The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-05-08
since Van Burens time, think It IS

never seen MN.
4 few minutes later Smith went mp to
Shaw and said 70 him. II beg your pardon,
but you are Mr.. Shaw, the newspaper cor
respondent. are you notW Il am, sir
"Well. have just come on from Arizona
aral am trying 20 find Mark Smith, the del
egate from our territory, and am told he
l. out here. don't know him by sight,
and as ] am told ym know him well
would be under great obligations 10 you II
Won would point him out 10 me IN the
crowd" Eyes. / know Mark Smith very
well. " replied Shaw, "but ] don't think he
is out here today. At any rate, haven't
seen him. If he is here at all you go and
stand down there by the bar and wait till
you see a man come up and say 70 the bar
keeper, Here, give me some gentleman
whisky and you'll know that's Smith.
You won't have to wait more than ten min
utes at the outside. II he isn't here you
20 down 10 Chambcrlin's tonight and
You'll find him there getting full. But If
YOU have any business with him, and 1t Is
business Of importance, would advise you
10 20 early. After O'Clock in the evening
Smith isn't often in a condition TO attend
10 ANYTHING Of a serious nature" This ls
the story which Smith tells on himself,
and TO this day be doesn't know whether
Shaw recognized him and said these things
bv way Of a Joke or whether he was really
ignorant Of the identity Of the man TO
whom he was talking and gave the sup
posed stranger this description OF the dele
gate from Arizona in good faith.
President Harrison does not 20 to the
So. n. OF IA ~ IgrEpg
as General Grant was. As said IN my last
letter he is "A great admirer Of baseball ana
occasionally attends the games, but l am
told he never yet went 10 horse race, eN-
cepting only the races which take place at
the agricultural fairs in Indiana The
president does not believe In encouraging
bv his attendance a sport which depends
SO much for its success upon gambling as
does the modern sport Of horse racing.
While speaking Of the president / viii
give YOU an interesting bit Of gossip which
came to me the other day on very good au-
thoritv. It was that President Harrison
has saved out Of his salary since he came
10 the White House, a little more than
three years ago, the snug sum of 10000.
He expects TO save $50, 900 more during the
current year, and if he should be 50 for
inmate as TO be elected TO another term,
and TO serve it out, his total savings on the
eight years will amount 70 something Ike
a quarter Of a million Of dollars. This
sum well invested will make the president
independent in a financial way during the
remainder Of his life
The presidents housekeeping expenses
are not very heavy lie has free house
rent. a steward and one or two other serv-
ants paid by the government, stable TO
keep his horses in and some other adj
vantages which a private citizen OF other
officials Of the government do not enjoy. II
is true he has 10 keep eight or ten servants
in the White House, but this is the heavl-
est of his extraordinary items of expense
His receptions do not cost him anything.
The government band furnishes the music
and government employees take care Of the
crowds, who are not given anything TO eat
or drink. The flowers come from the con-
servatory Of the executive mansion, which
is maintained by public appropriation.
The only costly social entertainments
which the president gives are the state
dinners, and they do not cost more than
s. 900 or s., 900 year.
President Harrison spends good deal
of money in travel each year, as he always
declines TO accept free transportation from
the railroads. Whenever he makes jour
ney he buys q first class ticket for each
member Of his party, though he does &C
cept the use Of sleeping and private cars
when rendered by railway managers. 1t
costs the president about $4,000 year to
keep up the White House and clothe his
family; leaving s. 900 year for travelling
and extraordinary expenses, charity, etc,
he finds IL a comparatively easy matter 10
save three-ifths of his salary, or $4,000 a
wear. So from the financial standpoint the
presidency is an Office worth having after
all.
Mention Of the fondness our statesmen
are showingfor the great national game OF
baseball prompts me TO record the fact
that the only statue of Christopher Column
bus we have at the chief capital of the
world discovered by that bold navigator Is
one which stands at the main entrance tc
the Capitol, and which represents him as
looking more like a baseball pitcher than
ANYTHING else. lie stands on one foot with
his body leaning forward, and in his out
stretched hand is a marble globe intended
to represent the sphere on which we live,
but which a very small flight of magma
ton transforms into a baseball which
! Columbus attitude indicates he IS about
10 pitch to an imaginary batter. hun
dred yards or so away stands the Green.
ough statue OF Washington which, by a
curious coincident, represents the Father
of bis Country with hands outstretched as
if he were the catcher Of the Christopher
Columbus nine eagerly awaiting the ball
As may be easily imagined, both Of thest
statues are somewhat farcical as works Of
art. and while no one has the hardihOOd to
suggest the removal Of George Washington
| it Is proposed 10 take this absurd Columbus
away and put something worthy in It's
place. Coupled with this proposition Is
one TO erect a noble monument 10 Column
| bus, with a statue surrounding, at the
foot Of the walk leading 10 the terrace on
the west front Of the Capitol 1t Is here
that the so called Peace monument now
stands a couglomeTate collection Of weep
ing women 80 sad il It's treatment as tC
suggest it's removal TO a cemetery. Evi-
/ dence that this is Columbus year may be
| found in the fact that number Of sugges
| tions for new statues and monuments IN
| his honor have been made In congress this
winter, and in the additional fact that for
/ the first time since it was put up the base
| ball statue 10 the great discOyerer IS now
being carefully washed and made 70 shine
forth in all It's original marble whiteness.
Robert GRAVES.
|