The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-11-22
THE BIG. BIG D.

a. Go oloI al lily HAL IS III duCC
in Washington because he emulated
the example Of Capt. Corcoran and
said, dammit" He said it in the
uncouth manner of a foremost hand
and he was inspired to this breach of
good manners because a policeman
ordered him to drive his team out Of
the way of the approaching carriage
of the first lady Of the land. Be it
said for this rough tongued lad that
he did not know he was in the pres
ence of Mrs. Roosevelt, be it also I'M
derstood that Mrs. Roosevelt did not
hear the profane ejaculation.
But the policeman was shocked be-
yond expression. His amazement and
surprise were not shown by the ex-
preston Of his eyes, as in the case of
Sir Joseph Porter. He did not pro-
coed to a gentlemanly depreciation Of
the sinister exclamation. He held it
no time for recitative-which shows
that things are better ordered on the
comic opera stage. He reached up
and hailed the soldier-teamster from
his seat and took him before the mag
der man was placed on trial he was
undone. Apologies were of no avail.
II nd WI esit
in a cell in the full assurance that
when he gets out he will be taken be-
according to the army regulations.
Perhaps 1T serves him right-but
government mules-and who shall say
what provocation there is in that sort
bread and served his country as a
teamster? The man had but just
brought the mules to stop when he
was ordered by a policeman-the hered
itary enemy of the regular army man
~ ulOVC JILL we UIdy tuCL
the policeman did not say please. The
soldier man may have addressed the
per. He had no thought of an audi
ence.
But his punishment is just on gen.
eral principles. Mrs. Roosevelt did not
know how very near she was to being
the policeman arguing it out prone
upon the walk. She was not, there
fore, offended. But think Of the con-
sequences had some of the department
chiefs Of the postoffice been passing
on the way from prayer meeting to the
session of the investigating commit
tee! How would they have survived
the distracting thought that they had
heard a thirteen dollar a-month man
using language that is never permitted
in the classified service?
Put away the soldier man. To the
rock pile with him! If Washington is
to be made clean let us not hesitate
because one of the offenders happens
to be a mere mule driver. AS the
censor of public morals the Washing
ton policeman has his work cut out
for him and he might just as well oc-
cupy himself in suppressing profanity
in the regular army when he is not
occupied in dragging official thieves
off to prison. The arrest of the mule
driving hero will impress the army and
Gen, Corbin might take official eogni-
zance of the incident to direct the at
tention Of the soldier to the need of
reforming that habit which military
men have been prone to since the
time when an army fingered in Elan
ders. 1t will not be difficult for Gen.
Corbin to find chorus to help him
sing those lines first voiced by that
autocrat of the seas, Sir Joseph Por-
ter, K. c. B.:
"For I'll teach you all ere long.
To refrain from language strong;
For haven't any sympathy with 1ll-bre1
tauntS-
mo more have his sisters, nor his cousins,
nor his aunts, etc.
There is plenty of big game in the