The Washington critic., 1886-01-20

happy speech in which he declared
that he had rclinquished all hope of tho
Presidency. General Logan, when he
was called upon, said that he had
heard great deal of talk about Presi
dental candidates, but, he added, to
settle all question as to his own posi-
tion, ! wish TO remind the gentlemen
present that no man ever went
from the Senate TO the White House.
Several have tried it, continued the
General smiling grimly, but have
not heard of any one who was success
ful.
~
Franl, Pixley says in the San Fran
cisco diYoBdW: We have made cal
culation for the third family of Van.
dcrbilts and found that, If il shall be as
capable, rs industrious, as provident, as
hard and selfish as the founders of its
race, and enough shall escape the
lunalic asylum and the home of the
incbriatc to take the boquest in another
forty years, from per cent invest.
mcnt, with annually interest rein.
vested Mt the same figure, the family
estate will amount to 1877, 1888 900.
There is one pleasant outlook, for we
may reasonably hope that in forty
years this sum will exceed our national
debt, when II simple act of Congress
being passed to contiscatc the Wander
bilt estate will relieve our country
from all financial embarrassments and,
assuming that the family is not more
prolific of sons and daughters in the
future than IL has been In the past, only
siXty-four unfortunate rich people will
suffer TO avoid n great national evil,
Napoleon destroyed old families aud
provided against the formation
of new ones by the simple pro.
vision of his code that when
any one died his property should be
equally distributed to his heirs. The
English place probate tax on the es-
tatcs Of deceased persons, which we
may improve by adding an ascending
scale of penalties, letting the poor man
through the gateway of death with a
nominal toll, but unloading dead mil
lonaires of such amounts as we think
will be burdcnsomc to them in climbing
the golden ladder and embarrassing for
them TO explain to ST. Peter that their
millions were honestly come by We
wiki resume the consideration of this
interesting subject when the next soul.
less millionaire passes in his checks
without remembering in his death those
who aided him in life.
~
II was during the Madison admins
tration, January, 1910, that the custom
81 No,- Nnnu'g nnlIg Inl
Washington Irving was among the
Presidents guests January /. 1911, and
in letter to Henry Brevoort he gives q
charming description of Mrs. Madison
and of the grace with which she pre-
| sided as mistress of the White House
| In 1914, when the White House was
burned by the British, President Madi.
son moved TO the Octagon House.
Here he held the New Year levee in
1915, and here, also, he signed the
treaty of Ghent in February of the
same year. In 1918 President Monroe
held his New Years levee in the White
House. AT that time there were many
very noted men in Congress. The for
cign ministers were men of great dis.
tinction, and society was said to have
attained the greatest brilliancy ever
reached in Washington. At the Presi-
dents levce January /, 1925, Lafayette
and his son, George Washington
Lafayette, were among the guests, as
were also Clay Webster, Calhoun,
Everett Hayne of South Carolina,
General Jackson, and many other noted
men, with the ladies of these families.
| Truly, says the correspondent of the
Kansas City Times, in collating these
"reminiscences, is this White House of
ours, with the professions of noted
families which the people have sent to
inhabit it, place of memories.
Through the open doors
The harmless phantoms on their errands
glide;
There are more guests at the table than the
| hosts
Invited. The illuminated hall
Is thronged with quiet, inofrensive ghosts,
As silent as the pictures on the wall.