The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1899-05-06

II was once said of man that
"wheneyer he opened his mouth he
rrt his foot IN il " He was not the
only man of the kind The worIu Is
full of them.
When Gen. Grant was President
certain man was appointed doorkeeper
to the House of Representatives. When
he had been duly installed into once
and noticed how defereutially he was
treated by members of Congress. true
sense of his greatness dawned upon
him. and in an exultant, but unguard-
ed moment he wrote 10 his little circle
OF admirers at home that he was
digger man than old Grant - OF course
the little circle at home became all a.
furry at the good fortune which had
befallen their community. The letter
was shown to the local paper ana pup
lished. 1t was reproduced IN the
Washington papers. and in few days
afterwards "a bigger man than old
Grant" bought ticket for his ances-
trail home, a wiser, sadder, II not
''bigger" man
When that great politician James Il
Blaine was running for the presidency
and had swept through the country
like an oratOrical meteor. all eyes were
turned upon the State of New York and
il was generally. conceded that - as
went New York, 50 would go the cleo
ton. The Republicans were hopeful,
buoyant, aggressive, confident. Inc
Democrats were losing ground daily, but
whistling to keep their courage. Then
came DR.. Burchard. preacher. lie
addressed great mass meeting Ill New
York CITY in the interest of Blaine. lie
went for the Democrats with gloves OH
and i'll supreme m"meut OF alltera'
tiOn, and subsequent obliteration. char
acterized the opposition as being the
expOnents of run, ROmanism aud
rebellion. " The next day every hquCr
dealer, every Catholic and every South
ern sympathizer deserted the Republi'
can ranks, and the Democrats had a
walk over 1t is doubtful If James q.
Blaine could. TO his dying day, hear the
name of Burchard without experiencing
tired feeling.
Later, the Spanish minister DE LONE.
while stationed in Washington CITY
wrote a letter to a fellowcountryman "a
which he described McKinleyism and
Hanna methods with such brusque
truthfulness as to touch the raw OF their
highnesses, and forthwith the proud
Spaniard was made TO realize that
There is no place like home for a
man who tells what he knows. or says
what he thinks.
And Capt Coghlan, man, as hlpl'
ing would say who can handle a
l0.inch gun 70 carry seven mile,
was content TO let his guns talk at
Manila. but when he struck New York
or rather when New York struck him
he yielded. Not satisfied with being
a fighter, he must needs be an orator,
and when he got at it. he was like
many other Orators-he couldn't stop
Nor did oratory suffice. Being such a
superb fighter and such a grand orator.
of course, he could sing and sing he
did a song of "Gott und der Kaiser,
which he will not soon forget And
now he sings a song Of didn't know
it was loaded" to the Navy Department
and damns the reporters.
Last. but not least. comes Admiral
Kautz. he Of Samoa fame, who writes
a private letter to his cousin, the wife
OF q heutuChO COAOnCAt anu III A' oNN'N'
that he is ''bOss of the ranch and by
practice "king-maker. He lis not
popular with the Germans, but is all
right with Cousin John Bull, together
with u lot more aloGg the same line, all
Of which was mighty interesting read
ing to Cousin Sue. But in an evil mo-
ment she gave it TO the newspapers, and
now the doughty admiral, in all proba'
bility, regrets that his uncle ever mar
ried
An oyster is the lowest form Of ami
NAL life. being absolutely without in
tellect but-he knows when to keep
his mouth shut.
The foregoing from the Hampton
Monitor is "a good thing" but why it
should have omitted ali reference to
William Jennings Bryan, except very
strongly inferentially, is what ono fell
lah can find out A"