The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1899-02-23
CHAT OF THE CORRIDORS

I fashioned Ohio sleigh ride, such as they
had in their counting days. Inquiry al
the White House stables, which the vel
low journals quarter of a century age
were shrieking over as Emperor Grants
| palatial horse hotel" revealed that in all
their really modest equipment there was
no such thing as a sleigh. But Fred
Douglass, the faithful cOachman, Skin
| miShed around and succeeded in finding
| at a livery stable one that was not in
use. He ordered a hostler named Hicks
| to harness up the Presidents blacks and
| go for the sleigh. When the horses were
| brought out their equipment was not such
as to suit Fred's fastidious tastes, and
Fred gave him rating, whereupon Hick S
bounced upon Douglass and beat him
severely, for which Hicks was arrested.
In the meantime the livery-stable man
found another customer, and let the
sleigh go; but Fred found another sleigh
| and the President had his drive.
k*k
The President has informed the Com
missioners that he will be present, with
his Cabinet, at the dedication of the Gen.
Hartranft statue, which will take place in
Harrisburg early in May.
Although Senator Clark, of Montana,
will probably be the richest man in the
new Senate after March d, he is said to
be very modest and retiring man and
fCiy httHpblCdf III HIS HdDiGS. lie Is
engroSSed in his business and apparently
cares very little for the ordinary diver
sions OF millionaires. In fact, it is said
that he works harder and puts in more
hours in his office than anyone in his en-
| ploy. Several years ago." said Wash
ington man the other day, 81 made a trip
to Montana. / carried a letter of intro
duction to Clark. When l called at his
Office to present it the office was plainly
| furnished. Mr.. Clark was seated at his
| desk in his shirt sleeves, and seemed to
be working as though his life depended
on his getting through with the matter
| in hand. | managed to get him to make
business matter. All right he said;
| come around in the morning. What
hour would suit you, Mr.. Clark? asked
Say O'clock he answered. He saw
the surprised look on my face and smiled.
Yes, he said, L am rather an early
| riser. 1t is a habit l have got into. | do
not ask my employees to get around any
earlier than ! do myself. | am always at
my office at o'clock every morning when
| am here found subsequently that
his office hours were from Z a. M to Z
p. M, with the brief interval of half an
hour in the middle of the day tor refresh
ments. And they say that he is worth
over $50, 10000
Mr.. Money has introduced a bill in the
Senate providing that the operation of the
act approved July s, 1898, making APP
preparation ITO enable the Secretary of
War, in his discretion, to cause to be
transported to their homes the remains
of officers and soldiers who die at military
camps. or who are killed in action or die
in the field outside of the United States"
be extended to include the exhuming of
the remains, if the graves can be identi-
fed and returning for sepuIcher to the
United States, of the Captain and SO Of he
crew OF the Virginius, and IS others cap
tured on that ship, and shot under color of
military condemnation at Santiago de Cuba
on Nov. and 8, 1873, though claiming
and claimed to be citizens Of the United
States. The bill, however, provides that
if their remains cannot practically be re-
moved TO the United States they shall be
reinterred in a special plot, suitably
marked. The bill was referred to the Mill
tary Committee.
Mr.. Hale, Chairman of the Naval Al
fairs Committee, has favorably reported
a Joint resolution to the effect that the
Secretary OF the Navy is authorized to
have erected in the Colon Cemetery at
Havana, Cuba, suitable granite monu-
ment To the memory OF the sailors and
marines who lost their lives by the ex-
plosion of the United States steamship
Maine, and whose remains are buried in
that cemetery and appropriatng $4,000
for the purpose.
Congressman Eddy, oil Minnesota, owns
pair OF snowshoes, or, as they call
them out in his country, "skees.' Dur
ing the blizzard Mr.. Eddy fastened the
snowshoes on his feet and sailed forth
from his home on Columbia Nights, and
was at once the admiration and the envy
of all the inhabitants of that section.
While the rubbered and booted and leg
gined population was struggling down
Fourteenth street, seeking the railway
track or any ether track that offered the
path of least resistance, Mr.. Eddy was
skimmng along over the drifts and down
| into the valleys like bird in the air. He
soon covered enormous distances, and
had real good Minnesota time.
The House OF Representatives may be
| remodeled practically on the plans so long
| advocated by Speaker Reed. A resolution
| has been introduced and referred to the
| Committee on Ventilation and Acoustics,
directing the Architect of the Capitol to
make the required changes. The plans
will secure two objects: first, the better
| ventilation OF the chamber, and, second
the reduction OF it's size by about one
| half. The present chamber, it is ex-
pected, will be divided by two north and
south partitions which will dissect it into
three parts, the middle one being about
as large as the Otner Two put together.
| The Speakers desk will occupy it's pres
ent position, but through the change in
the hall will be at the end instead of or
the side of the chamber. Rows of seats
| facing the Speakers desk will be ar
ranged on either side Of this aisle, there
being APO of them in all. All the desks
that now fill tho hall are to be removed.
The two smaller sections OF the hall will
I become reading and writing rooms for the
members. The cloak rooms at the sides
of the present hall will be abolished,
leaving only a barber shop at the north
end of each section. The new plan will
make the House much like the English
House OF Commons, as far as its ground
plan is concerned. Its reform has been
advocated for years.
Senior Manuel AzproZ, the new Mexi-
can Ambassador, who succeeds Senior
Romero, will soon take his office. He
was born in 1886, is a lawyer by profess
sion, and has served in the Mexican
army with distinction. In 1867 he was
appointed Secretary of State of Mexico,
which Office he held until 1872, when he
came TO Washington as agent and attor-
ney for the Mexican Government before
the Mixed Claims Committee. After serv-
/, ing several years as Mexican Consul at
San Francisco, he returned to Mexico to
: decOme a member of the Federal Senate
From May, 1890, until the present time he
was sub-Secretary of State Of Mexico, and
at times he acted as Secretary OF that De-
partment during the absence OF Secretary
Mariscal. He has served in other Of1icia
= capacities, and is considered one OF Mexi