The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-04-20
LIVE TOPICS ABOUT TOWN.

Army officers stationed III this city are
at present discussing the new official IN
sigma chosen by the Quartermaster Gen
eraI of the Army for the Corps Of ATtil-
Iery- The enlisted meE are to have two
modern siege guns. crossed. embroidered
on the front of their caps The officers
are to wear small reproductions of mount
ed field guns on the collars Of their coats
The heavy batteries viii be designated
by gold insignia, and the light batteries
by silver. As the modern siege gun is an
ungainly looking affair with al enormous
bUceCh. il is not believed that the insignia
for the enlisted men viii make q very
Secretary Hitchcock is at present wish
ing that the Government had never de
cided to throw open the Kiowa and Co
manche Indian reservation in Oklahoma
| to settlement The head of the Interior
Department has already received some
10000 letters of suggestion, and these are
still coming in at the rate of 200 day.
Many of these are marked personal and
about one-third of them GENE from old
soldiers who desire a share in the diStTi-
/ button of the land
One seat in Lafayette Park just at this
season of the year is especially popular
1t is the one nearest the big magnolia
blossoms this year are more delicate in
+ their purple and white than ever before,
and the perfume they exhale. is more
subtly pleasing than ever The attractions
afforded by the tree appeal to every class.
/ The little children play under it. in or
der to have the benefit of it's odor. and the
nurses are glad to sit on the seat by it
and watch its waxIike flowers wave in
the sun There are other magnoIias in
bloou1-notably one in Franklin Square
+ and Two little ones in the gardens of the
Executive Mansion The tree in Franklin
Square has almost as many daily admir-
eTs about IT as has the one in Lafayette
Park
This is a labor saving age, and the labor
saving mania has now gone beyond man,
and is affecting the horse In the streets
OF Washington yesterday there was being
slowly driven about n vehicle piled up
with bricks, and other weighty material.
It was an exceedingly large wagon, and
the load was evidently very heavy-yet
only two horses and not very large ones
at that, were pulling it. They seemed to
be able to breast hills as easily as they
took levels. and their load rolled on be-
hind them smoothly and easily There
were plenty of signs upon the vehicle to
explain what it all meant but between the
lines of the flarins legends were to be
read hope rest, and ease for the long
suffering draft horse. Some one has in
vented a patent axle ~ which friction IS
reduced TO such q degree that two horses
only are needed to 90 the work of four
, The wagon which the two animals we're
drawing yesterday weighed $50 pounds
ana the load weighed ILLUMINATING to-
tai Of L, 20 pounds which tiity seemed to
manage quite easily.
In the office of Clerk Mcdowell, of the
House of Representatives. are four large
boxes tightly nailed and bound in an Of
fetal way with iron bands, ropes and
seals They make quite an impressive
pile. and Ill nearly the whole Of the
small office. Clerk Mcdowell viii have
to be satisfied to give them room. for
they contain official documents which are
supposed 10 be under his eye all the time.
The big boxes contain the testimony-on
one side only-in the contested Horton
Butler election case, from one of the Con-
gressiouaI districts of Missouri The doc
uments present the side of Horton, who
IS the contestant. What the pile of boxes
viii be like when Mr. Butler has fled his
answer nc one has any idea, but even
now. a. regards the amount of evidence
presented. it seems that the HCrtOn-But-
Ter case Is going TO make a record. How
ever the matter turns out. there VIII be
work or hand for one of the election com
miJtees- The boxes are supposed to ct1-
tain a number of ballot boxes, and type
written testimony by the ream-
The UustghtIy foundation Of the old
Department OF Justice. on Pennsylvania
Avenue, near Lafayette Park, has not
improved in appearance since the
Inauguration. Nearly every stump OF
a wall, and in fact nearly every
moTtar-cOvered brick is now clad in
either red or a black garment of pa
per IN tearing down the Inauguration
stands, IN which a good deal of tar paper
of red and black had been used, the prob
lem Of disposing of the refuse was solved
by throwing il al into the old foun-
daton- It lies there now blown about
by the winds and beaten upon by the
sun and rain At times d gust of unusual
feTceneSs viii drive a small piece Of the
paper out of the hole into the street.
Then il gets taken Up by the street clean
ers- The rest remains undisturbed-
An elderly gentleman was standing in a
drug store on Pennsylvania Avenue yes
terday, being diligently brushed by an at
tentive clerk. The aged man showed the
evidences Of contact with mother earth.
for there was plenty OF it on him He
was not complaining. but was giving his
opinion Of certain things in an emphatic
way.
There ought to be a law against throw
ing banana peeIs on the sidewalk" ne de-
claTed. Il would have it made criminal
offence TO put upon the pavement where
people walk anything likely to make them
slip and fall do not see why the public
should not be protected from the thought
less people who could just as easily hold
their banana skin in their hands until they
reached one Of the frequent street trash
boxes At least. they might have the
sense to throw the skin out into the
street. The IaCt that they would be liable
for the damage resulting from their neg
hgeuce Of other peoples safety would be
restraining influence. If II is possible 10
keep people from expeCtOratinE on the
floor Of street cars and on the sidewaI TX
it ought TO he possible 10 keep them from
throWI ing dangerously slippery articles
about