The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-06-16
WASHINGTON GOSSIP.
Mr.. eLAINE'S HABITS OF THINKING
AND EATING.
General Holt and His Stories of Lincoln.
Who Will Be Speaker of the House
Next Session?-Stories of Congressman
elect Winn, of Georgia.
Especial Correspondence.l

Especial Correspondence
WASHINGTON, June 1.-The creates
study of man is man. The human ANNA
finds in all the world nothing so interest
ing as himself. For instance, there is Sec
rotary Blaine. Who D. not talking abou
| him? Mr.. Blaine is an interesting mar
| when he is well, when he is sick, when h'
is active and when he is doing nothing
heard the other day from gentle
man who is on intimate terms with TIT
secretary and his family that the chic
trouble with Mr.. Blaine's health is Il
be found in the fact that he does not eai
| enough. Mr.. Blaine is rare example o
the men who reach point in life at which
their lack of strength and vigor war;
| them that II they are to live long enough
to complete certain tasks which they nave
| set themselves they must carry on cam
! paign of health and con walton OF
strength, Just as other men, younger OF
more FORTUNATE, wage campaigns for money
| or power. Mr.. Blaine is somewhat hypo
| chondriacal as to his health, and easily be
comes discouraged. He has always feared
Bright's or other kidney troubles, yet DR.
Lincoln, Mr.. Blaine's Washington physi
clan, and one of the most eminent medical
| men of the capital, told me the other day
that Mr.. Blaine's kidneys were as sound as
dollar
The secretary has predisposition to
govt, and also to attacks of indigestion.
In consequence of these occasional aflic-
tons he is most severe in his diet. A bill OF
fare Is to him an enemy, tempter, de-
stroyer. He breads to look at one, and in
the presence of lot of good things TO eat
finds it necessary to summon all his self
restraint and moral courage. To a man
with strong stomach, big appetite and
a reckless mind there is something pathetic
about all this in this year of fine strawber-
ries, luscious watermelons and promised
peaches and cream. I think L would
rather be humble scribe and eat what I
pleased, and as much as pleased (when l
could get it), than TO be the great secretary
of state of the American republic. have
fancied, sometimes, as / looked at Mr..
Blaines white face and colorless hands,
that he might be induced to agree with me-
How much of the pleasure of this world is
derived from eating and drinking anyway?
Did you ever pause to think between courses
at dinner what an infinite ingenuity man
has displayed in providing himself with
good things for his palate? Every conceiv-
ing and flying thing, native of the earth, the
sea, the sky, all the parts thereof, even to
the unmatched young, have been made cap
tive to mans all devouring NAV. Thou
sands of these millions of good things to
eat and drink are prepared in hundreds of
different ways, so that the resulting va
riety is as indescribable as the unknown
hereafter and the unknowable heretofore.
Probably more human ingenuity has been
expended in catering to mans appetite,
and every day of every year more energy
is expended therein, than in any other pur-
pose of human activity. Eating and drink
ing, therefore, is the most tremendous
thing in the world, except thinking; and |
will never forget bright thing that Sena-
tor Ed Wolcott, the brilliant young Colo
radoan, said last winter on the floor of the
senate.
1t was one Of the last nights of the ses-
sion, and there were innumerable lunch
cons in the restaurant down stairs, and
farewells and good wishes over pledges
solid and liquid Wolcott, always good
liver, was so popular among his colleagues
that quite as often as any one he visited
the delightful subterranean region, where
delve the most skillful of cooks and the
most artistic compounders of things dis
tinctively American and cheering. 1t thus
happened that along toward midnigh Mr..
Wolcott, while entirely in control of him
self, was feeling as if he owned large part
of the United States. The copyright bill
was under discussion. and l don't remem-
Der whether Wolcott was for it or against
it, but he made speech which turned out
to be little gem. whether it costs us
much or costs US little" said he, I'VE want
to give to every man as an encouragement
to high living and good thinking the benefit
Of every good thing that he says or does"
The trouble with Mr.. Blaine is that he
has been doing too much good thinking
and not enough high living. He is afraid
to eat anything but the simplest diet, and
he permits himself but little of that. The
result is that in the opinion of one of his |
intimate friends his fear Of the govt and !
of indigestion prevents him taking prop |
er quantity of nourishing food. A strain |
comes, as strains do come to all machines, |
human or other, and there is as a result /
an unnecessary amount of weakness and /
detection of body and spirits.
Another interesting man, of whom not |
much is heard nowadays, but whose name /
a few years ago was on every ones tongue, |
is Joseph Holt, ex-jndge advocate general |
OF the army, the eXecutioner of Mrs. Sur |
raft, now on the retired list as brigadier |
general, and living at an advanced age on |
Capitol hill General Holt tells many sto-
ries of his experiences with Abraham Lin
coin during the war. AS judge advocate
general of the army it was his duty to take |
to the president orders for the execution
of military offenders for the executives
signature, One day he presented to Mr.
Lincoln the death warrant of a couple of 1
young men from Massachusetts, who had /
been charged, with throwing down their
arms in the face of the enemy and fleeing
from the field of battle, found guilty and
condemned to death.
This is a very clear case Of cowardice in
The face of the enemy, Mr.. President" said
the judge advocate general in presenting
the papers, land probably you viii not
care TO go into the details" But Mr.. Lin
coin did want 70 go into the details and
when he had informed himself concerning
the particulars Of the case, he turned to
General Holt and exclaimed, Holt, were
you ever scared" Il can't say that / ever
was" replied the general. Well, was"
said Mr.. Lincoln. Il have been so badly
scared that had no more control over my
self than would have had IN al spileptie
it-so badly scared that not only my mind
Out my muscles were in 8 panic. / was
not responsible for what l did when in
his condition. simply couldn't help it,
Is it was matter entirely beyond my con-
troll That was the way with these poor
boys. They weren't made just right,
weren't cut out for soldiers Some men
Are born 20 be soldiers, and some are not
Do you think / ought 30 shoot these boys
% death simply because they didn't happen
o be born for fgh1ngs No, Ar. Hot,