The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1883-05-17
SMALL TALK
About Men and Things.

q candldate Tor the Presidency.
"Why shouldn't be2 replied honest VII
liam, the champion of the ultra free-trade
party in Congress.
II don't know" responded the gentleman.
" How is your personal record?"
Hanged if I know says Morrison wait
until I get nominated; if do, then III find
out"
You people are out of business now?" was
remarked to one of the restaurateurs of the
Senate the other day.
Yes," replied the gentleman with the white
apron, we are out for while, but our friends
viii be back again in the fall. We do heap
of business while we are going, though. Some
of our Senators spend good deal of money
others are very careful. Some of them always
go on tick and run up a bill to the end of the
month. and some always pay cash as they go.
Senator Morrill, always has the most money in
his pocket: He always carries it in a leather
wallet, in an inside vest pocket, and he goes
down as carefully as though he was feeling for
tacks, brings it up takes out roll as big as a
mans arm, and pays his bill. He never gets
trust for a cents worth. The biggest bills car
ried by anybody are handed up by Sawyer, of
Wisconsin. He stroll5 In, takes his lunch,
which is usually very moderate for fat man,
waddles back to the counter and probably
hands out hundred dollar bill to be ex-
changed. I have seen him do that every day
for week. Old Judge Davis was the funniest
man to deal with you ever saw. He was very
particular to cent about what he spent, and
he always got the best of his check. He would
probably take eighty-fve cents worth or per-
haps ninety, and would throw down the
check, and say, if it were eighty-ive, Give
me a quarter In that way the old fellow
knew well enough that he was getting ten
cents the best of the house. but we always gave
the Judge what he wanted, and We would
thus reduce his check for him three or four
times week, to the extent of five, ten, or fif-
teen cents. He knew well enough what he
was about and in the same way he would buy
cigars. He wouldsay, Give me the best cigar
you have and we would throw him out
cigar that was two for quarter and he would
lay down twelve cents and take one. They say
that next to Fair he was the richest man in
the Senate. AT any rate, he meyer fooled away
any of his money.
Don Cameron is the best customer we have.
Why, l have drawn the cor1s from eighteen
quart bottles for him In one day, and his bill
often runs to $500 per month. Of all the Gus
toners we have had come in here, he is the
best and / used to like TO get chance 70 chalk
up for him when he got to going. Some of the
Senators never eat here. There is Jones. of
Florida, ne never seems to eat at all, but he is
as regular as clock work in coming down.
When anything was going on in the Senate
last session he would seem to get excited, and
every thirty minutes regularly he would be
here, and call for his cup of cold tea Logan
always lunches with us, but he is very mod
crate eater. never takes any wine or cold tea
usually drinking milk and eating some crack
ers. He never runs an account, but pays as he
goes.
The Democrats don't spend as much money
with US as the Republicans, and about the only
good customer we had on that side last session
was Mcpherson. of New Jersey. He sometimes
takes a big dinner and has lots of money!
With these nominations as to the peculiari-
ties of his guests, the polite restaurateur
passed on with the remark that spring was
very slow coming this year.
1t is somewhat surprising to Mr. Gilfllan's
friends in Washington that he resigned the
position of Treasurer of the United States
without knowing exactly what he was going
into. 1t seems however, that he had been in
New York inquiring into the affairs of the
trust company whose future head he was to
be, for some time before he discovered that.
genial or profitable to him. He thereupon
resigns very quietly, and is to take another
presidency,-this time of q bronze foundry
The trust company with which he expected TO
connect himself, when he left the Treasury.
has history. 1t has made one or two attempts
to start in business, but has never done much |
1t is really little else but very broad charter
which was obtained by Boss Tweed at the time |
he owned the Albany legislature, with the |
expectation OF selling it to the New York |
Stock Exchange. owing TO the wonderfully |
elastic provisions which it contains. He could |
not make the trade however, with the New
York capitalists, and the charter speculation |
was brought to a sudden termination by the |
collapse of Tweed and the ring. An effort was |
made to put it to an honest use by the estab- |
lishment Of this trust company, but it has |
never thrived Ex-Seeretary Boutwell, and |
Ben Butler took hold of it lately. and pro- |
posed, with Gilfillan at its head, to reorganize /
1t and make it living and profitable enter /
prise; but, for some reason, it seems to be i'll |
fated, and probobly will not be heard of after |
Gilfllan's retirement. Mr.. Boutwell, has also l
gone out of the concern.
member Of the Cabinet in General Grants /
time remarked yesterday: " hear that First |
Comptroller Lawrence has taken the bull by
the horns in the case of the Union Pacific
Railroad, and has just reared his head clear
Secretary Folger. The case was something
like this: The Union Pacific Railroad sued the
Government for money earned by carrying the
mails over some of its leased lines which was
withheld by the Government as an Offset for
certain money claimed TO be due to the Govern
ment on account of the subsidy transactions of
the main line. The Supreme Court decided
that the money must be paid to the road The
attorney for the company then came TO the
President and represented that as this was a
test suit which had been carried clear to the
Supreme Court of the United States, other
sums for the same service ought to be paid
without an additional lawsuit over each ac-
count. It is understood that the President did
not see why not. At any rate, he referred the
matter to Attorney-General Brewster Brewster
gave an opinion in favor of the road and it
was sent by the President to the Secretary of
the Treasury for action. Mr.. Folger was about
TO order that these aceounts-which run clear
mp into the millions-be settled, when he was
suddenly brought to his senses by the all-pog-
erful Lawrence. Said the statesman from Bel
Iontaine: have jurisdiction over this matter
and propose to decide il. Brewster's opinions
don't bind me. shall decide it this week and if
counsel desire to argue the question they may
appear and do So We used 20 have q comp
.roller in the days when I was in the Cabinet
ust like Lawrence, only little worse His
name was Taylor. He thought he was supe-
nor, not only to the Cabinet, Congress and the
supreme Court, but finally got TO thinking that
10 could not even be removed by the Presi-
lent. One day at Cabinet meeting Boutwell,
old Grant that Taylor thought he couldn't
h