Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1900-11-20

DR.. johnson once met the village post
man trudging along the dusty road on
hot summer afternoon. The postman
observed that he had still mile to walk
Just to deliver one newspaper. My
goodnessv exclaimed the sympathetic
doctor, "I'd never go all that distance
for such trifie. Why don't you send
it by post?"
When Bob" Taylor was Governor OF
Tennessee, he was noted for being as
tender-hearted as a woman, and the
way he pardoned out convicts was
something awful. He was waited upon
by a committee of the Legislature, who
very fatty and in no uncertain way told
him that his wholesale pardoning
must stop" ''Gov'nor Bob" looked at
the committee, tapped a bell, asked for
his pardon clerk, and when he came
said: make out pardons for every
man in the penitentiary." The clerk
bowed and withdrew. Then the Gov
ernor looked at the committee, who
were staring as If they thought he was
going mad. Gentleman" he said, final
ly, II am Governor of Tennessee, and
il this committee or any other ever
again seeks to Interfere with my con-
stitutional right to pardon, I'll sign
every one Of these pardons which the
clerk is making out. Good-morning."
Secretary of State Hay is one Of the
most patient of men. He likes to be
helpful to newspaper correspondents,
and receives them freely in his office
and gives them such information and
hints as the proprieties will permit
Even the representatives Of the sensa-
tional or yellow papers are treated with
courtesy, though naturally with due
caution. Imagine the Secretary's sur
prise one afternoon during the heat of
the Chinese crisis (says Walter Well
NAM, when he was up to His ears in
work and anxiety, to hear from the lips
of William, his faithful messenger,
these words: "Mr. Secretary, the New
York - wants you to step to the tel
ephone." Mr.. Hay gasped, caught his
tongue in the nick Of time, recovered his
diplomatic. urbanity, and replied: Say
that the Secretary expresses deep re
gret that just at this moment he Is very
much engrossed in important work. y
Unfortunately what he said under his
breath could not, under the rules Of the
telephone exchange, be sent over the
wires.
The king of Naples, in the plenitude OF
his abselutism, paid one day visit to
the Neapolitan prisons, in order to see
for himself what sort of men his Grim,
inals were, and whether they really de.
served the punishments they were un.
dergolng. "What is your sentence" he
said to one. Fifteen years, your Ma
jesty." "And what had you doner
Nothing whatever" "Quite innocent ?
Entirely SO, your Majesty" "And
your" he asked another. Thirty years
sire. Victim Of false accusation
"And you?" to third. "In for life
my King" "And what had you done?'
Everything you can think Of, my
King: theft, burglary, highway rob
berry, manslaughter, murder. only
wonder they did not sentence me tt
DEATH" "What is your name?" asked
the King. "My name," replied the first
class criminal, "since 1 have been here
has been 912." After finishing his toul
of inspection, the King said to the Gov
ernor: Cali the prisoners here seem tt
be perfectly innocent There is onl!
one bad man among them-No. 912
You had better let him out, lest he cor
rupt the others"
Many of the newspaper biographer'
of the late Prince Alfred, Duke of SAKE
ICobfrg Gotha, overlook the fact tina
he was one Of Americas small list o.
royal guests. Several years ago, whil'
a midshipman in the British navy, h
made brief stop at Vancouver's Isl
and, and was entertained at ball Civ
en- by the Governor. He was very mucl
struck by the appearance of a girl WIN
seemed to be the belle of the assem-
blage when he entered the room, ant
learned by inquiry that she was th
daughter of the Governor, whose wifi
was a full-blooded Indian. The prime
asked the honor of a dance; but tn
school in Portland, Ore, held her hea,
very high, and, not knowing tn
princes social station, responded tha
the Governors daughter was entities
to dance with officers Of higher ranl
than midshipmen. The prince took tn
rebuff good-naturedly. His time for re
venge came when one of the Governor
suite, not knowing Of what had hap
pened, begged his royal highness' pei
mission to present the Governor
daughter as a partner for the mex
waltz. The Prince politely declined
remarking that 'his mother would b
deeply mortified to hear that he ha
danced with a squaw."