The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1902-01-09
Washington
Day by Day.

Washington. january 8.-(SpeciaL)-
Verify is It vain for the pot to seek 10
cast a slur upon the kettle by calling II
black. Smoke and SCOT blaclEen both and
both alike serve useful purposes of man.
Men and newspapers continue to make
fun at the expense Of Senator Tillman's
apparently inexhaustabie store Of pecu-
liarities, because of his designation Of
President Roosevelt as "the stormy petrol
of politics. and q man unfit" for the
highest office. The press which refers
to the senator's 'petrer' phrase as one
of his many smart and imprudent say
ings" are evidently unaware that it is
rank plagiarism, or rather that he appro-
priated it bodily.
One of the best of all of Sir John Ten
nils famous. one might say imperishable
cartoons in Punch appeared in 1894 and
represented a giant petrol swimming
the waves of a turbulent sea. This bird of
storm bore the head and face. with the
single eyeglass, of the Right Hon. Joseph
Chamberlain. and beneath 1t was the
legend, THE Stormy Petrol of Politics. -
followed by some remarkably clever verse
by one of Punchs poets. The cartoon
and verse attracted worldwide attention
and were reproduced in many of the
leading newspapers of Europe and Amer
lea, Mr.. Chamberlain being then rapid
ly rising to that commanding position as
statesman of worid-importance. which
was soor to give him the colonial sec
retaryship in the cabinet Lord Salisbury
formed after the Gladstonians were driv-
en- from power and the Grand Old Man
was a recluse in Hawarden CASTLE
And so it was from the great English
cartoonist, probably the greatest one of
our time, that Senator Tillman appro-
priated the phrase that he has applied
to President Roosevelt. The idea may
possibly antedote Sir John Tennil, but 1t
was he who put the words as Senator
'Tii1man used them In the mouths of the
multitude. The South Carolinian's smart
ness in this particular recalls one of
Senator Ingalls, smart tricks of speech
which originated with some one else. The
Kansas fire-eater and cordial hater of the
South likened Senator "Old Joe" Brown
of Georgia, to a man who was washing
HIS hands with invisible soap in intangible
water" having reference to Senator
Browns familiar habit of wringing his
own hands one with another. The phrase
was so apt and applicable that all the
country praised 1t as one of ingalls,
smartest things" either overlooking the
paipable plagiarism or being ignorant of
Shakespeare's play of Macbeth"
Still If ever there was an instance of
the pot calling the .,ettie black, 1t is
in the borrowed phrase of 1.-THE stormy
petrol of politics" applied by Senator
Tillman to President Roosevelt.
Alabama is interested to a greater ex-
tent than any other State in bill which
Senator Tiilman has introduced in the
Senate. and which is attracting the
friendly attention. Of biologists and min
era1ogists throughout the country.
The bill Is. 63D seeks to appropriate for
the first year to each State and Territory
the sum of ten thousand dollars arising
from the general sale Of public lands, for
tho establishment and maintenance Of
mines and mining in connection with col
leges for the benefit of agriculture and
the mechanics; and the appropriation
shall be increased a thousand dollars a
year until it reaches fifteen thousand, at
which figure it Is to remain.
These appropriations shall be expended
only for geological instruction, mining en-
gineering, metallurgy, research in road
building material and its proper applica-
ton. and the branches of learning per-
tanning thereto. including the various
branches Of physical, natural and eco
nomic science and the facilities for ex-
pertinent, in order to promote liberal
and practical education and secure the
most intelligent use conservation and de-
velopment Of the mineral resources of the
country
mo portion of said appropriations shall
be applied directly or indirectly, under
any pretense whatever, to the purchase,
erection, preservation or repair of any
building or buildings. Provided, however.
That a sum not exceeding twenty per-
centum of any annual appropriation re-
ceived by any institution may be used in
the construction. erection. equipment, or
building of Special apparatus and carry
out the purposes of this Act"
The remainder of this exceedingly i'm
portant bill, the whole of which extends
to 149 printed lines, deals with the de-
tails of payment of and receipting for the
money. Bills having the same object were
introduced in the House in 1896 by Repre-
sentative Mondell of Wyoming and by
Representative johnson of North Dakota
respectively. but copies Of these bills are
not now obtairable because of the de-
struction Of all copies of bills introduced
REPLIES TO BISHOP POTTER.