The Topeka state journal., 1897-03-10
A MINERS WIFE
At the Inaugural Ball at Wash
ingtOn.
Sent There by the N. Y. World
to Write Impressions.
SCENES AT THE BALL
Described From the Standpoint
Of Working People.
The Miners Wife Meets Mark
Hanna.

Hanna's miners, in the Pennsylvania
coal region, attended the Inauguration
of President Mckinley. The World
made it possible for the miners wife
to leave her poor home in the wilder
ness and view the glories of the great
national event and provided her with
the able escort of Kate Swan so that
she might miss nothing at the show.
Mrs. Chadwick has written her i'm
press1ons of the trip and has told es-
peclaIly how she met Mr.. Hanna, her
husbands employer, and has faithfully
reported her conversation with the Re
publican manager.
Mrs. Chadwiclx'S report follows:
To the Editor of the World:
Although 1 am the wife Of a poor
miner, L went to the inauguration.
did not know there were such things in
the world as saw since left my home
at Borland and I don't know now what
they were all for. The World took me
to Washington. I went to the ball and
nave found that one woman is as good
as another in this country if she wears
decent clothes and has money in her
pocket.
But what interested me most was
that I met Mark Hanna The reason
is that my husband digs coal for Mr..
Hanna in his mine in Pennsylvania,
and where I lived were notices nailed
up before the election saying that we
would have good times when Mckinley
was elected. Now 1 need good times.
1t is not a month since 1 had to walk
twenty miles to try to get something
given me to feed my six children. The
mines had been shut down for six
weeks and there was nothing for the
children to eat and my husband had
worked steady thirty-Six hours before
1 left for Washington to make up rent
and Mr. Hanna is the man that can fix
it they tell me.
Many of the women I saw with dia.-
monds and silks and such lovely
Il
and contented. saw one woman who
looked so miserable. Her neck was
covered with diamonds and crown was
on her head. l guess there was many
women there for all their beautiful
clothes that wasn't so contented in
their minds as me. But when you
have had little children starving it
makes you feel queer to be eating such
a fine supper and see so many others
eating and drinking and think of all
that's wasted and of the children at
home and all the others in my neigh
borhOod who knew what it was not to
have enough to eat. 1t almost choked
me. Why 1 saw two people waste
enough to feed a couple of children.
There must have been enough wasted
at that supper and ball to feed all the
people in Borland for more than
week.
That's awful, and don't think it did
them any good either But I was go
ing to tell about Mr.. Hanna and how 1
pie marching in the big wide Washing
ton streets, and everything was covered
with bright colors and flags, and I
never knew there was so many people
before as I saw.
And when it was all over there was
new president. do hope it will be bet
ter times now. All seems to me it must
cost a lot to make new presidents.
When 1 was told it cost Mr.. Hanna
lot of money to make this new presi-
dent, I thought perhaps it was as much
as 500, but they told me 1t was hum
dred times that.
Then 1 went to the ball at night. I
had a new dress and a pair of kid
gloves. 1 never had any before in my
life. Everybody had their hats off and
the ladies' were dressed so fine and had
no tops to their dresses and not much
sleeves. 1 never saw such things be
fore. There was no chance for me to
see Mr.. Hanna until after what they
called the march. But everybody seem
ed to be marching all the time, and the
men wore swallow tails, that's what L
call them. never saw one before ex-
cept on an actor a long time ago when
/ was working out and earned my own
way.
Then everybody got excited and I
was told to look at the president COM
ing. L saw big man, but that WASH
what took my eye. It was the lady ne
was helping along. She looked so pale.
just as if she was suffering awfully.
but oh, so happy. 1 never saw anyone
look so happy and still be so whlte.
And I felt so sorry, for another man
was on the other side of her. She wore
a beautiful dress, the lovel1est one, 1t
seemed to me. She was the presidentS S
wife.
They said she only staid a little while,
but it seemed very long to me. went
upstairs through a white and green
tunnel of cloth, enough to make the
chiIdren's skirts and little clothes for
years And over it all was bits of
green fastened on. 1t was lovely up
stairs. A lot of policemen said, Move
on ladies, you mustn't stand here, and
nobody could go through to where the
swell folks were. 1t was very long
time more and I wandered around the
place and went up more stars ana
watched the crowds on the floor. II
was a crush. But then folks went away
and boys and girls and young men and
ladies sat together on the Sta1rWayS,
where it was quiet. 1 suppose they
were enjoying the ball. By and by |
nobody stopped me, and found myself
in a place where the women wore finer
dresses and everybody seemed grander
than / had ever seen bfore.
about them. And while I was looking at
the flowers and the women and men 1
''There's Mr.. Hanna in the rear"
1 did want to see the man my husband
room. Nobody stopped me. There was
lady lust ahead of me with black dress
on, cut so could see her Whlte SnouldSTTs-
She was talking to another one about Mr..
Hanna. Everybody was talking ABOUT
Mr. Hanna Then got caught in line
of people that was moving along, and l
said to the lady behind me:
(which is Mr.. Hanna?" She was very
kind and said: THAT big fat man..
''The one with the side whiskers?" says
l.
Yes" she says.
she said. Yes, the greatest con man in
the country
I don't know what that is, for my heart
beat SO, 1 thought it would stop, 1 got so