The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-04-08
GOSSIP OF ADAY.
A Familiar Phrase and
How it Originated.
With a Few Exceptions Each
State Has a SObrlQuet.
The Early National Debt-Marble IS
q Universal Product.

An expression very frequently heard
iss.I acknowledge the corn, meaning
that the user of the phrase admits that
he has been beaten i'm argument or other-
wise as the case mey be. IL is claimed
by some that originally the phrase was
~ acknowledge the coin, f" but that can
hardly stand in view of an incident sald
10 bs a matter OF record which gives the
first quoted at the one first employed.
In 1925 the story goes, that Andrew
Stewart. q member of Congress, snld IN
speech tnat Ohio. kentucky and Indiana
sent their haystacks cornfields ana fodder
to New York and Philadelphia for sale.
Wickliife, Of Kentucky, called him to
order. declaring that those states did not
send haystacks or cornilclds 10 New YORK
for sale 'Well, what do you sendy'
asked Stewart. "Why. horses. mules,
cattle and hogs. well, what makes
your horses, mules, cattle and hogs? You
feed 500 worth of hay to horse. You
just animate and get upon the top of
your hay stacks and ride off TO market.
How is il with your cattleg You mako
one OF them carry $50 worth OF hay and
grass 90 the Eastern market How much
corn does il take at 33c. bushel 10 fatten
a hog "Why, 80 bushels. " Then YOU
put that 80 bushels into the shape of
hog and make il walk off TO the Eastern
market. Then Mr.. Wickliffo jumped
up and said ''Mr. Speaker, l acknowl-
edge the corn.
With the exception Of three or four Of
those recently admitted, every state In the
Union has sobriquet. Alabama IS the
Cotton State Arkansas the Bear tSato;
California the Golden State; Colorado the
Centennial State; Connecticut the lsand OF
steady Habits, Frcestone and Nutmeg;
Delaware, Diamond and the Blue Hen;
Florida, Peninsular; Georgia, the Empire
state of tho South; Illinois, Prairie and
Sucker; Indiana. Hoosier; Iowa, Hawk
eye; Kansas, Garden of the West: Ken
tucky. Corncracker, Blue Grass and Dark
and Bloody Ground; Louisiana, Creole
and Pelican; Maine, Lumber and Pine
Tree; Maryland, the Old Limo State;
Massachusetts,, Baked Beans, Bay, Old
and Wolverine; Minnesota, North Star,
Gopher and Lake; Mississippi, Bayou;
Missouri Pttke-ttfftt- -fren; Nebraska,
Blackwater; Nevada, Silver and Sage
Brush; New Hampshire, Granite and
Switzerland OF America; New Jersey,
Garden and Foreign; New York, Empire
and Excelsior; North Carolina, old North
and Turpentine; Ohio Buckeye; Oregon,
Webfoot Country and Beaver State;
Pennsylvania, Keystone; Rhode Island,
Little Rhody; South Carolina, Palmetto
Tennessee, Volunteer; Texas, Lone Star;
Mother of Presidents, Mother of States,
Old Dominion and Ancient Dominion;
West Virginia, Switzerland of America,
and Wisconsin, Badger State.
A correspondent wishes to know what
the original national debt was. The ques-
tion probably refers to the debt in what is
generally known as the first period; that
Is between September D, liza and March
H. 17S9. This debt was incurred by
several issues Of paper money by the Con-
tinental Congress to S2il, Boz, 80: n subsidy
Of Sl,Sl5, 600 granted to the colonies by
the King of France, and So Boz, 800 i'm
French loans; subsidy Of SlSl, 500
from tho King of Spain and loans made
in Holland to tho amount of 81, 600, 600.
To these are usually added the certfi-
Gates of Indebtedness given by the Ameri
can government TO French officers who
served in the Continental army. The
payment Of the foreign debt was effected
hy securing further loans from Holland
and the domestic debt was funded at
lower rate Of interest.
Ever since 1t was proposed TO build
new State House the question of marble
has been and even now is quite generally
discussed. Marble is an almost universal
product there being no continent and
very few subdivisions which do not pro-
duce fair quality. 1t is only pure car
Donate of lime-that is To say, having
the same composition as the ordinary
limestone used in building and paving
minus Its impurities. The purest grades
of white marble were formerly found on
tho Island Of Paros, in the Greek Archi-
pclago, though from many points in
-tireeee and In Asia Miner was also pro-
cured the material for the Greek statuary
Ita-ein statuary is Mt present mostly
made from the marble of Carrara, though
many points in Italy furnish stone
seemed of equal excellence. Tho colored
marbles arc found i'm almost every state
in this Unicn, and very fine quality of
white marble in several of the eastern
aud central states