The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-03-30
WASHINGTON IN LIGHTER VEIN.

Gen. Leonard Wood burst through the
doors of the reception room at the White
House on Saturday morning while Presi-
dent Roosevelt was comforting with sew
eral United States Senators.
Hello, Leonardo" shouted the Presi-
| dent, as he jumped UP and rushed to-
ward his old friend.
How are you, Theodore?" exclaimed
the Governor General of Cuba, as the
two grasped hands and slapped enc an
other on the back.
You are looking first-rate," said the
President, after backing oft to make an
inspection.
''Never felt more fit in my life. And
you seem in fine condition.
"Oh! I'm in the best FORM" said the
President.
Il see you are busy now. Mr.. Presi-
dent. l will go over to the War Depart
ment and pay my respects to the Secre
tary of War and to the Adjutant Gem
eral. This afternoon L will return for
| you and we will have q great walk. We
will walk thirty miles"
"No, SIR" returned the President,
promptly; 1--WE will not walk thirty miles
When You return we will walk forty
two milesF-eXactly fCrtytwo miles. Mind
you, not an inch less"
! There was a hearty laugh all around.
After few more words with reference
to engagements, General Wood left. At
the appointed hour in the afternoon the
President of the United States and the
Governor General of Cuba started out
| for their long tramp. They were gone
VI ,,r1-
not have covered the forty two miles,
they certainly went a goodly distance.
| Myron H. McCord, who has just been
confirmed as Marshal of Arizona, tells
a story of a time when in his career
virtue was not it's own reward.
Il was running for Office he said,
sin a district that had d tremendous
Democratic majority l took the nomi-
nation under protest, for l didn't think
l had chance. On the afternoon of
| election day a citizen came to me and
told me he had twenty votes corralled
that l could buy for 81 a vote, or $40
| in all
+ ut was contrary to my principles to
buy votes. Besides, what was the use,
| eevn if a man were lacking in moral
stamina. to throw away $40 for twenty
votes when he was going to be buried
under an avalanche of ballots? | an
swered the request for lucre with an
emphatic no, and threw in a scornful
word or two to make it more binding.
| THE next day | didn't rue my hon
esty, but my friends did when the final
returns showed that my opponent had
downed me by just ten votes"
Some Texas constituents were being
shown about the capitol by Representa-
| tive Henry They had seen the rotunda
and the whispering stones1 and from
window Mr. Henry had pointed out to
them the Washington monument.
"Oh, show us where the Bunker Hill
monument is, won't your asked one.
Mr.. Henry explained that it is now
| in Boston, but that Congress is trying
to get through a bill to have it moved
/ to Washington, says the Warrington Post.
Mississippi lost it's brightest wit when
! John Allen retired from Congress. He
seems to have a successor in the person
of Representative Gambler. who cOnvulsed
the House last week in a speech advocat-
ing an appropriation for Tombigbee river.
Here is his speech:
mo doubt you have noticed the map OF
the vast coal and iron beds contiguous
to this river and also the pictures OF
the steamer Vienna blowing the waves
of this beautiful river, loaded with the
fieecy staple cotton. The difficulty is
that the Vienna can only navigate this
river during high water, and for only
q small part of the year. But it takes
navigation to make tonnage. Open up
this river to navigation the year round
and the tonnage will leap to an I'M
dreamed-of amount. (Applause)
ION the banks of this river is Col
umbus the queen city of East Mississippi,
which has a number of factories now,
and Aberdeen. the pride of the prairie
belt. and Fulton, the gem of the historic
hills Open up this river and these wide
awake progressive places will be filled
with factories, and the contiguous country
will blossom like American beauty roses.
This river flows through the Bigbee VAL
lev. which vies with the Valley of the
Nile in fertility and richness of produc-
ton. Along it the cotton and agricul-
tural grain products are in abundance,
like the crops of ancient Egypt, inexhaus-
tible, pleading for an outlet to the
world. An abundant virgin forest, to
make enough lumber to supply untold
demand, mods in the breeZes and beckons
you to gaze upon this river and behold
the great natural advantage to be gain
ed by opening it up, and enough lime
rock is contiguous to the river to make
sufficient high standard cement to con-
struct the masonry of the Nicaragua
Canal" (Applause.)
But he did not get the appropriation
while John Allen did get the fish hatchery
for Tupelo.
Just think of man who wants damage
to compensate him for the mental an
guish which he suffered because he did
not Get to his mother-in-laW BEDSIDE in
time TO see her die, comments the Wash
ington Post.
The incident really occurred IN North
Carolina and Representative Bellamy, OF
Wilmington. tells the story. II have
been arguing a most interesting case.
he said yesterday. "a man has sued a
toll fOr hPc1nCa