The Washington critic., 1886-06-04
WASHINGTON CRITIC
-------
WASHINGTON, JUNE 4, 1886.
TOPICS OF THE DAY.

number of petty pension bills which he
has returned 10 Congress without his
approval of late threatens to increase so
rapidly in the future that the printing
of bis vetoes in convenient form seems
almost necessity, still no President
before him ever did It, When Major
Pruden, one of his secretaries, arrives
at the Senate or House with n veto,
he stations himself at some conspicu.
Gus place MS soon as the veto has been
read and begins to hand printed copies
of the document to everybody desirous
of obtaining them. AT such moments
he looks like a good bishop distributing
tracts.
~
The Hon. Ignatius Donnelly, who is
now trying to prove that Bacon and
not Shakespeare wrote the plays bearing
the latter's name, was Member of
Congress from Minnesota away back
in 1868. On one OCCASION says Jules
Guthridge in the Chicago Ne,os, he de-
livered terrific philippe against his
colleague Mr.. Washburn, in which
Mr.. Donnelly declared that "all the
male Washburns born in the family
had an M. G. branded on their broad
est part" This hit at the oilice.seek-
ing propensities of the Washburns was
greeted with shrieks of laughter by
Donnelly's Congressional associates.
Anthony Trollope, the English
novelist, was seated in the gallery dur
ing the delivery of Donnelly's speech.
He was greatly shocked at the coarse
ness of the honorable gentleman re-
marks. and soon after quilted the house
in disgust. The next morning Edward
Paley, the secretary of the English
legation, was riding down Fourteenth
street Espying Trollope, he guided
his horse in that direction. AS he
neared the sidewalk the horse stepped
into a pool of dirty water and spat
tered the novelist quite freely. Paley
began to apologize. cts all right, my
dear boy" exclaimed Trollope, cut
ting him Short "the beast couldn't
help it, you know, but''-as If a sudden
thought had struck him-'1 say, can
give you good name for your horse. "
"And what would you call him, pray?'
"Call him Donnelly." was the re
joinder; "he's good mud Singer"
~
Last nj ght at Chamberlin's says
a. casual contributor to THE
CRITIC, II heard story about General
'Stonewall Jackson which I have
never seen in print. The greatest of
the Southern commanders was one of
the most pure of men in mind and
body. He never touched drop of
strong liquor or uttered an oath. Upon
one occasion, while near Richmond,
General Jackson was taken sick and tho
camp surgeon prescribed Madeira wine
diluted with water. The intrepid
Jackson refused to take it. DR.. Hunter
Mcclure, his physician, was quickly
sent for, and agreed that the camp sur
geon's prescription was wise and efflca-
cious. Then Jackson acquiesced and
the medicine was prepared. The
bottle was brought and the sick man
raised 1t to his lips, drank little of its
contents and then laid 1t down again.
oh, you must drink at least half of it.. ;
calculated the camp surgeon. Well
replied General jackson, If DR.. Nc
Guire says / must l will Yes, Gen.
eral,' said DR.. Mcclure, you must
drink at least half jackson picked
up the bottle, and when he again put 1t
down it was over half gone.
The physicians awaited the re.
suit, when suddenly Jackson
sprang from his cot and rush
ing out jumped on his horse and
started down the road at full run. BE.
fore his amazed aides could gather
their senses and start in pursuit, Jack
son was out of sight. Nothing could
be learned of his whereabouts, though
search was made far and near. AT the
end of two hours cloud of dust was
seen coming up the road, and in few
moments up rode Jackson. He dis
mounted and hurriedly went into his
tent. DIR. Mcclure and the camp sur.
gcon concluded there was something
the matter with his mind. They felt
his pulse and 1t was beating rapidly
They were nonplussed. At last DR..
Mcclure said, Hand me that bottle
He lifted 1t to his nose. He was hor.
rified. 1t was the strongest kind Of
brandy, and Jackson had drank over
half pint of it at one 'swig.'"
wv
Said leading statesman to Carp
of the Cleveland Leader: Cleveland
may make good husband, though
the indications are that he has moi
many social qualities. He has not paid
any attention to society in the White
House, and If he keeps up the same
life that he has been living during the
first part of his career his wife will not
see much of him, A married man ough,
to spend at least one-third of the day
with his family. President Cleveland
has been getting up at half-past seven
in the morning and shaving himseli
and then going down to the breakfast
table. He has eaten his breakfast in O
hurry andrushed off to work, He has
worked steadily in his Office until
o'clock and then has come down and
gulped down ten-minute lunch. HC
has then rushed back TO work, and his
only recreation has been short
ride every afternoon with Dan
Lamont. His dinners he has
eaten in rather unsocial way, and hi
private dinners have lasted only abou
half hour. In his excursions abou
Washington you never see him on
riding with ladies or engaged in socia
conversation. Even after his dinner
when most men like to go in and hav
a chat with their family, Cleveland ha
gone up stairs and walked alone up ant
down the corridor while he smokes hi
cigar. When he got through with hi
cigar he went back to the office ant
worked, and he labored along ofte,
until midnight. He seems to be pos
sessed with the very demon o
work, and his greatest pleasure Il
the past has been in the regula
grind Of every day business. 1t ma