The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-03-30
WASHINGTON u. G. !

OOSsOA5 t
WASHINGTON. u. c..
March ~, 1900.
In our last letter we promised to tell
something of our visit to the White
House. We owe the pleasure of the
visit to Mr.. Dolliver. not only this but
we believe that We could not have gone
under better auspices, tor the big con-
gresham from the 10th Iowa district is
so justly popular not only at the White
House but all over departmental
Washington, that his name is an 'sopen
sesame" wherever he may go. Enter
ing the executive mansion Mr.. Dolliver
led the Way past the guards and SER
wants and waiting throngs, up the
stairway to the holy of holes on the
second floor. Here we found a large
parlor which is used as an anterooln for
senator's, congressman and others who
have the right of way to the executive
presence. Over in one corner in earn
est conversation were Senators Bur.
rows and Mcmillan, the senators from
Michigan. From their earnestness, it
was easy to guess that thew were dis
cussing the Porto Rican bill. Senator
Prichard, the republican senator from
North Carolina; a Pennsylvania con-
gresham, Kentucky congressman
and Judge Wilson of Frankfort, one of
Kentucky's best lawyers, formed an
other group, which we presently Joined.
The North Carolinan was there to dis
cuss Porto Rico, the Kentuckians to
discuss the gubernatorial situation and
the Pennsylvania to secure an APP
pointment for one of the republicans of
his district. The Michigan senators
were first admitted and in the mean
time Judge Wilson told us something
| of the details of the Kentucky situa
ton. He said that there had been
mary times during the past few months
when one overt act on the part of an
over jealous enthusiast would have cost
fifty lives. ae said that the knowledge
OF this fact had been the best peace
lpreserver in Kentucky. He was op-
posed to any Federal interference and
thought that the question was one for
Kentucky alone. Then followed a
general discussion of the raca problem
from a southern standpoint. Senator
Prichard said that one result of the
agjtations in North Carolina had been
that now about ninety per cent of the
total vote was cast at their elections,
whereas in South Carolina not twenty
five per cent of the vote was cast, the
majority of the people scarcely know
ing when an election was held. To us
the discussion of the negro question,
on which we have always held such de
cided views, was a most interesting
one.
Mr.. Dolliver and the writer were the
last of those admitted to the presidents
private Office and in this we were very
fortunate-we came just at time when
the president was taking breathing
spell and was just in the right frame of
mind to sit back in his chair, leisurely
smoke his cigar and talk. To tell you
the truth we had expected our inter.
view to consist of an introduction, and
then to hear the president say, '.Mr.
Meyers, am pleased to meet you, :;
with an accent on the last word much
the same as the barber's when he calls
out NEXT
We were introduced and shook
hands, and by the way, the president
has sort of an overland, upper curve
handshake, that takes a westerner by
surprise. 1t is said to be matter of
self preservation with men who have
to shake hands with a thousand or SO
people day, and under the circum-
stances, remembering the many good
things the president has done we are
inclined to forgive it. We warn our
congressman, however. that if they
come back to Iowa and try to run their
campaign on that sort of a handshake,
when next they come to Washington it
will be on their "uppers."
We had seen the president several
times before but only at such times
when he was worn with travel and
fatigue and the strain of a political
campaign. He looks leshier now and
has hea!thful and hearty appearance.
His piercing, Napoleonic eyes are his
most striking features and these always
impress one with his power and mig.
netic attraction. He spoke of country
newspaper work and of his earlier at
tempts in politics and his first election
to public Office as county attorney of
a democratic county. lie said that one
of the main objects of the republicans
of that democratic county in the earlier
days was to elect sheriff SO that their
republican paper might secure the