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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. 3