just
prior to the end of the de
fense of Vicksburg, July 4th; 1803/
was brought to the News and Sun by
Col. R. J. Redding, who picked it up
on a recent sojourn out at that city.
The original was printed on the back
of wall paper. It will be inteiest
ing reading, not only to show r “hiat
straits the army commissarjsA ’.d
reached at that time, but th< 0 r
that remained in all the adve
ditions:
HOTEL DE VICKSBURG. \
Bill-of-Fare for July, 186. )
Soup—Mule tail.
Boiled: Mule bacon with joke
greens; mule ham, canvassed. »- "
Roast: Mule sirloin; mule r )
stuffed with rice; saddle of mu a”
1 ’armee.
Vegetables: Boiled rice; rice I. d
boiled; hard rice any way.
Entrees; Mule head, stuffed, a la
Reb; mule hoof, jerked, a la Yankee;
mule ears, fricassed, a la getch; mule
side, stewed new style, hair on; mule
liver, hashed, a I’explosion.
Side Dishes: Mule salad; mule
hoof, soused; mule brains, a 1’ ome
lette; mule kidneys, braised on ram
rod; mule tripe, on half (Parrott)
shell; mule tongue, cold, a la Bray.
Jellies: Mule foot (3-to-yard);
mule bone, a la trench.
Pastry: Rice pudding, poke berry
sauce; wood berry pie, a 1’ Ironclad;
china berry tarts.
Dessert: White-oak acorn; beech
nuts, blackberry leaf tea; genuine
Confederate coffee.
Liquors: Mississippi water, vin
tage 1492, very superior, $3; lime
stone water, late importation, very
fine, $3.75; spring water, Vicksburg,
bottled, $4.
Meals at few hours. Gentlemen to
wait upon themselves. Any inatten
tion in service should be promptly
reported at office.
JEFF DAVIS & OO„
Proprietors.
CARD: The proprietors of the
justly celebrated Hotel de Vicksburg,
having enlarged and refitted the same
are now prepared to accommodate
all who may favor them with a call.
Parties arriving by the river, or by
Grant’s inland route, will find Grape,
Cannister & Co’s, carriages at the
landing, or any depot on the line of
entrenchments. Buck, Rail & Co.
take charge of all baggage. No effort
will be spared to make the visit of all
as interesting as possible.
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