The Arkansaw traveler., 1883-12-01
CABINET MfNSTRELS.
Peek, Sur

Peck's Sun
 Every day the people learn some ne, thing about their rulers, little incident are related by friends of the grea, mer that show has they are nearer the com mon people than would be supposed Most people have an idea that when 2 nan becomes president, or senator, or q member of the cabinet, he changes m a -ins'e night, as t were, and becomes SO great that an oli friend would not know him, or he would not know the old iriehd. That IS far from the truth. Our great men are only great in their minds. and n our minds. The position they aoid ; great. but the men are ali ,he 5Ahe. We are al 10 think tha, the president for instance. .s dude who e1n only ca; things that are brought ,o nm on goid-lined silver platter. bu, gentleman who has seen him of on | "shinS excursion, Says that he oan spear ee!ea potato with sharp s,.ck, equal n my oi the boys, and wher 1, comes to spanking tin pepper box over a pan of hyinS iish. he Is perfectly at home, while no thdn in the nation can take link of 1"ieSEa sansage and peel the ulster of Aith more sang ffoid. bon hoinme ana mustard than Can the president. II k sud 'a@' he can sit down on stump and ssin mess oi black bass for sumner eqan 70 any man, and the handy man ncf in which he manipulates can opener on an ot baked beans would make AnEcs weep. fl the angels were hungry scr o9ans. Wherever you pu, him, ~1etnef building fire of twigs or going io a neighboring farm house after a pail a. 7s;lk, he k the righ, man in the righ, allte. such news of our president tends D en3eay him 10 Us. Bu, the latest news oi he stea. man comes from a variety 4ctor named Murphy. who asserts that twenty years ago Mir. Arthur attended d biuIo school in New York and learned to p,ck tse banjo, as well as to dance d rg. lhif information as 10 the presi- dents musical and te-pischorean accom- piishments accounts for the lengthy cabine, meetings. People have ire quent'y wondered why eabine; meetings lasted until way into the night. bu, II is mystery no longer The SMN Is in- formed that at these eabine, meetings .he president takes his banjo. and while the attorney general IS giving some .engthy opinion on position of inter- aat,onal law. he tunes the banjo. and ,a,,les of tune. while the other mem hcrs oi the cabinet keep time with their feet. thus making business and recreation partners. IL Is said to be beautiful sish,, though verN few ever see t. To see lhe cabinet in session. The president IS the middle man, with his banjo, and acts AS the interlocutor or question asker and on hls right and lief, are the members of he cabinet. with Robert Lincoln and Chandler as the end tnen. The pyeS!- lent t.-ns ,o Chaai,e- and says. !" Bones. now ioes yer feel dis ebening:" and mes saYs he IS all broke up. and the president says ii he IS al broke up he resembles the United States navy. and .hey all laugh. The president says. = We will pow have ,he opening chorus. Mary's gone away wid coon. when Judge Gresham takes out pair oi wooden pocket combs with tissue paper an. aad plays an accompaniment. while fudge Folger takes the presidents hal, snr ,ambourine and balances II on his taumb. and Lincoln sits still saving his voice ;o recite the touching pension re- .rain, Let this mule be cared for as long as he lives" while tears stream from All eyes. 4 cabinet meeting under such circumstances is shorn of many of the hardships that have heretofore been in- separable with the deliberations, and which have worn out so many of our able statesmen. The presence of ! banjo iT :he cabinet makes quarrel between twe members a practicable impossibili,y. l .he secretary of the navy should a,temp 70 quarrel with the secretary of war abou he relative importance of the tw' branches of the service in a politica campaign, and hint tha, the navy eouls control four times as many votes as tn, war department, and Lincoln should be gin to pull of his coat and roll up hi sleeves to demonstrate that war. with it wide desolation could knock the tarr- top lights out of the naval officer. wh
 never could tell the bow from the (s,er
 f a cinker built skiff' the psesiden could ssrike up, "f an Muldoon, tn solid man." or "Never take the horse shoe from the door," and the warrior would shake hands and dance a doubl clog. Should Gresham make up faces { Folger, and make fun of the New Ycr method of calling bonds, and show hir that the Indiana method was the bes where straigh,-hush beats queen ful and war seemed inevitable between th two old fossils, the president would onl have to play a rattling jig to have it blo
 over, and the two men would embrae and join in the chorus. A banjo is bette han gatling gun in the cabinet, an