The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1895-04-16
BILL N GROVER.

M t. I'm
4.ou a recent letter written by Bill
Nye from the National Capitol:
~ made a visit at the White House
not long ago., and though I am not
Of liberty to repeat fully the converse
ton between Mr.. Cleveland and my
self I can truly say that times will be
easier and better inside of afew weeks.
r = X 4
As we talked he toyed with the
waste paper basket, swinging 1t to and
fro by the ears while four or five Off
ciaI heads, still warm and wet with
clothed blood in the clustering hair,
rolled about and bumped against each
other inside.
The above is a figure of speech, of
course, for, as a matter of fact, there
was nothing in the basket whatever ex-
cept a torn note from Anew York pub
Usher asking the President to write an
article for his holiday number on "Ad
vantages and Disadvantages OF Bait
That Has been Spat Upon."O
81 am glad to see you, Nye," said
the President, "for I know that you
don't want anything. You don't know
how welcome the friend is these days
whose cup of happiness is full and who
does not yearn for anything. Would
you mind looking through the keyhole
of that door a minute to see if any one
has his eye or ear against it on the
other side2'
Certainly not" said I, going to the
door and cursorily glancing through
the keyhole as he bade me do.
well, said he, dropping his voice
to a whisper, II wanted to say a word
to you privately. You are a safe mar
to intrust with a confidence, I know,
for even though you write for the
press you would not betray me, ]
know, and even if you did no one
would believe what you said.
Il have been wanting to tell some
one for a long time this little truth
that is eating my life slowly away. 1
could not tell it to members of the
cabinet very well. for each of them has
his own personal troubles to worry
over. Icannot even tell my wife, for
she, too, has her household matters to
think of, but l wanted to tell some
kind friend, who would not run right
to the telephone with it, that I fear
Congress is concealing something from
me.
Il do not know what it is, but 1
know it is something. Whenever l
run across Congross suddenly it stops
what it was speaking about and looks
out of the window for quite a spell and
seems be ~cerebrating. OF course that
is all assumed, for Congress never cere-
brates. Now, no one can understand
how unhappy all this makes me unless
he has been President himself and had
aCongress ON his hands that does not
yield him its full confidence.
The first sign l noticed Z. reserve
was when Congress was out till after
II o'clock one night and did not tell me
where it had been. The next morning
it could not look me in the face. fear
that it is leading a double life.
What would you do if you were in
my place9
"Of course ONE of the things Con
gress doas gets into the Congressional
Record, but that is only a blind, for
surely what VA Goa in the PooOrd oo,,I6
not take up one-fourth of it's time.
Now and then Congress passes an
act authorizing the building of a bridge
perhaps and sends it down here for my
signature, but that is only to mislead
me and make me think that I have it's
confidence and am allowed to come in
on the ground floor.
Formerly Congress used to come
right up to me and look me straight in
tne eye and allow me to smell of it's
breath, and there was absolute conf
uence between us, but nov the moment
go up there to listen to the converse.
'on both houses go into executive SEES
sion, and l have to go out and sit ON
'ne doorstep. It has been so all winter.
NO one can fully sympathiz9 with
us Tor no one understands the case.
0ome ask me if I intend to call an extra
session. What should I call an extra
Sslon for when Congress is retice1t
"uu taclturn when in my society," Z"
NTTTT - 49,