The National tribune., 1902-08-14
CHAT OF THE CORRIDORS.

CHAT OF THE CORRIDORS.
A familiar figure in Washington for the
past week was Gen. Thomas ]. Hender-
son, of Illinois. Gen. Henderson was 9
member of Congress from Illinois ~
years or more. and is now connected with
the Board ON National Homes for Dis
abled Veterans. Gen. Henderson expressed
the opinion that the country was too pros
porous to contemplate a political change
this Fail. Il believe that the people are
satisfied with the record Of the Admins
traton," he said.
The Liberty Bell is becoming quite a
noted traveller. An effort is now being
made to secure the historic relic fer the
Louisiana Purchase Exposition in st.
Louis The Liberty Bell has made five
journeys from Old Independence Hall IN
Philadelphia, but never went west OF the
Mississippi Its first trip was over into
Allentown. in 1T77, to save it from fall
ing into the hands of the British when the
Americans evacuated Philadelphia. 1t is
an object-leSson in patriotism wherever II
goes.
First Assistant Postmaster-General
Wynne has just had q remarkable request
made of him. The Postmaster of New
Berne. n. c., who lives in the Postoffice
building, has smallpox. and is not likely to
recover The Superintendent OF the At
lantic & North Carolina Raiiroad, which
carried the mails from New Berne, has
asked Gen. Wynne to have the posfoffice
building burned. and of course all the con-
tents of the same. The matter has been
referred to the Board Of Health Of New
Berne.
Relic hunters are tormenting the hfe
out OF the workmen at the White House
in their persistent search for relics Of the
historic interior. The visitors have acted
as regular scavengers, carrying away The
plastering tied up in their handkerchlefs
and Juggling off laths by the armlOad. The
very nails of the floor, all curious, hand
wrought ones. have disappeared, and any
body who got hold of n bit of fancy mold
ing was lucky indeed. 1t has been found
necessary to close the grounds to every
body who cannot show a pass.
Great excitement was created Dle day
last week when some Of the workmen
who were excavating under the north, or
main. entrance to the White House, dis
covered lot of bones. human bones. it
was Mt once announced. The excavation
was made for the purpose Of placing a
boiler, and it was said that the digging
was much deeper than had occurred there
since the White House was built. There
was wild conjecture as to how the bones
of human being came to be buried under
the front stoop of the Presidents house,
and many remarkable theories were ad-
vanced, some going so far as to suggest
that an enemy OF President had met
untimely death. and hnd been secretly
buried there. Then the workmen told of
finding, far underground. vault, which,
uncovered to the light of day, proved to
be one of the outdoor baking ovens of the
period in which the White House WAS
built. The bones were found beside this
vault Now everybody knows that the
bones were those Of a pig, or some crea-
ture Of that kind. thrown down near the
vault or oven. where they were roasted
to finish. and then not very neatly left,
by some famous black nanny cook
When the White House Grounds were
terraced up as they now are, the oven.
out of date, was simply covered up, and
yellow" story goes glimmering.
The picturesque and always entertain
ing Mr. Wa Ting Fang, Chinese Minis
ter to Washington, who is slated to re-
turn to the Orient, has for some reason
been granted longer stay, and will spend
another year in the United States.
1t has been reported in Washington that
Representative Curtis, OF Kansas, is suf-
fering from overwork, and will have to
rest while before entering upon his cam
paign for Senator. Mr.. Curtis is one of
the Understanding men in Congress-.
80
And now the Chaplains are kicking on
the kind of a uniform they are obliged to
wear. They contend that they have as
much right to gold braid and lace as any
soldier in the serrice-at least to some
of it.
Senator James B. Mcmillan, of Michi-
gan, died suddenly of heart disease at his
Summer home at Eagle Head, Mass. Sun
day morning, Aug. 10. He was elected
to the United States Senate in 1889, and
had been for many years one of the lead
ers of the Republican party in that body.
In the case of the young lady, Miss Tay-
lor. who held a Government position, and
lectured the Administration meantime
through the medium Of the public press,
the Secretary OF War, whom the young
lady sued for dismissing her. has replied
that he dismissed her because she was in
subordinate. 1t is thought that the case
will end right there. There doesn't seem
TO De 1nucn GUnbL mat WHen n clerk
''sasses'' the Chief, dismissal is sov-
ereign remedy. and Civil Service Reform
ers may grin and bear it.
1t is said that the coming Winter will
be the gayest in the history OF the National
Capital, for tine White House is to be
thrown open in series of balls and re-
ceptions such as have not frightened its
great rooms since "Nellie" Grant fitted
through them a happy debutante. The
renewed White House will be so much
more splendid than the old one that the
former habitues of the historic edifiee will
scarcely know it. Miss Alice Roosevelt
is to reign supreme in the younger Wash
ington set and set the pace in entertaining
and she will have with her much OF the
time some of the New York cousins to
help her do the honors.
Senator McLaurin is still cunning for
Senator Tillman. 1t is now stated on au-
thority that the declination of the Judge
ship of the Court of Claims was because
he wants to get even with the gentleman
of the pitchfork from South Carolina, and
he does not care to soil the ermine in do
ing so. 1t is even asserted that Senator
McLaurin might have been Secretary Of
the Interior. but counted his hope of re-
renge sweeter than Cabinet position.
The manner in which "Baby Bailey"
has wilted on the subject of the ''insnlt
to his honah, sah.' is the talk of his State.
and prominent Texans have said in the
newspapers that they believed that Mr..
Bailey had killed himself utterly, so far