New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-11-24
GOSSIP AT THE CAPITAL.
COMMODORE wHITTHORNE'S GREATEST EFF
FORTS AND WHAT BECAME OF THEM.
HUMoRs OF THE sPEAKERsHIP CONTEST
AN AN ATHEIST, THANK CODA CERTAIN
SENATOR'S PECULIARITIEs DESCRIBED
HE WOULD NOT BE A MUGwUMP.

SENATOR'S PECULIARITIEs DESCRIBED
HE WOULD NOT BE A MUGwUMP.
Washington, Nov. 23.-Congressman W. c. whit
thone. of Tennessee. who has been dangerously Ill,
is getting better. This good news for the Commo-
dorc's colleagues who all like him. One of his
est friends Is Representative Hit, of Illinois.
"Whitthornc' said Mr.. HIT the other day, " Is a
man who doesn't mind telling you that he learned
something after he came TO Congress remember a
few years ago when several OF returning from
Boston and stopped over night IN New-YOrk. There
commercial banquet OF some sort at the Bruins
wick, where We had rooms, and had hardly got
into the hotel when Erastus Wiman cap
tIred u.s. You know when Wiman gets after you
the only thing to do is TO surrender lie told he
had filed in the programme and put MS both down
for speeches. l don't know what It about, but
Of course The text doesn't make much difference at
banquet, aud when Wiman dragged upstairs VIC had
his permission TO say what we pleased so long
helped NIL out the programme. Whitthorne and
were seated next TO each other and In the intervals
Of the courses he turned 10 me with twinkle In his
eye and said:
"'IIitt, reckon you've got an old speech which
you fire of at these fellows
al modestly admitted that was fishing around I'm
the depths OF my memory for few trhlng remarks
that perhaps had done service former festive oc-
casIons OF the sort and then threw sug-
gestion that perhaps he revolving his mind
original iuodS Whlch ne proposed 20 naSh on inc
assembled company. Tho CommOdores eyes twinklcd
again as he began 20 tell me about IT, said my col
League from Tennessee:
Hit, when came 70 Congress like every
other new member had great speech on the tariff.
Like every other effort Of the same sort. It
mastery speech l knew It because It had been de-
vercd in Tennessee several times and everybody told
me 1t was mastery. OF course / proposed To deliver
1t In the House at the first opportunity. Then had
another great speech. 1t the financial ques
ton, and incidentally had good deal to say about
labor That was also a mastery effort and had met
the unqualified approval Of my constituents who had
heard IT, Naturally on some favorable occasion in
tended TO illuminate the darkened intelligence of tho
House by food Of financial light Yet somehow l
didn't find 1t easy get the Speakers eye and free
myself from the burden Of those two mastery efforts.
was put on the Naval Committee, which didn't have
much to do with the tariff or the National finances.
The whole subject absolutely new 10 me. Having
no false impressions start with | entered upon the
work without any prcjudices 10 hinder me. got more
and more interested, much that forgot all about
addressing the House the tariff and the finances.
Now, Fve been on the Naval Committee seven years
and really think that l know something about such
matters
Just them continued Mr.. Hit. Erastus wlman
nodded significantly TO Whithorne, and the Commodore
his feet. think the toast he was 10 respond
10 had something to do with interstate commerce
and railroad transportation. But that didn't matter
After two three quaint wtlclsms which put every
body In good humor he ahoat the highways OF
the with the Stars aid Stripes floating him
lie launched broadsdc after bradsde at his hearers.
The merchant marine tonnage dues, the coasng trada.
American bottoms I'm foreign waters, the decay Of
wooden ships The revival Of the shipbulldng Industry.
and score Of other topics were handled in what
really a mastery manner Tables Of statistics and
columns of figures tumbled on those mc>
chants I'm a way that made OF them who had
lived all their lives IN statistical surroundings dizzy.
They all walked up and Whuhomc really md, tn
speech Of the evening When he sat down the ap-
pause was terrific. While they were still showerlng
him with compliments the Commodore nudeed me and
whispered:
THAT caught 'em, en- Hit gave 'em the best
mart OF my hours speech In that ten minutes
and think IL the figures that fetched 'em
They couldn't dispute those statistics. But suppose
had tried ~ tell them about the public debt, the
rate Of exchange and the ratio of silver and gold do
YOU suppose they'd have applauded mel Not bit
Of It, My boat would have caIsized. But when it
comes 10 walking the deck Of the American Navy
| know the gait TO strike. Ny years on the
Naval Committee haven't been wasted.''