The age-herald., 1899-04-20
IN HOTEL LOBBIES
 AND ELSEWHERE

|
 the governors proposed call of an extra
 session of the legislature to repeal the act calling @ constitutional convention. There are three men, apparently Alabamians, sit-
 ting opposite to us," said politician in the lobby. "Tll wager you cigars or a dinner
 that they are talking about the extra ses-
 sion of the leglslature!" The listener did not respond in words; he merely reflected,
 or fancied he was refiecting.
 "what is the matter?' demanded the l 1ounger who had spoken, why don't you
 say somethng?''
 q was thinking about the calf the boy ran over"
 "Nothing to say?"
 "Nothing to say-postively not wordi' The talkative politician laughed rather vociferously, somewhat to the amusement l of the listener. "It Is mighty funny" he declared, mighty funny! Joseph has got us in the sling, and we aint much use It seems to me mighty like Joseph has made up his mind to carry his point, and I am | laughing to think about the result!' The garruous person laughted again. The listener was dumb and smileless. It was | funny.
 1 l 1t is interesting to note that Joseph H. l Manning, "the young evangel of Clay, | passes from politics to newspaper work. It l is a singular translation. perhaps. and cer- l tainly is interesting. For some few years MT. Manning was the stormy petrel of Alabama politics. He skinned above the surface of turbulent waters and some men l wondered whilst many admired the swift 70 4l.. oP | dawnng spirit of populism Manning was always a good fellow, always bright, al- ways interesting "The young evangel of l Clay" now foreswears politics and takes to newspaper work The New Orleans Daily Item announces that 1t has made MT Man ming It's Alabama representative, and he is l to have charge of the state bureau of that newspaper at Montgomery.
 
 q spent in Richmond all the years of the | war between the states" said E. L. Bridges, land I was a boy and keenly ob- servant. One morning-perhaps it was the I morning when the confederates evacuated | Richmond--I vert to market with my father saw him pay s5OOO in confederate money for a peck of turnip salad. It must have been the day the federal soldiers came
 
 the business part of the town was burning. I saw a Lott of cloth lying in the street, and put 1t on my shoulder to carry home. Just as did that somebody came rushing by crying, the Yankees are coming!' That cry so alarmed me that dropped the bolt of cloth ran at the top of my speed home, and concealed myself in the garret. I was but Il years of age; but that day left upon my mind an impression that cannot pass" Real estate sales for the past few days have been of small consequence. Indeed, l real estate is stagnant. This is due to the l fact that the distance between the would | be buyers and sellers is too great. Holders of real property are not desirous of selling. l They anticipate a much higher level of prices than now prevail; and one large l holder said yesterday that he had no prop erty for sale. This duness is likely to con- | tinue for sometime; for the very reason l that owners of lots are not desirous of sell ing their property in a rapidly rising 1 market.
 'That was an amusing error in the As 1 sociated Press dispatches of yesterday, in l which it outlined the g, ,00O-mile cruise of l our warship Chicago" said a giobe-trotter, in the lobby. Tt was stated that the Chi | csgo would call at Johannesburg, amongst
 other points. Johannesberg, the capital of
 the South African Republic the wondrous
 city of the Transvaal and the far-spread- l ing Veldt is 4,O00 feet above the level of l the sea, and is more than 600 miles from salt water. It is all right to talk about l the Chicago calling at Capetown; but Jo- | hannesberg Is three days travel by rail l from that beautiful little city of the Cape l The Chicago, by the way, was the first | important vessel of the new United States navy, and we Americans were proud enough of it to send it to Europe on a show l cruise. Old Admiral Erben was in com- | mand of the European station, and Captain | Alfred T. Mahan was the captain. Every-
 body abroad loved the admiral; everybody
 adored Mahan. It is curious how Ameri- cans so mspronounce Mahan's name they call it Mayhan! Properly it is l Mah-an.
 l "Mahan, who is one of our commissioners l to tho Czar's peace conference, has been, l like some of the rest of us, sick very nearly
 all his life. At his instance I used to call | upon him every day on the Chicago; he
 was weary of being i'll and alone. He is
 the most modest. the shyest of men-quali-
 ties not often discoverable amongst the
 men We call American. All the world
 toasts him and boasts him; and when he
 makes an after-dinner speech he delivers
 it so gracefully awkwardly that men go
 wild over him. The good Mahan! noblest
 man who ever writ in the tongue some of | us call United States! There is one phrase
 of his that is immortal: "Nelson's far dis
 tant, storm-beaten ships, upon which the 1 Grand Army never looked, stood between
 it and the dominion of the world!"
 Then the crowd fell to gossipping about
 Perry and Lawrence and Semmes and Far-
 ragut, Hobson and schley, and the rest of | them we reverence.
 Congressman Underwood returned yes-
 terday from Washington. The illness of
 Mrs Underwood was the cause of his visit