Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-03-07
"BYSTANDER" AND BEN.
An Interview with the New Chief
Executive.
Exciting Scenes Attendant Upon the
Inauguration Witnessed by the
Bulletin" Bystander. Who was on
Hand at the Tfme---An Interesting
and Truthful Description OF Promi.
nent Characters.
Freeport Bnlletin.

Freeport Bulletin.
WASHINGTON, March 81 arrived
here after a cold and muddy ramble of
nine days, and entered the city on the
Alexandria turnpike, bringing my uppers
with me. The rest of the show is not
expected for several days yet, as the fat
woman is said to be mired in a slou gh
near Msrtinsburgh. So / am having a
few days to myself and am spending them
by looking over the capital OF a great
nation at q time when her pulse is at
fever heat Washington claims to have
two hundred Thousand people, including
congressman, hack drivers aud the col>
ored gentlemen who charge you IS for
taking you to place where YOU can be
robbed Of $40 more. Mr.. Harrison is
stopping at the Arlington hotel, but am
stopping elsewhere. / did not think it
wise to put up the same place, as IL is
apt to cause talk and also the employ of
an extra deputy sheriff Another obsta.
Gle is the fact that board there is from IS
TO $40 day and impossible to get ut
that. As it is, am living high, having
secured cot in the hallway on the fifth
floor OF the Drovers hotel. Last night I
gave one pillow and half of nv com
plexton to the bugs, but tonight
shall fare worse, as seven human beings
have been assigned to the sane cot and
another invoice OF insectivors has ar
rived. The Washington bug is a very
peculiar creature. He is very difficult to
tame unless caught when young and kept
under the Influence of chloroform. By
this means he can be gradully introduced
within the pale of civilization, but after
all a pail OF Kerosene oil and slow
match is much better When | arose
this morning, one of the bugs was just
disappearing over the banisters with nv
cravat on, and it WAS with the utmost
difficulty that / could persuade him that
mistake had been made. When l spoke
to the clerk about it, he softly said: "At
1S45 sir; yes. the Pennsylvania depot;
hot water for 21 and clean towel for 45
just four blocks east; front! take this
message for IS and hurry up with that
lunch" This answer satisfied me COM
pletely and retired TO the wash room to
wrestle with that famous stuff called
Washington water Congressman are
generally supposed 10 re wiser than their
fellows and, indeed, they show it in many
OSpCSbos Out III Houc IuDT6 lOhn III LlclT
abstinence from the water served here.
II comes through an aqueduct that cost
good many dollars, but it won't stand
wear and tear, or, as the dry goods man
would say, it won't wash
Sunday spent by covering the town
rs well as / could and seeing the princi-
pal sights. About two hundred thousand
people were similarly engaged and we
kept humping into one another. There
were candidates for cabinet Offices, buuco
steerers,, policemen, postmasters, pick
pockets and jays-the latter being by far
the most numerous. I ventured 10 &C,
cost one man and he said, mo, thanks,
don't want to cash freight bill TODAY"
l then passed on, clothed in silent digni-
ty and a mud-stained vest, and deter
mined hereafter to keep my own counsel
and anything else l could lay my hands
upon. Pennsylvania avenue is the hand
soonest street here. 1t is very wide and
has buildings on both sides. 1t runs
from the capitol TO almost any saloon in
the district and is great promenade for
men who want TO be consuls or train rob-
bers. At the capitol end you strike
about seven hundred coons. Each one
will show you all through the capitol for
few sesterces or drachms, but when
you get through you give him your coat
and vest and 60 without dinner He and
the hsckmen are the only licensed pirates
IN the country, and either one of them
could give Capt Kidd three blocks start
and beat him TO the quarter stretch.
met Mr.. Blaine on Pennsylvanis
avenue and stopped to have few mo-
ments chat with him.
How are they COMM" inquired be.
"Oh, rather slowly, Jeem," answer ed
What you after"
''Nothin'."
'Shor'
And then inquired about his Samoan
policy. He replied that he had dis
patch in his pocket which he would send
Tuesday morning to Bismarck, requiring
him TO Immediately abandon Berlin to
the American consul for croauet ground
under penalty of having the most bor-
rible and blood curdling kind OF war de
clared against him.
A few blocks farther down the street
met MIR. VIM. Window, Minnesota gen.
tleman OF considerable importance. /
hailed him, but he replied that bis shoes
didn't need shining at present and he had
no horse | could hold. My opinion Of
Mr.. Window is not Of the highest order.
l think he Is very much over-rated
man and that the president could have
found some one better fitted to look af-
ter the government finances. 1t is need
less to say that Mr. Window and I do
not speak to each other.
In the corridor Of the Arlington hotel
l met Postmaster General Dickinson.
He and were neighbors in Detroit, so
that had no hesitation in addressing
him. He'll given to the side whisker
habit and looks like an Englishman. He
was grati6ed to learn that had no COM
plants to make of the way he conducted
his business. Don is very pleasant
gentleman and almost felt like borrow,
ing money Of him. II he had felt that
way l think we might have come to an
understanding.
On Saturday called to pay my re-
spects to President Harrison, who was
so successfully inaugurated yesterday.
He had just lodged gang OF office
seekers and was smoking a cheroot in
the back hall in the fourth story of the
hotel.
How do, 'Gene2" exclaimed he cheer
lily. as / pressed his hand. Then he
said:
That little hand OF mine has been
pump-handled four hundred thousand
times since / saw you last in Indianapolis
just four years ago"
And then remembered.
We had met in the republican state
central committee headquarters in the
Denison hotel, just two nights before the
election. Blaine had been there that