Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-03-20
"REMINISCENCES OF WASHINGTON,

kEMlNlbCENUEN VI WAHHlN6TON,
drew jackson, Francis r. Hair,
Mrs. Anne Royal, John C. Cal
hOun, Daniel Webster and Other
NOta6les.
tBsn ferley P00re Rn shs Atlantic Monthly for
Gen. Jackson cared not for this exhibition Of
costly furniture, but passed the greater portion
OF his time upstairs in his Office, smoking
corn-cob pipe with reed stem, and discussing
politics with his henchmen. He was at the
time Of his Inauguration sixty-two years Of age,
tan, spare, with high forehead from which
his gray hair was brushed back, a decisive nose,
searching, keen eyes, and when good natured
an almost child like expression about his mouth.
self.reliant. preJudiced, and often very irasci-
age him. Some Of his Cabinet advisers made it
point to be with him. to prevent others from
tngratiatdng themselves into his goodwill, and
they were thus chronicled In ballad Of the
time:
Whom he held his bid to DO;
Hs also had Z. three pilot fish:
There was Mat: and Lou, and Jack and Lev
and Roger Of fancy hue.
And Kendall chief cook,
And Isaac, surnamed the true"
Mat Van Buren, was Secretary Of State, Lou NC
Lane was Secretary of the Treasury, Jack
Branch was Secretary OF the Navy, Lev Wood
was Attorney General Blair, Kendall and
Isaac Hill were also known as 'the kitchen
Cabinet"
FRANCIS P. BLAIR
has been the partner Of Amos Kendall in the
publication OF the Frankfort Argus, and they
had both deserted Henry Clay when they en-.
listed in the movement which gave the electora!
vote Of Kentucky to Gen. jackson, and joined
in the cry Of bargain and corruption" raised
against their former friend. 1t is related that
the first interview between Clay and Blair after
this desert1on was very awkward one for the
latter, who felt that he had behaved Shabbiy.
Clay had ridden over on horseback from Lexing-
ton to Frankfort, In the winter season, on legal
tavern door found himself confronting Blair,
who was just leaving the house. 'tHow do you
do, Mr.. Blair?" inquired the great commoner, in
his stlvery tones and blandest manner, at the
same time extending his hand. Blair mechani-
cally took the rendered hand. but was
EVIDENTLY NoNPLUssED,
and at length said, with an evident effort
pretty well, thank, you sir How did you
roads are very bad Mr.. Blair. grac1ously re-
piled Clay-"very bad; and wish, sir, that you
would mend your ways
Mir. Blair established the Globe, which became
model political organ, and had the name OF
every federal Office holder whose salary exceed
ed thousand dollars on its subscription list.
While he defended in its columns Gen. Jackson
ard the, acts Of the administration, right or
wrong, he waged merciless warfare against
those who opposed them. When Col w. r.
King, of Alabama, once begged him to soften an
piled, ''No! Let it tear his heart out" With all
his political insolence, however, he possessed
remarkable kindness of heart, and more
,dngent father was never known IN WASH
and Gen. Glascock, of Georgia, used to tell how
wager was once made between some Geor-
CLANS and Kentuckians Of an oyster supper for
thirty, to be paid for by the citizens Of that
state which could produce the ugliest man.
The evening came, the company assembled.
and Georgia presented fellow not naturally
,1,n hn1 fIn y0f
fully distOl ting his features. Kentucky was In
despair for their man, who had been kept
cooped up for week, was so hopelessly drunk
that he could not stand. At the last moment
happy thought occurred to Kentucky repre-
sentative, named Albert G. Halves. Ordering
hack he drove to the Globe Office, and SON
saying as they entered the room, ''Gentlemep,
this is Mr.. Blair, the editor of the Globe and Ii
he will only look as nature has made him Ken
their willingness to pay for the supper.
MRS. ANNE ROYAL
was at that time the only interviewer" and
the only female writer for the press at Washing
ton. She was the widow Of Tennessee revo-
lut1onary officer, and she first visited the cap
ital to secure pension; but falling in that, she
devoted herself to personal literature. Then
she managed to secure an old Ramage printing
press and font Of battered long-pr1mer type,
with which, aided by runaway apprentices and
tramptng journeymen printers, she published
on Capitol Hill, for several years small week.
~ SuGCI Cdllcu Lu6 1uNtvGSS. EVERY pcESOQ Oh
any distinction who visited Washington re-
ceiyed a call from Mrs. Roya and If they SUBJ
ScTtbed for the Hu7atTeSS they were described In
the the next number ee1I IL complimentary manner
without mercy. When young, she was short,
plump, and not bad-look1ng woman, but as she
advanced In years her flesh disappeared, and
her nose seemed to increase in size; but her
piercing black eyes lost none of their hre, while
her tongue Wagged more abuslvely when she
lost her temper. John g Adams described her
chanted armor, redeeming herself from the
cramps OF Indulgence by the notoriety of her
eccentricities and the forced currency they gave
to her publications."
Mrs. Royals tongue at last became so ure1-
durable that she was formally indicted by tie
grand jury as common scold and tried In the
Circuit ead Court e; before Judge cranch His honor
mony, and showing that If found guilty she
must be ducked, In accordance with the English
law In force In tn the District Of Columbia: The
his honor, the judge, to weigh the matter, and
not be the first to
INTRODUCE DUCK1NG STOOL
which had been obsolete in England since the
reign of Queen Anne. as the Introduction Of such
an engine of punishment might have the effect
of increasing criminals of this class. II the
Greek legislators would not enact q punishment
for a crime not unknown to them, lest 1t should
induce persons to commit that offence, the court
should not permit the Introduction of the duck
ing stool, lest it might lead to an increase Of
common ScOlQS. IBIS argument mad weight, and
a fine was imposed on Mrs Royal which was
duly paid.
When the Twenty first Congress assembled,
on Dec. Z, 1929, Gen. jackson sent In message
which naturally attracted some attention.
Meeting his old and intimate friend Gen. Arm
strong the next day, Gen. Jackson said, "Well
BOB, what do the people say OF my messenger"
They say" replied Gen. Armstrong, ''that it is
first-rate but nobody believes that you wrote it"
"Well, good naturedly replied Old hickory. "dont
deserve just as much credit for picking out the
man who could write it," Although the words
of this and OF the subsequent messages were not
Gen. Jackson'S, the ideas were, and he always
insisted on having them clearly expressed 1t
was In his first message, by the way, that he
invited the attention of Congress to the fact
that the charter of the United States Bank
would expire In 1886, and asserted that it had
failed In the great end OF establishing uni
form and sound currency" This was the be-
ginning OF that fierce political contest which
resulted In the triumph OF Gen. Jackson and
the overthrow of the United States Bank.
The Senate Of
THE TWENTY-FIRST CONGRESS
had probably never been surpassed, Ii eQualled,
in point Of ability and orator1cal talent, by any
representative body Of its size, and an unimpor-
tant resolution, introduced early in 1880 by SEN
ator Foote, led to a general debate which was
1.-THE battle OF the giants" The discussion en-
braced all the partisan issues of the time espe-
cially those of sectional nature including the
alleged right OF state to set the federal gov
eminent az defiance. The state-rights men in