The Washington times., 1902-07-06

ono of the deans of the Row-a Repub-
lican in politics-to one Of his coll
leagues-a Democrat by political afiilie-
tion. 1t was related not long after the
late Nj. Porter came here as secretary
to the late William Mckinley:
Say. that fellow of yours (Thurber)
was a good sort of chap, but he used to
think the sun rose and set IN the brain
OF Grover Cleveland"
Yes was the answer; that is alto
geteT too true"
We'll, but what do you think Of our
new man."
well, his trouble is that he thinks the
sun rises and sets in his own noddle."
And that is true, too
About six weeks before the close OF
the last Cleveland Administration 1t oc-
CURED to two or three faithful adhe-
rents Of that President, who had seats
in the press galleries of Congress, that
it would be a fine idea to have the
newspaper correspondents call in body
to pay their respects to Mr.. Cleveland.
The bright idea was presented TO Mr..
Thurber, at that time secretary. and he
arranged for the meeting. There are
generally somewhere between 200 ard
$50 correspondents entitled to admission
TO the galleries of Congress. Exactly
fourteen CT these correspondents ap-
peared to pay their respects to the re-
firing President. Among that number
there were not more than two or three
Democratic correspondents. for most OF
those had in the preceding campaign gone
a-Pryaning There was no particular
iIl-will tward President Cleveland per-
sonally On the part OF the correspond
ents, but neither had there been any
enthusiastic or general goodwill, such
as was noticeable between the Presi-
dents and the press in the Administra-
ticns of Arthur and Mckinley
Henry L. Merrick. called Pop by his
newspaper associates, then was. and
still is. the breezy paragrapher of an
esteemed contemporary. He IS himself
Democrat. and was CT that class of
Democrats that never worshiped Cleve-
land. 1t may be added in his behalf that
neither did he ever adore the Peerless
To him the Consecrated and the Peerless
leaders were alike simple primroses
by the rivers brim.''
Thus 1t transpired that after the visit
of the fourteen newspaper correspond
ents to the White House to pay their
respects to President Cleveland Mr.
event. He devoted but a single para
graph to IL. and in this paragraph he re-
cited that no P, ,esident had ever retired
from the Executive Office who had been
so popular in the press galleries. And
then he gave the names of fourteen OF
the NEST radical Democratic correspond
ents as having formed the party that
called upon the President. As no one of
the fourteen had called on the President,
and as it would have taken log chains
TO have dragged some Of them there. the
Merrick yarn was very amusing. But 1t
would have been funnier by far II he
had added his own name to the list.
Col p H. Donan died the other day
in the far Northwest. This genial ard
accomplished gentleman was known all
over the newspaper world. and was long
a familiar figure cn the Row in this
city. brilliant writer and fine public
speaker he attracted attention at all
times and everywhere. He was of the
rolling stone disposition, and lived in
many different cities and States, but he
was always a conspicuous figure. He
was frequent visitor to Washington
during the years he lived in the Dakotas
and was at one time regarded as a
strong Senatorial possibility. He was
the author ut thar time of the bitter
comment cr Delegate o. :. Clifford, who
represented both the present Dakotas in
Congress: Why should dakota, or any
part of il come into the Union as a
State? Judged by the man she sends
to Congress Dakota is nothing but an
orans- -outang eolonyi"
Louis y. Megargee, Philadelphia
journalist. who has lunches and bunches
of friends in Washington. publishes
peculiar little monthly called Seen and
Heard II is of the Philistine type, but
very much better and brighter than Fra
El5ertus' East Aurora freak. Megarges
says in the last number OF his maga-
zinelet: Colonel Donan was one OF the
ablest orators in the world, and un-
next to Robert G. Inger-
soil. the cleyerest phrasemaker this
has ever produced. His facility
OF language was largely employed in
the glories OF the develop
ment of the Western Territories and the
railroads thereof. He was also : news
paper man of wide repute. and when he
died he was entitled to more bio
graphical space in the journals of the
land than men who have been is Presi-
dents. He was beyond all question the
author CT the famous speech delivered
in the House of Representatives by
Proctor Knott upon Duluth, which he
described as the zenith
city OF the unsalted seas That address
gave Knott national fame as hui
morist. Donan never claimed that he
wrote KEott's famous Congressional
speech. However, when the latter as
pired TO a seat in the United States Sem
ate. his opponents dared him to deny
that he had travelled under false colors
and was an oratorical faker."
l made some observations the othsr
day about the old Washington Daily
Telegraph" of three-quartcrs of CEN
tury ago. Another interesting feature
of these ancient papers is the manner
in which editors in those days favored
reporters who left their employ. 1t
seems that Lund Washington, jr., near
kinsman of the Father of his Country.
end also q relative of the Col. l. O. G,
Washington who 1, sttll amcng US re-