New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-10-17
Gossip OF THE CAPITAL.
o,.rpNNENT GREENHOUSES AND THE
WASHINGTON FLORISTS PROTEST
.,ry OBJECT TO FREE DISTRIBUTION oF FLOW
,,s, SIRE CURE CHOLERA MEDICINE

.yry OBJECT TO FREE DISTRIBUTION oF FLOW
rps-A SURE CURE CHOLERA MEDICINE
THREE YOUNG CHINESE STUDENTS.
washington Oct 16.-Some OF the florists in town
lava taken occasion recently to meet ana MAKE
n"r,oaI protest against the custom. lorg-estab-
- one of giving away flowers grown In the
na,ornment gardens and greenhouses on the
d that it hurts their trade. Their position
- obsurd one and their action III the matter
- only served to make them ridiculous ana TO
'.~o,e popular feeling against them; for 1t Is
vi known that the leader of these florists ana a
',nobor Of his colleagues were for long time in
40 Government employ. and gained the knowledge
which now enables them to conduct Establishments
', .noir own while drawing Government pay.
The nrotost was directed especially against Colo
90, Bingham the Superintendent of Public Build
,ngs and Grounds although it could with equal JUS
.,es have included Mr.. Smith for forty years and
o,e the Superintendent OF the Botanic Gardens,
wbo. while he does not distribute great quantities
- sovers still distributes them, and will probably
.,ntinue TO 90 in the face Of dsgrunted dealers
Colonel Bingham is not al all worried by criticism
=, his official acts. and there is no possible reason
Inv he should be. In the Government green
houses and nurseries. which are under the super
vislop of the Superintendent Of Public Buildings
IA Grounds there are no flowers especially raised
"a he given away Only the trees. shrubs and
flowers available for planting in the parks are
ssv the decoration OF the White House on social
casons The flowers that are distributed TO Off
eia which are being grown for outdoor plant
iRng and which are in better condition for having
, ,,ma and in distributing these flowers Colonel
bingham is only following precedent set by his
PTSeTe IS no part of his work and it is very
prehensive. that Colonel Bingham enjoys more
it,n Inc care Of the public parks and reservations
snd at no time have they been more attractive or
IN better condition than since he came into Office
i4fp
d In different parts of the city add to its
3gd possible sshes no In coone
port is "a special plea for the beginning OF
ysaTs 20 BY to a liberia. abundance and beauty"
wise request: for the capital in every other re-
snect 20 beautiful. lacks tbs charm that NUMBER
- sparkling fountains give.
.rronos of the recent agitation among the florists
and the claim frequently advanced by sordid souls
that the Government spends too much money for
aesthetic purposes. Mr.. Smith was asked what the
utgltarian value of the Botanic Gardens was
.oThat's Just like you newspaper people II
said smilingy. with a strong Scotch accent "hlch
a half-century's residence in this country mas no'
eliminated from his speech always looKihs lot
the utilitarian as II the aesthetic is not sufhcien
su,,osa | tell YOU these gardens have no utii
,oron value? Isn't IL enough that they inspire
patrjotlsm? You have no idea now people d,
distance from Washington appreciate and Vaiue
what comes from here. | send seeds and cuttings
IN every STATE and Territory In tho Union Inc
soos ,itizans Wiz receive them plant, cultivate ana
watch them grow with pride These flowers come
from, the capital they say, and as great favor
they give their neishbors seeds from the plants
that generous Government sent them; Wnen /
Were only seven palms of the fan variety in THIS
sgehs he1 have are 1Rfx sSy
"But the gardens have a unitarian value IN
han hands the first sorghum root that grew in this
country, and from that modest Dsginhlne c. va
alone a revenue of four millions Of dollars an
nualy. Ten years ago | gave 10 young iady
n IrT forty feet high: have had hundreds Of cut
iings from It, and it has inspired the city auth n
For Years have been sending tuberoses South
that section 10 grow them. only few years ago
w.sr b,,t for some time now besides supplying the
home demand have exported tuberoses TO the
value of 10000 England pays f1;coc3 for bulbs
lands Germany, England, France. Belgium ana ths
smnnlv the demand here and get some Of Englands
trade would It rot be worth while? Enuca'i no IN, of
The many unitarian uses Of the Botanic GARDENS
One of tn. "exes" resident in Washington tells
amusing stories of life in the Northwest In the
early days when the redmen still roamed the
prairie unrestrained and life there was rugged and
picturesque
II was doing some surveying" he says, land
was al X with companions when Asiatic
cholera made It's appearance in town. My friends
and were all taken with what we took TO be an
attack Of H. and each Of us had cured himself
with a different patent medicine. Naturally We
sars the praises Of these medicines and there
were some heated arguments as TO which one was
the best.
"one day. In the midst of of these discus
sions an old Indian. Crooked Pete, put In an APP
pearance at the door Of cur shack. The Indians at
the camp a few miles of town. he said. had
been taken with the cholera. The braves VINO
were not stricken had off, leaving the SICK tho
OLD men. women and children. They had no rnedi-
cines no one to care for them, and those who had
the disease were lying the ground waiting ior
death. Pete had come TO me because no knew that
al one time | had been sort Of Government agent
10. the Indians; they had confidence IN me- , ana
would obey, and he hoped could do something
for them.
when heard Petes story | suggested to my
companions. as the most practical thing. that We
60 cut to the camp and try cur medicines on the
defenceless savages We went accordn.;ly. armed
village found that Pete had not exaggerated;
The Indians We're sroaning on the ground ana h ohe
which signihed that she was either dead or very
We divided the Indians into three sections. each
Of us taking one TO dose with his favorte nostrqm
some of them were so far gone that we were com
PEELED 10 pry open their teeth with our iron spoons
the GA sqGaw who Was h 5ughS to be dead and
she was dead 10 all intents and, purposes, but !
lrleo her tightly set jaws open and poured poon.
ful OF my mixture into her mouth. She did not
swallow. and i had about given the case up as
hopeless when heard a gurgle She swallowed
the stun. and dosed her with more:
You VIII hardly believe it, and / must confess
Ihe story has a patent medicine advertisements
hayoT, but In an hour that old squaw was up walk
ING about. and the next day she was practcaliy
We'll None of US lost patient; they all got We'll
but crowed over my cure. as showing that, while me
their medicines only cured mine could bring the
dead back to life. My JOY was short lived. however
because on the afternoon OF the second day ms ou
squaw died the only one Of the whole lot VINO gave
up the ghost.
to town for some crackers and other things
We needed. brought into camp quart OF Whlshcy
for his own personal use. This whiskey he care
fully hid In the hollow OF tree but the old squaw
was watching him. and as soon as Pete was az n
Convenient distance she proceeded TO steal the ire-