The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-02-02
CROWDED WHIllTHHOUSB
President Mckinley Will Ask
For New Executive Mansion.
ENTERTAINING WITS DIFFICULTY.

IS No Room Large Enough For the DipIo
~ matte Dinnsrs-Did Dolly Madison TAX,
IN snuns-How Mrs- CisveIana Came &.
the Relief Of . street Urchin.
WASHINGTON. Feb. 2.-[SpeciaI y--Prcsi
n dent Mckinley said to one Of hts guests
q the other day that before the expiration OF
. his term he hoped 10 induce congress to
make provision for the erection of new
u executive mansion. Mr.. Mckinley added
d that he had never before realized how In
8 adequate the present house IL to the needs
of the presidents family and as accommo-
dalton for the social functions which are
, part of the public duties of the head of the
. nation and his wife. For instance the Dip
, lomatic dinner given at the White House "A
few days ago was attended by more thar
90 persons. 1t was too large q dinner to
be served In the state dining room, where
only about 30 guests can be seated. There
lore 10 was necessary TO put up q tempo
rary table In the main corridor of the man
sion, long, narrow hall which was never
intended to be used as anything but
passageway and which Ia wholly unsuited
TO use as dining ROOM
Here the guests of the nation were
crowded in like the traditional sardlurs In
box. There was not room for table OF
sufficient widthto make it look we'll and
TO admit of proper decorations. Behind the
chairs or the guests there was u space so
narrow that with difficulty the walters
squeezed through, and they werein con-
slant danger of brushing against the Golf
fures Of the ladiessof the diplomatiu corps
| or OF splitting soup down the back of the
neck Of some great diplomatist.
The Presidents Views.
President Mckinley thinks q stste of
things like this should not DO permitted to-
continue indefinitely. This nation Is great
and rich enough to have a proper sort Of
public mansion for the residence Of tho
chief magistrate and his family.
1t Is understood that before his term,ex-
pires President Mckinley will urge CON.
gress to make an appropriation for snew
executive mansion, 70 be built on plan
similar TO the ono favored by tho late Mrs
Harrison, which was an addition to- the
present house, built farther back, the pres
ent house to BIO used as the presidents of
fices and the new oDslfor the residence of
the family, the two to- be connected by
long corridors which would serve. as pic
turo galleries and a conservatory.
At recent White House dinner tho
question whether or not Dolly Madison
was addicted to- the snuff habit came up
for discussion, and it was LETT To a gentle.
man who has u fondnees for feyreting out.
historical facts. This gentleman locked /
up all tbs records, made inquiries of tho
old timers and reached the conclusion that
the charming Dolly Madison was a snuff-
er. 1t is said that at one of tlse presidenr /
tial banquets Mrs Madison offered MIR. I
Clay a pinch of snuff from her beautiful 4
box, meanwhile taking pinch herself. /
She then put her hand in her pocket, pulled /
n hnn6onnn. vi
ly to her nose and explained to MIR. Clay: !
"This Is for rough work, and this"
touching the few remaining grains of snuff I
with fine lace handkerchief, sis my pol |
isher."
etories OF Mrs. Cleveland.
This anecdote of aformer mistress of,the
White House reminds me OF. couple of
stories of Mrs Cleveland. She who issnow (
the stately matron af Princeton was. driv-
ing with her husband one day through the
streets of Washington when she saw stand
ing on the sidewalk near the corner of
Massachusetts avenue and Sixteenthstreet |
a ragged little colored boy, crying os,if his,
heart was clear broken. The mistress of
the White House called to the coachman to-
stop, and, alighting from the carriage, she
went up to the little fellovand asked him
what the troubleswas.
His mother had given him quarter to I
run an GRAND with, be had lost ii, and he
was going to get a dreadful whipping
when he reached home.
Mrs. Cleveland ran back to the carriage
and asked the president for o. quarter,
which, that grave gentleman handed her
in abvious amusemenk The hoy scam
pered off, wholly unconscious Of the iaen-
tity Of his good Samaritan, glad enough \,
to get out of scrape- and dry his tears.
Ils.t - l. t. L. a
messed the pretty little incident waylaith
the lad, gave him a dollar for the silver
quarter, and to this day carries, thar quar-
tar as lucky pocket piece.
MIRA. Cleveland as an, Imitatoe.
Mrs. Cleveland bad a keen scnseof the
ridiculous and when she felt like IT MAS |
an admirable mimic. One day, after re-
OeptiOn In tho blue room, anumber of cab
tnet ladies and other favored guests were
asked To remain. for q tea in the upper cor
ridors. Mrs. Cleveland greatly amused her
guests by telling them, With elsver hit Of
acting, how woman had saluted her dur.
Ing the reception few moments before.
She was talL solemn, red faced. rawboned
woman, and she had obviously come to the
White House from some place in the coun-
try primed with q long studied and gram
eloquent greeting to the wife Of the presl.
dent. She struggled through the line that !
was swelling and squeezing from the red
parlor to the blue room, and as soon as she
could grasp the hand Of the mistress OF the
White House she exclaimed, painting mean
while for breath.
"May your--h-bappiness be Sss-~ss
g-great as your position Is ex -eyaltedr'
Mrs. Cleveland's excellent imitatiosN OF
the manner In which this solemn speech ,
had been delivered was so droll thcs the
guests burst into laughter, In which t!.eir
hostess Joined. Suddenly Mrs. Cleveland.
ever gracious and kind hearted, straight
ened her face, became serious again and
exclaimed:
"Eut 1t IL wicked of me to mako fun OF
the woman. Perhaps she meant itr'
At Mrs Cleveland's last public recep-
tion there was among the callers ut the
White House a quaint looking little old |