Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-10-31
DIPLOMACY AND REDSKINS.


tent1On on the ran. american Train.
now QUESTIONS OF PRECEDENCE AMONG DELE
OATES HAVE BEEN sErTLEp-LEur. LEMLY's
SOLUTION OF TIE BAGGAGE PRoBLKx-Ml-
CURTIS ADOPTED INTO TRIBE OF INDIANA
Star Corrsspondeace of TIE EVENING STAR
OMAHA, NEE, October g.
There was good deal Of dignity in the in
ternational American congress when it started
out for its forty days tour. but the democracy
which 10 naturally consequent upon the inti-
mate companionship for four weeks IN q vesti-
oule train has upset many . precedent and
made some Of the more distinguished diplomats
careless Of rights which q month ago they
deemed most precious. In Q few instances
several OF the distinguished foreigners have
insisted on the rules Of precedence and only
the most careful handling prevented outbursts
which would have marred the pleasure and
wrecked the success Of the excursion. Other
delegates, again, are more interested in the
companionship Of certain individuals than in
holding inviolate unwritten diplomatic law.
This question comes up when the party goes
out for carriage ride. II custom Is law then
the delegates should be seated in these car
r1ages in the order Of their rank, and this Mr..
curtis tried to do when We started out Be-
fore We left Boston one Of the dele
gates insisted on being accompanied by his
son, who is also his secretary; this was the FIRST
break. Then two other Of the delegates de-
manded that their secretaries ride with them,
and pretty soon affairs got into such q condi-
ton that 1t was q case of first come. first
served" Two or three of the delegates are de-
cidedly particular as to the kind Of a convey
ance they ride in, and when, by any combina-
ton Of circumstances, a shabby vehicle and
their turn arrives at the same time
they very generously give way to
somebody else, whose discrimination Is not
! so nice IS to make them look the proverbial
gift horse" in the mouth. One Of the more
| distinguished delegates, diplomatic Of note,
viii never enter carriage unless in advance of
the three others who will, with him, occupy it.
His reason for doing this is that he wants the
| rear seat on the right side; il anybody else
enters the carriage which was brought up for
him he gravely steps to one side, bowsa polite
but decided refusal, and waits until the
| next carriage comes along. He prefers to sac
rifice his diplomatic precedence rather than
risk being compelled to ride in any other than
| his favorite seat Another Of the delegates, a
most genial old gentleman, has a decided deaf
ness in one ear, and the seat he occupies must
be one which turns his deaf ear to the public
| and his sound auricular oriice to his compan-
ions in the conveyance; not that he loves the
dear public less, but because he wants to hear
all that is going on in the carriage.
DIPLOMACY AND CORNER ROOMS.
Assigning the delegates TO rooms in hotels
in towns where we stop over nights a most
delicate duty, and that it has been managed
with large degree Of success is no small
tribute to those who have had the matter in
Charge. 1t is no uncommon thing for ten or
twelve delegates to make simultaneous demand
each for corner room on the second floor, and
| as but few hotels are blessed with a
! sufficient number of corners to supply
such demand as this, it would
| seem to be almost certain that trouble
wOnld for ra
greater diplomates in the newspaper business
than the diplomatic service ever saw, and in q
little while each of those who fails to get a cor
| ner room is led to believe that the corner
rooms OF this particular hotel are the least de-
slrable OF all the apartments, while those who
have secured just what they wanted have
| it limited to them that only the most dstin-
guished members OF the party could be 80 charm
| ingly situated. There Is less Of this trouble
now, but 1t still exists, and were it not for tine
consummate tact displayed by those who have
the party in charge there would have been sew
eral instructions before we had been a week
away from Washington. As DR.. Zelaya, the ex-
| tremely genial and decidedly humorous dele
gate from Honduras, said today: "Zer-r-r-e
ar-r-e moo flies on Meester-r Cur-r-r-tise or
Meester-r Dr-r-apar-r-e." And the doctor
knows what he is talking about.
TELEscoPINa THE BAGGAGE.
Another of the things which bothered the
management Of the train not q little was the
baggage. Each member Of the party started
out with at least two valises, and some Of the
Berry Walls took Saratoga trunk containing Q
| greater assortment of raiment than even Solo
mon in all his glory was possessed of. When
ever stop was made for a banquet or a recep-
| ton travelling costumes had to be doffed and
dress suits donned. II the party was going to
! sleep on the train that same night every bag
and trunk in the overcrowded baggage car had
to be handled two or three times over,
while If the program involved slumber at Q
hotel every scrap of the excursionists belong
lngs had to be transferred in wagons from and
to the tram. baggage Master Dale says he
| started out with lS6 pieces and he is willing to
make affidavit that the natural increase since
the Sd instant has been at least 50 per cent.
The closest contracts that could be made would
not allow the baggage to be moved for a sum
much less than S125 and, besides the expense,
| there was vast amount of trouble and re-
sponsibility involved. The possibility of los
ing one or more pieces was decidedly probable,
| and nothing but the utmost vigilance on the
part of MIR. Dale has kept the entire aggrega-
| ton OF clothing and souvenirs safe and sound.
The great problem then became How can we
| avoid the moving of all these trunks?" 1t was
solved by Lieut.. Lemly, whose ready wit and
| keen business sense has been worth a good
| many hundred dollars to the government on
| this trip. He suggested to MIR. Curtis that
it would be well and economical to
purchase a sufficient number of canvass
cases, commonly known as telescopes" in
| which to have each member Of the party pack
his dress suit and the spotless linen which
fashion says must accompany it. The sugges-
| ton was at once adopted and seventy-fve of
those receptacles which will always hold Just
q little more were purchased at the wholesale
rate of Sl.40 each. Somebody may criticise
| this and want to know why the United States
should buy valises for people who are able to
buy them for themselves, but the fact is un-
| changed that Mr.. Curtis could not have
done Q better thing. Well, the "tele-
| scopes" were bought, and then came the task
Of educating everybody to use them. 1t re-
CURED good deal OF tact and great deal Of
patience and no small amount OF persuasive
eloquence before some Of the delegates could
be led to believe the telescopes" were the
proper things to use. Now, when we leave the
train. the 'telescopes' are collected in less
| than five minutes, are bundled into q wagon
| and taken to the hotel for q comparatively in
significant sum Of money.
NOT SHIRTS ENOUGH TO GO AROUND.
The international excursion party has, in
dividually and collectively, been the recipient
Of good many tokens of esteem in the course
of its tour, but the prize souvenirs came to
hand three or four days ago. They were all
done up in one bundle and when Secretary
Curtis cut the string and removed the wrapper
he was surprised to find one dozen-a whole
dozen--nice, new, clean, white shirts. An ac-
companying note informed Mr.. Curtis that the
garments were the best products OF q
l. snh ,Sst al.