The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-07-11

when he was learning the noble art of BIZ
cycle riding He was wheeling his way
painfully down the most fashionable quar-
ter of X street and when opposite the
palatial mansion Of Senator Elkins, was
Mortified to see a monstrous dog spring
from behind a carriage which was stand
ing by the sidewalk and make for him
with every evidence of ferocious inten-
ton to eat him UP. The secretary, who is
an eXctable individual, didn't know that
the dog was a gentle creature who had
been taught to play with the Elkins chill
dren as they wheeled about the block, or
he would not have been frightened. AS it
was he tumbled off and in a despairing
fashion held the wheel between himself
and the enormous brute which circled
around him with the evident purpose of
finding an opening. The dog barked most
savagely, but he didn't bite, and presently
the diplomat began to denounce him with
great fluency and in a loud tone of voice
The coachman at length attracted the at
tention of the dog and called him away
The angered secretary thereupon turned
the Walls of his wrath upon the coachman,
whom he upbraided in violent language for
permitting such a dangerous animal to be
at large. The coachman did not attempt
to reply, and Mr.. Adee laboriously re-
mounted his wheel. Directing his eyes to-
ward the carriage for one more parting
word of eXpostulation, Mr.. Adee was dis
tressed to discover that there was a lady
in the equipage and that she was convulsed
with laughter, but evidently not anxious to
be seen. Recognizing her as Mrs. Elkins
the secretary apologized profusely for his
undiplomatic language, and started once
more to ride away. But before going far
he remembered that he had something else
to say, and again tumbling off his bicycle
he dragged it back to the side of the car
riage and remarked: Il want to say once
more, Mrs. Elkins, that 1 did not see you
when I was addressing the dog-but, blame
it! if had seen you L think 1 would have
said the same thing, and away he went.
The United States is fifth in rank of i'm
portance among the great naval powers
of the world Great Britain, France, Rus
STA and Italy lead this Republic, and Ger
many is close behind it. Great Britain can
muster a maritime armament two-thrds
as strong as all the rest of the world put
together. France is three times as we'll
equipped as the United States, and Russia
and Italy have each double our strength
on the seas. All of these countries are in
creasing their naval strength at much
more rapid rate than this country. Spain
Is only about one-half as strong as the
United States, and Japan is crawling up
on us. Our congressman and the admins
tratiOn fully realize our comparative weak
ness on the water, but the argument that
is most frequently heard in self-defense is
that if we should become involved in a
wa with any strong foreign country we
could go out in the open market and buy as
| nv
for. There may be something in this, but
| it is not generally supposed that great
nations go into the battleship building bust
ness for the purpose of selling their yes
sells to other powers. and it remains to be
seen whether Uncle Sans gold would do
the business in the way suggested.
This is not going to be a good summer
| for congressional junkets unless schemes
| of travel at public expense are projected
and brought to a head within the next
few days. There are pFenty of things that
! might be investigated during the vacation
but junkets are in bad odor. Enterprising
members have had their eyes on several
| points, but have not mustered up courage
| enough to make a set play for any of them
The naval committees would like very
much to inspect the coast defenses; the
river and harbor committee of the House
| think they could do the country a great
service by an inspection of the inland
lakes and few of the principal water
| ways of commerce; the committee on labor
would not be averse to an assignment to
| inquire into the Industrial situation in the
coal regions of half a dozen States, and
| then there is the Alaskan seal fishery prob
! lem, the forest reservation of the great
| West and Northwest, the condition of the
| agricultural classes, and half dozen other
matters of Importance upon which two or
| three months time might be devoted with
| profit and pleasure. But all these ques-
| tons will have to anguish or remain In
statu quo without anything being done in
alienation or improvement through the
agency of congressional junfeti this year.
There are nineteen very respectable gem
! tlemen in Washington who do not want
the committees of the House appointed I'M
| til the beginning of the next regular ses-
sion. These nineteen gentlemen were
! clerks of the House standing committees of
| the Fifty-fourth Congress-, and they hold
| over until their successors are appointed.
| AS matters now stand, they therefore
| draw salaries at the rate OF $1,000 a year
and upward, and have no committee work
! to do. Members who are not chairmen of
important committees having a yearly
| clerk are allowed 800 a month for clerk
! hire, and as there are no committees out
! side of the ways and means, accounts and
rules, practically all the congressman draw
| this 500 month. In nearly every instance
this extra hundred goes to the regular
clerks to compensate for attending to the
| private duties of the men who will be the
| chairmen of the leading committees when
| they appointed This multiplication of
| pay is a good thing for the nineteen yearly
clerks, and they are entirely willing to have
matters remain in statu quo. The minute
! the committees are appointed they lose the
extra 500 a month which they are now re-
| ceiVing. If Speaker Reed should forget to
| appoint committees this small and select
group of gentlemen would be better off by
nearly $4,000 between now and the LIST OF
| next December
| Ex-Queen Liliuokalani insists upon being
| recognized as a royal person, and at her
receptions her chief secretary, Duke
Palmer always refers to her as the
! Queen" 1t is the Queen" this. and the
! Queen" that, and the Queen" everything.
! The other day Mrs. Mary S. Lockwood of
national fame in connection with the
worlds fair and the Society of the Daugh-
| ters of the American Revolution, called on
! the Hawaiian ex-Queen.
Il would like to see Liliuokalani," she