National Republican., 1885-07-15
cLEvELAND's FISHING rnIp.
The Presidents Mugwump, whitney's
Dolphin, and Vilas's Offensive Parti-

The Presidents Mugwump, whltney's
Dolphin, and vilas's Offensive Parti-
san.
special Dispatch to Philadelphia Prc3'. 18th
The President returned TO the capital to-
night In q special car from the Woodmont
Rod and Gun Club ON the upper Potomac,
where he went last Saturday afternoon.
The party, which was composed Of Mr..
Cleveland, Private Secretary Lamont, Sec
ictaries whitney, Manning, and Lamar,
Postmaster General Villas, and two or three
members Of the club, enjoyed themselves
immensely.
The first bite the President had was so
dainty that he said he wasn't sure whether
IL was bass or Mugwump, as both nib
bed coyly at first. After playing with It
forawhlle he landed fine fish aud justified
his reputation as skillful angler Secre-
tary Lamar went out in boat with good
array Of tackle, ,sand, after adjusting his
flies, waited for rise. lie didn't happen
to.strike q good spot for fish, and as he felt
no evidence of bite from anything but u
mosquito for half an hour, he turned his rod
over to his boatman, and, taking out n copy
Of Shelley, was soon lost to all his aquatic
surroundings. His boatman, however,
faithfully attended TO his work, and the re-
suit was that the Secretary Of the Interior
showed the largest string Of fish OF any Of
the party, and, of course, mOdestly claimed
to have caught them all himself
Secretary Whitney was just going 10 take
boat when he espied q tadpOlo sitting on
| the top of the dam. "IIold on,n said the
on tile dam wherever you see tadpole
there you will find bass.n "Don't be an
ASST said Manning, "there isn't any bass
there, Is there, judge" appealing TO Judge
| Ilillyer, president of the Woodmont Rod
and Gun Club The judge said he had never
caught dam bass there, but Whitney was
obstinate, and the rest went off and left
him.
Whitney seized the tadpole, placing him
on his sprout hook, walked out on the dam
and made a cast far out into the water
lie then seated himself to await results.
Soon he thought he felt a bite, and he let
his line run out to give the fish greater play.
He paused anxiously, and at last, thinking
he had hung his game, he began TO reel In.
lie was engaged In this delightful occupa-
ton when Manning and lIillyer came back.
"Hello," said the Secretary Of the Treasury,
shave you caught anythingW "DOn't
bother me now,n replied Whitney, "I've
got something big on my hook; / think 1t
must be dolphin" and he pulled vlgor-
ously on his line to draw IL In.
"Where's your tadpolcp asked Manning.
"Why, ON the end Of the hook,n replied
Whitney. "No, he isn't,n said Manning.
ale is on the dam behind you" "Pshaw,"
said Whitney, "that's another one" and he
hauled again with force that snapped the
top Of his rod of. Manning and Hillyer
made an examination and found that the
tadpole had first gone down under the dam
and then came up again, wrapping the line
around, and had seated himself In about the
same position as when first seen by the Sec
rctary. When the story was told the Presl-
dent he laughed heartily, aud advised
Whitney TO seek the Attorney Generals
opinion as to whether he could proceed
against the tadpole for damages to his fish
ing rod.
Private Secretary Lamont is about like
Private Secretary Phillips under the old
administratiOn-he is q genuine fisherman.
Phillips caught twenty-iive-pound salmon
once with an eight ounce rod In tho Rcstl-
gouche, and said IL took him thirty minutes
TO land 1t. Lamont caught the biggest fish
of any Of the party, it being q splendid bass
weighing over four pounds and 1t took the
amiable private secretary just twelve min
utes by the watch to bring him in. The fact
that the bass was on the end of the boat.
mans line, and that he played him until
Col. Lamont brought him into the boat with
n landing net doesn't interfere with the
reputation of the private secretary as a fine
fisherman.
Postmaster General Villas only caught one
fish during the entire time, and that was q
sucker, which he said reminded him Of al
"olTensiye partisann postmaster, and SO he
retired to the club house and played whist
with dummy till the Others had finished
their sport. Secretary Manning did no
fish, but inspected the grounds of the Wood
mont Rod and Gun Club with Judge Hill
yer, and finally sat down and figured out L
- y.-s-s - ---i. ~t.--l-L 49, Sssss
could make by the discharge of two boat
men and one unnecessary bait catcher. HC
explained to the Judge that these men did
not come under the civil service laws, anL
that their places need not be filed, bu
that, If necessity compelled them to in
crease their force hereafter, they could ex
ercise the choice Of selection without cor
respondence with Dorman b. Eaton.