The age-herald., 1902-03-07
Washington Day by Day

refrain of ''the merriment, the merri- ment' in that most enticing of all musi- cal comedies, "The Mikado," is gladly re- membered by everybody who believes 1t Is right that "the punishment fit the crime," and likewise by everybody who has no views on this particular subject
 Here in Washington, and all over the East everybody is splitting sides, to ex- press a homely phrase, in "the merri- ment, the merriment" incident to the for wardness of the Presidents delegates" in attendance on Prince Henry; their bearing being too funny to permit any soul with a sense of humor to keep straight face. If we had one great car- ricaturist who had a soul above pot boiling politics he could immortalize him. self by dealing with the Presidents dele gates in their manner of attending upon Prince Henry.
 Our illustrious German guest is photo- graphed five hundred times a day per- haps, hundreds of cameras being turned upon him without his knowledge. Ac- companying the Prince everywhere he moves Is an official German photographer under instructions of the German Elm peror, who desires a pictured record of his brothers visit to America, and in ad- dition there are many recognized Ameri- can photographers, to all of whom the Prince has been most amiable and oblig- ing: he could not act otherwise to any one, from chairwoman to the President. His nature and his training make him so.
 And Washington is shocked that it re- mained for a Chattanooga photographer to be the first American after Kentucky Wheeler, to show the visitor any degree of lack of proper consideration. We are informed upon the unquestioned authority of the Associated Press that this Chat tanoogan was dlsrespectful to the Prince after his serene highness-please don't let the title appear as "royal' highness- had moved five times to accommodate the man with the camera.
 Thus the nameless Chattanoogan and the fameless Kentucky Congressman have all the rudeness to themselves. But the sole source of real merriment of the kind we Americans love so we'll the grotesquely humorous-is found in the condition that no photograph has yet been published in which the Presidents | delegates were not equally or more con- spicuous than Prince Henry himself. | These brave delegates have in every instance rushed forward on the battle line of the photographers and have in many instances quite overshadowed and largely concealed the figure of the most | his more illustrious uncle King Edward Everybody is laughing at the "dele- gates," and laughing in the utmost merri- ment, for the delegates have made them l selves supremely ludicrous and ridiculous. Common instinct apart from all breeding, would keep almost any mortal man from forcing himself into a photograph not meant in the remotest sense to represent himself in any attitude.
 As for the President and his daughter and the secretary of state, 1t was emi- nently proper and historically most de- sirable that they be autographed with the nations guest; but the delegates had no more right or excuse for forcing themselves forward on the photographing
 
 were charged with the personal safety of Prince Henry.
 | And in this particular everybody is praising the renowned Chief Will1ie of the secret service. Chief Wilkle at the outset won the esteem and cordial friendship of the prince, and by his modesty and per sistently unassuming conduct while on duty with the prince, remaining continu- ousy near the prince but never permit ting himself except in one purely acci- dental instance to appear In photograph he has, by that conduct and by his ef- fciency, 4won the unstinted praise of all | Americans.
 The principal objects of the national merriment are of course Rear Admiral Robley Evans. originally nicknamed Fighting Bob'' because he had never fought anything except religion, beef and beer; and Adjutant-General Corbin of army beef notoriety who became a gen eral because he never fought anything but the promotion of army officers who were unacquainted with the boot-licking l art.
  manners are delegates of the President, and as such they have made the merri- ment, the merrment' or the nation In the latest published photograph of the princess visit, Corbin looms majesticaly in the foreground, almost the thickness of his fat person in front of the prince and In height appearing eighteen inches taller than the prince, who is in fact full inch taller than Corbin; while the fat-faced fat-headed Robley Evans stands on the opposite side of the prince. foot or two in advance of him and looking steadily at the camera. Merriment? Why, it Is supremely ludicrous
 In other days when Governor Jelks of Alabama was conducting my little daily" in Eufaula, and ten to nothing was hap pier than he Is now, he had occasion to write editorially of this man Evans-and you know MT. Jelks wrote some of the most effective editorials that have ever appeared in any Alabama newspapers! The character of the argument is not now remembered, but it was probably a pro- test against Evans vulgar and ill-bred habit of public swearing. However that may have been Editor Jelks concluded his remarks with this rorceruI declara- tion:
 "Robley doesn't seem to set well on our l stomachr'
 Rare wit that, and fully expressive of the general American view of him of foul oaths who Is absurdly called Fighting Bob" Won't Robley ever kindly hang