The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1886-01-21


position assigned him. He did so in the fol-
lowing words, addressing the Speaker:
il was your pleasure, sir to do me the honor 10
place ne first on the list Of the Committee on Ean-
Ing and Currency. l did intend 20 offer to this
House my reason for declining that honor, but on
the advice OF niaHy friends and in view of the seti-
ment OF the public journals of the country nave
/ concluded TO oaer no reason OF MY own. AS 10
declining the position it your pleasure 10 give
me, did not need the advice of any man, for my
disposition IN that respect was made up from tine
/ hesiHa!ng. Bat for reasons of my own, which
seem I" be understood by my friends and members
CA this floor. do ask the House TO from
I the important duties OF that position.
A PHILANTHROPIC SCHEME.
One OF the most unique and picturesque bills
! in Congress is one introduced some time ago by
Mr. Neece, of Illinois. Its tile, whatever it
! means, IS: Granting lands TO aid in the eStab-
| lishment ola endowment for savings by which
thrift may be promoted and citizens aided and
assisted TO save and preserve themselves from the
econQ1ic impotence and dependence involved Ill
their Lack OF the material factors needed to make
available their personal productive capa-
/ bililies.' ltrequires no small degree OF mental
! effort 70 make out what this is all about, but so
far rs can be judged it is 4 phiianthropic
scheme to give those persons 4 lift who have
! not the faculty Of making their way in the
( world, ana get left in the scramble of life.
! Economic impotence" is very good. 1t may
/ be doubted whether any man in Congress eX-
. Ccpt Mr.. Neece would have ever thought Of
putting 1t IN that way. The bill proposes to
( grant to the Peoples Real Estate Tontine, a So
/ cicty or company now engaged in accommodating
and administering such an endowment. Sec
! Mons OF the public lands, TO the amount Of one
/ section for every 800 received by the company
/ IN subscriptions to IFS tontine life-annuity
funds. not exceeding III all 100000 acres;
! patents for such lands to be issued by the Sec
| rotary of the Interior. The company shall
! never either mortgage or sell said lands but
/ shall only lease them for Il term of years 20 the
aforesaid persons suffering from economic i'm
! poteEce." 1t woald be proiitless to follow the
/ painfully minute details Of the bill through
Its 10 sections, for there is not one chance III a
| thousand that ii will ever be heard of again
! 1t gave the Government printer i smart job
! Of work, and when Congress expires the hun
! drcds of copies Will be sold to the groccrs as
waste paper, along with the great mass of legis-
| latiye debris.
STATE DINNERS.
Last Thursday evening President Cleveland
gave his first state dinner at the White House.
his guests being members Of his Cabinet and
their ladies, with q few others. The SPACIOUS
dining room and the adjoining apartments
were beautifully decorated with plants and flow
crs. at dinner beginning on the right of the
President the guests were placed IS follows: Mrs
Bayard, Secretary Whitney, Mrs. Villas, Senator
EdmuudS, Mrs. Mctuli0ch, cX-MayOr Cooper,
OF New York, Mrs. Udey, Miss Wcddcll, of
Cleveland, o., Senator Harris Mrs Cooper, Gen.
Sheridan, Mrs. End cOtt, Secretary Manning,
Miss Cleveland, who sat opposite the President.
/ On her right sat Secretary Bayard, then Mrs.
| Whitney, Mr.. Villas, Mrs. Sheridan, Speaker
| Carlisle, Mrs. Edmuuds. Mrs. McCulloch, MIR.
James, Miss Love, Admiral Rodgers, Mrs.
James, Secretary Lamar, Mrs Carlisle, Sccre-
tary Erdicott and Mrs. Manning, who sat at
the Presidents left. Ex-Mayor and Mrs. Cooper
and MT. and Mrs. James are intimate friends of
the President, aud Mrs. Utley and Miss Love
are at present Miss Cleveland's guests Senator
Sherman was prevented from attending by alb
senCe from the city, and Senator Harris the
Democratic nominee for President pro ten.
Of the Senate, was invited in his place. After
dinner the guests promenaded in the rooms and
| the Conservatives, which were all brilliantly
! lighted. The President was in excellent spir-
! its and being especially fond OF dinner parties,
| greatly enjoyed his evening with his official
| family about the board. His second dinner
! will be on Thursday evening of this week to
/ tae members Of the Diplomatic Corps.
| TWO NOTED soUTHERSERs.
| Among those who made set speeches in Con-
| gress last week in favor of silver were Senator
! Brown. Of Georgia, and Representative Reagan,
! of Texas Old joe Brown, rs he is famii-
ariy called, viii live most prominently in his
| tory as the War Governor of Georgia during the
| rebellion. He was very independent in his
! administration, managing the affairs of the
/ State very much as If il were little empire
and all his own. lie had some active differ
| enceS with Jefferson Davis, President of the
| so-called Confederacy regarding the services
! Of the Georgia militia. Mr.. Brown is person
| ally very pleasant gentleman G5 years of age.
| He is sparely built and has long, white beard,
! tapcrIng down to 4 point which he strokes
| afcciionately when not otherwise engaged. lie
| dresses very plainly, wears id-fashoncd gold
| trimmed spectacle5, and looks more like a
! Methodist preacher of generation ago than a
| statesman. lie is not an eloquent orator, and
! has that pronunciation peculiar to the South.
| When he says "reegi-nem and govern meat
anybody would know where he is from.
| Judge Reagan is noted for having been Post
| masterGeneral in the cabinet of Jefferson Davis
! during the struggle for the Lost Cause" He
! was in Congress before the war, resigning his
| seat in the Spring Of 1861 to follow his State
! lie is large and portly, with a smoothly shaver
| face, and irregular tufts Of dark hair On his
| crown. He is a man of ability, and recognized
as one Of the Democratic leaders.
NATIONAL FISHING GROUND.
| Mr.. Maybury, of Michigan, has a bill in the
! House that will touch a responsive chord in the
breasts of those who love TO angle for the sport
| i've black bass, or hunt the coy duck as it floats
| on the water. He proposes to set apart as q
national shooting aud fishing resort or reser-
! walton, the broad stretch Of marsh and over
| EoWcQ or Shoal- water lands IN and bordering
! upon Lake Saint Clair, in the State of Michi-
| gan, " for the benefit and enjoyment Of the pco-
| pie" The ground is to be under the exclusive
| control Of the Secretary of the Interior, who
shall make and publish such regulations as he
/ may deem proper for its care and management.
! Leases for building purposes, for terms not ex-
| ceeGing 10 years. may be granted to clubs and
| associations organized for hunting or fishing;
! all revenues from this and other sources to be
| expended IN the care and improvement Of the
| reservation. All nayigaDle waters within the
| prescribed limits are to be deemed public high
| ways and treated az such.
WHY HE DID NOT co.
Attorncy-General Garland did not attend the
| Presidents state dinner last week being the
| only member Of the Cabinet who was absent
! 1t was given out that bis absence was owing to
| 'indispositicn." This is correct though il was
an indispoSiton to wear a claw hammer coat
| Mr. Garland has an uncoIquerabe aversion TO
! this fashionable garment, and has vowed a VOW
! that he will never wear one as long as he lives
! So he declines all invitations to social events
at which every gentleman is expected to wear
! a swallow tail, )" and where the failure to con-
| form to the custom would make him appear
| singular. When lie YVES confronted by the
| rugged Issue of wearing such coat or decln-
| ing to put his knees under the Presidents hos
| pitable board, lie chose the latter.
| CoETEsTIEG = SEAT.