The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-03-13
LIVE WASHINGTON TOPICS.
A Renewal Of Activity in Naval
Circles.
The Blaine Family - Mrs. Clover's New
House-Lsnten Recreation In.
dulged In.
Correspondence OF THE MORNING CALL.


season died quietly. with such discouraging
accompanlments, and the most valiant
tagged when there was such prospect be-
yond the Window anes. The President
and Mrs. Harrison lost much of their antici-
pated outdoor pleasures at Virginia Beach,
as a steady northeast storm put walking
and driving on the beach among the disa-
greeables for five days. 1t was fine weather
for ducks, however, aud the President, who
enjoys nothing so much as his old clothes,
canvas coat and hip-boots, waded and
sloshed around the marshes of Ragged
Island to his hearts content. Just as the
We ather began TO mend and the party had
telegraphed for the rest of the family to
join them the Boring Sea Commissioners
terminated their conference, Lord Salisbury
set up his cool pretensions to clean out the
seals this season, and the President had to
hurry home and call his Cabinet around
him. Aud just as Lord Salisbury declared
his lOng-concealed intentions down came
Mr.. Blaine with la grippe. and with Secre-
tary Foster abroad the President has the
whole Boring Sea and seal affair on his
hands.
NAVAL MATTERS.
With the present situation naval matters
loom up again aud Secretary Tracy sees a
chance Of using all the coal that he bought
In such hurry month ago, and officers
scent chance of real service. Senator Hale
insists that We must have more ships and
dominate the Pacific waters, and now how
bitterly is felt the weakness OF President
Polk and Secretary of State Buchanan in
yielding TO the British and giving them that
strip Of country south OF "a deg. 40 min. A
little lighting for the line OF 81 deg. 40 min.
al the time would have saved ali the pres
ent and the future troubles resulting from
the British obtaining a holding on the Pa
cific Coast. a little activity in recent years
might have helped the situation as well, and
with hayward and gun foundry in Puget
Sound, Notifications at Port Townsend, AS
toria and San Francisco, the cities of the
Pacific Coast would not be as easily raided
as the rookeries Of the Pribyloffs, nor their
inha bliants as helpless as the seals Them
selves. The prospect of a war with Eng
land is something to make statesmen lie
awake nights and the army and navy are
both in it. The Chilean affair is a mere
tempest 10 teapot by comparison, but a
war in South America would have been a
little practice cruise for the sea forces aud
put the new ships in good battle order.
THE BLAINEs.
The legal separation of young James G.
/ Blaine and his wife, with the subsequent
| correspondence, has been townta,k for the
| week. Every one felt at the time that the
| DaadwoOd Judge went far out of his way in
| dragging in Mrs. Blaine SIS name as he
| did in his decision. Miss Nevins came to
| Washington nine years ago and spent most
/ of the winter season here She was then a
very independent and experienced young
woman, not at all beauty, a pale coiorless
! blonde with very thin neck and arms. She
| had musical or rather dramatic leaningS
| then, and she distinguished herself by tax
| ing part in an amateur rendition OF Paul
! aEd Virginia" Miss Neyns took the part
| of Paul and achieved a great notoriety by
| wearing tights and essaying TO sing tenor.
| None who survived that night of horrors
have ever forgiven Miss Nevins nor be-
iieyed in any dramatic future for her.
| At that time Miss Neyins was having a
furious Irritation with Tony Noqueiras.
| the ne'er do well young son of the
! Portuguese Minister, ard Jimmy Blaine,
| who was years younger, was schOolboy ia
tight trousers, high collar and his first
rattan cane. and did not come in contact
| with the lady tutor, although his older
! sisters met her. Jimmy Blaine has caused
| trouble and anxiety to his parents nearly
| all OF his life. He Is bright aud clever, but
| he went from scrape TO scrape, from one
set of despairing teachers to another, until
| a private tutor was the only resource left
| HIM. IL was then that he made his greatest
| eScapade, and his marriage was the last, or
| rather the first. in long chain OF bOyish
scrapes. When it was known that he hsd
secretly married the lady tenor all Wash
| ington gave him six weeks as the limit Of
lis married life. No one expected that bad
| little boy to make a coed husband. and no
| one suspected any heroic and philanthrODic
| traits or any missionary sposition in Miss
Nevins that would change this mauvais
| suJet IN any way.
| A wOMAN's DISAPPOINTMENT.
| The actual crisis in their relations came
when the Blaine family returned from
| Europe and proposed 20 make Washington
| their winter home, and establish the young
/ couple in the Augusta house. Paul" did
| not want a comfortable home with her boy
| husband just anywhere the old folks mi yht
choose for them. The cvnspcuousness Of
gIaft
White House looming yet ahead, weighed
more in the balance than the undying love
OF the young James at the start and when
| she was 0 plainly marked OUT of Darticipa-
tion in the brilliant social life Of the Blaine
| famIly IN Washington, and quiet winter
| in the nursery III Augusta was left her, the
| alliance ended. No one here wasted any
wonder when the separation came. They
had waited so long for the inevitable that
there was only relief when Jimmy Blaine
took up a new line OF escapades.
While the Blaines may have many enc
| mics politically and personally, every one
owns that as parents they have been sorely
tried ana narrowed, and much sympathy is
expressed for them. The statement of the
relative ages Of the young couple opened
many eyes, and the fact that the divorced
wife, who does not give up hated name
that is of such value for advertising, wrote
or signed the insulting ana unladylike letter
published in answer to Mr.. Blaine's quiet,
plain statements. has lost her a host of
sympathizers and champions. Her letter
was most fatal, tactless and ill-advised
step. Its cheap pathos, long-winded APP
peals, threats, innuendoeS and literary
style showed the gull between her
and the family she sought TO enter and
her ten days truce of silence had better be
indefinitely extended. Certainly the public
| is very tired of her studies for the stage
endless advertising. Let her take her
maiden name, 90 on the stage IL she wants
to, and succeed or fail by the talents she
may possess, rather than draw audiences
curious to see what the heroine of such a
matrimonial escapade looks like. After
seeing "Mrs. James G. Blaine Jr." in staring
newspaper headlines for years, let US not
have to look at 1t on the bill-boards and
fences. The public is very weary and il
wants to rest
SOCIAL HAPPENINGS.
Mrs. Stanford varied her entertainments
this week by giving dinner TO young peo-
pie. the friends of Senator FetOn's married
daughter, Mrs. Elkins. Mrs. Elkins spent
one gay winter here before her marriage
presiding over her fathers house and made
many acquaintaDces among the gayest OF
the young set, who are now arbiiers and
leaders OF experience and authority in thai
set Mrs. Elkins' particular friend was
| Senator Miller's daughter now Mrs. Clover
but Mrs. Clover, who Is in the second year
Of mourning for her mother, does not &C
out socially in the least, and has beer
missed from the entertainments made for
Mrs. Elkins. Mrs Clover's new house
at the intersection of New Hampsbir G
avenue, Q and Eighteenth streets is
nearly completed and is very IMPOSING
structure OF white freestone, with a RED
tiled roof. II will bo completely finished in
a couple of months and ready for oecupa-
tion 1t stands almost opposite the grea
castle Of cream white brick that Mr.. Letter
is building, but the Letter house is far from
its finishing and will he another year in the
wOrkman's hands. This castle VIII quite
overshadow Stewart Castle, which front.
Uupont circle a hundred wards tn tho W. a