People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1892-12-23
NOTES FROM THE CAPITAL.
WASHINGTON, Dec. II, 1892,

I'll tell you how 1t happened.
A short while ago we had an cleo
ton, and Grover Cleveland came in
ahead at a high, stick-necked, duck
shooter trot.
Well, ever since that time the
country has been suffering from the
delirious rawlings of one million men,
each of whom was the cause of the
glorious Democratic victory.
In Georgia, as is well known, that
irritating question has been settled.
Everybody knows that Mr.. B. NJ
Blackburn is the man who did it. 1t
is true that Mr.. Smith, of the Atlanta
Journal, denies this, but the denial is
not worth cent to anyone who has
ever seen Mr.. Blackburn.
In New York, however, the ques-
tion is still unsettled.
And that's .why we big bugs are
all in a stew.
You see, they have over there a
thing they call the tariff reform
club. 1t is composed of some of
the most prineipallest men in the
town. They are the gold-plated re-
formers. They believe that the sal
walton of this people must come by
way of the banquet hall. Their
creed is that the swallow-tail coat,
the dainty eye-glass, the terrapin
stew, the sparkling champagne and
the elegant, well-rounded after-din-
ner speech are the indispensables OF
true governmental reform.
This is all right, maybe, but at the
same time that's what got us big
bugs into hot water.
For it came to pass that this tariff
reform club decided to have a great
banquet in New York; to have Mr..
Cleveland as guest Of the evening,
and to invite some of the very big
gest of us big bugs to be present
and hear Mr.. Cleveland deliver one
of those dull, ponderous and non
committal speeches which contrib
uted so much to his election.
AS compensation for having to
listen to Mr.. Cleveland, a certain
number of us big bugs were to be
allowed to speak also.
SO the evening came, the banquet
was duly cooked, the hall lighted,
and we big bugs assembled. 1t is
hardly necessary to say that each
man at the table was the identical
man who had elected Cleveland, and
felt able to prove it. Not only
that, but he was anxious to get the
chance to do SO,
Among the big bugs who were
duly hidden to this royal feast was
the Hon. Chas. F. Crisp, speaker OF
the House. He loves terrapin and
wine and eloqusnce Especially bis
own eloquence), and therefore went.
He just knew he would be called on
for a speech. Hence he wrote it out.
He just knew it would be a good
thing to have pulled in the news
papers, so he carried along his regu-
lar puffer, Mr.. E. W. Barrett.
There's nothing like having your
puff ready; and how can you have
your puff ready unless you carry
your puffer?
A happier man never left Wash
ington for New York. He and Bar
rett rubbed their legs the whole
way. Mr.. Crisp, in his fancy, could
already hear his eloquent voice,
slowly delivering speech almost as
dull, ponderous and non-committal
as Mr.. Cleveland's. He could hear
the plaudits Of ardent terrapin-
eaters He could see the speech
itself in the newspapers next morn
ing accompanied by the very best
puff of his professional puffer.
So certain was he that this speech
would be made that he sent it out to
the press, and before the cook had
selected his terrapins, Mr.. Crisp's
speech was in type in a hundred
newspaper Offices.
Now it came to pass that in the
great number Of very distinguished
men at this banquet, Mr.. Crisp
seemed to dwindle and fade away
Like the Negroes catfish, he ''swunk. .
He was panied and astonished to
find that in the midst Of so very
many big bugs he was likely to get
lost. The thing was so different
from what he thought it would be