Omaha daily bee., 1902-06-17
BITS OF WASHINGTON LIFE.
Minor scenes and Incidents sketched
ON the SPOT.

on the arm Of a personal attendant. Sena-
tor Hawl=y. with his falling strength,
vainly tried to push open a door leading
out OF the chamber; Senator Hanna came
h~obbling down the aisle leaning heavily on
his cane and Senator Plat OF New York
wobbled shakily into his seat. The young
woman looked on wonderingly and then re-
marked to a friend: II should think they
would call this the old mems home in
stead OF the United States senate"
Representative Lacey waxed eloquent
yesterday during his discussion Of the for
est reserve bill, of which he is the author,
says the Washington Times. The Iowan
usually employs choice as we'll as forceful
diction, but this was what he said in tell
ing about an isolated spot somewhere in a
remote reservation:
Why. on this spot" he exclaimed. 1.-THE
hand Of man has never yet set foot"
1t was fortunate for Mr.. Lacey that there
were but few member in the house and
Of these very few giving any heed to what
he was saying, as the measure was not one
Of much general intrest.
OF course II was a slip OF the tongue and
Mr.. Lacey will have an opportunity to
correct 1t when he comes to read his speech
before 1t is printed In the Record.
Congressman Payne, leader Of the house,
was In the lobby OF a Washington hotel the
other evening when representative Less
Ter and his 7-year-old son came in. go
over to the gentleman" said LeSsler to
the little boy. "and say How do you do.
Congressman Payne?'" The long word was
too much for the child. who said when he
came up to the eminent leader: How do
you do, con men Payne?" and when his
r afhaH 2--IANAzg -NI-
group one Of them remarked: well, the
little chap wasn't so far wrong after all"
Many years ago there happened to me
in Washington one of the pleasantest cpl
sodes OF my life." said former Governor
Thomas G. Jones Of Alabama to a Wash
ington Post interviewer recently.
Il was a mere stripping Of a boy and was
proud Of the fact that my father had al
lowed me to make a journey to the ma
tional capital on my own hook. The Ma
tional hotel was then the chief hostelry
and thither I repaired, anxious to get a
glimpse Of the notables l knew to be liv-
ing there. In wandering about the house II
seems that got into a private parlor quite
by accident. The solitary occupant was a
nice looking old gentleman with a very
benevolent face, and very soon we were
chatting together in the freest way.
II told him that I came from the south
and that my chief ambition was to shake
hands with the president. At this he
seemed greatly amused, but presently grew
serious and told ne that II I'd wait only q
few minutes he would promise me the
meeting that / longed for-that 1 should
see and talk with the president.
Presently he lef. me, but In a short
while a aervant hrought Uord that 7 was
wanted outside and conducted me to the
street where the kind old man sat in a
fine carriage drawn by a pair of splendid
horses. Get in said he, and / lost no
time obeying. All the way to the White
house I was in a kind of trance. and 1t was
not until we reached the executive mansion
that l woke up.
1T must have been the extreme defer
ence that l saw a lot of people and at
PENDANTS pay my venerable friend that
caused me to realize, as by a fash Of in
tuition, that I had been taken under the
wing of James Buchanan. It was the presi-
dent himself that brought me to the White
house. For a minute, with boyish dim
dence, i hung back, but he made me go
inside. and for an hour or more I was as
royalty entertained as though / had been
a young prince"
Professor Robert T. Hill, the government
geologist, brought back to Washington with
him a quantity of specimens Oh the ashes
thrown out by Mont Pelee. Professor Hills
supply of sacks and bags in which he put
the material ran out, so he utilized his
surplus socks for this purpose. He is now
engaged in labelling the various specimens
that he secured at Martinique. The dust
varies a little in color according to the
places where 1t was collected. 1t can all
be called gray, however, and 1t all has the
same gritty touch when pressed between
the fingers. Some of 1t has a decided blue
tinge, like powdered blue clay. All the
hardware picked up by Professor Hill indi-
Gates that the explosion Of Mont Pelee
created an almost unbearabIe heat in the
city at it's base. He found a cluster OF
nails, for example, which had SO melted
as to have run together. Several cases Of
crockery found near by had cracked into
small pieces. Yet several Of the articles
which Professor Hill has were apparently
not heated at all. He discovered some
where a keno" outfit with a score OF small
checkers, each marked with a number.
Not one of these shows any signs Of heat.
A western congressman who has Just
been renominated, and who has returned
to Washington to receive the congratula-
tions Of his colleagues, tells in the Wash
ington Post a good story on himself upon
condition that his name be not mentioned.
When the nominating convention con-
cluded It's work. the exuberant congressman
telegraphed to his family Now you can
paint my home red" He thought nothing
more of the telegram until next day, when
reaching his home. he found 1t covered with
brilliant carmine. His sons, who love q
practical joke, had taken him at his word.
and had covered everything-house, fence.
hencoops and even the trees in the yard
with red paint. And to add insult to In
fury, the boys presented their father with
the bill, amounting to $3.50.
II paid It without q murmur," says the
congressman.
Why is one small jerkwater railroad al
lowed to tax the whole world that Jour
neys to the tomb OF Washing ton, and TO
make Of that sacred spot a commercial
asset? This is a question which has doubt
less occurred to some millions Of tourists,
foreign and domestic. who come TO Wash
ington and religiously visit the home and
grave Of the father OF his country The