The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1903-05-23
Letter From Washington.
Correspondence of the Democratic Advocate. ]
WASIIINf,'roN Nav On

strenuous President in the White House,
and he also is very costly proposition
when you come to count the dollars he has
cost taxpayers of the country since he en-
tered the mansion of the chief executive Of
the nation Aside from the half million
dollars it has cost to repair and refurnish
the building during the past year, the cost OF
maintaining the establishment has increased
enormously. There was s65, 600 spent
on presidential office building, directly
to the west Of the White House, and
members of Congress who have expressed
opinion of i: say that it looks like stable.
1t certainly is about the orneriest looking
affair for the ofie of the chief executive Of
great nation to have cost so much money
that any man ever saw. On first behold
ing it nearly every man says to hlmslf that
if that little cheese box cost 500, 600, then
some man certainly got in his graft good
and hard Then there are other expendi-
lures that the people of the country never
heard, in connection with Roosevelt
short occupancy of the White House
There has been an increase in the running
expenses of the White House, since the
Roosevelt advent, of over S25, 600 a year;
new furniture and fittings for the May
flower (the Presidents yacht over
500, 900; the cost of keeping the May
flower in commission for two months last
year, about Sl5, 900; repairs and reftting
the ''Mayfower' last year about S34, 900;
repairs and reftting the ''Mayfower this
year about $50, 600 All this with the
half million dollars spent on the White
House makes approximately about 500,
600 that the strenuous President has cost
the taxpayers of the country more than he
or any man in his position should have cost
them. There were few thousand dollars
left over from the appropriation to Tx up
the White House unexpended after the
work was finished and plans Immediately
were put in operation to get rid of thus
amount before the end of the fiscal year,
June 80, next 4 lattice work screen
was erected to hide the Roosevelt family
wash from the vulgar gaze, double ten
mis- court is in progress of preparation, al
though the President never plays tennis
and BY the time IL is finished the Roose
welt children will all be over at Oyster Bay
for the summer Fine imported green
bay trees costing over $500 each have been
placed on top of the east entrance to the
White House until it resembles nothing 50
much as a beer garden on the roof in the
height of the season. Great beds of high
priced flowers of many kinds will be set
out and that part of the White House
grounds used BY the Roosevelt family and
their friends viii bloom with the luxuri-
anee Of the tropics. The President
yacht, the ''Mayfower, is the most gor-
geous craft that ever foated in salt water.
1t was built BY Mrs Ogden Goelet and
was about completed when the government
bought it for $3.50, 900. at the time war
was declared with Spain. 1t Is officially
classed as a cruiser and Is about the size Of
the Cincinnati or the Boston. la
the assignment Of ships Of the navy she
appears ''on special service. She l.
really at the disposal of the President at
all times, and was fitted up at enormous
expense for his enjoyment. The King Of
England or the Emperor Of Germany does
not travel in more imposing style than does
Mr.. Roosevelt when he Is aboard his pri-
vate yacht, for the MayHower Is moth
ing less than that. As said before, the
refttings and refurnishings cost not less
than 500, 900, and a part Of this was for
solid marble baths that cost 50. 900 each
Presidents Cleveland and Mckinley were
satisfied TO ride on the "Sylph or the
Dolphin when they wanted TO 20 cut
to sea, but alongside of the "Mayfower
they look Ike cheap tugs If the people
of the country want the arisloeraey Of
wealth instead of intellect in the White
House, they should by all means keep
Roosevelt there.
The decision of the Supreme Court, re
Gently handed down. on the Alabama elec-
trie franchise case, and which declared in
effect that a state has the right to deter
mine who shall be entitled TO the ballot,
has created much interest here in political
circles. Of course, there are divergent
opinions. Among Southern Democratic
members Of Congress the opinion Is ami
yersally approved on constitutional grounds,
while some of the Northern Republican
members say that no state has right 20
disfranchise any class Of It's citizens. The
decision Of the court Is victory for state
rights. 1t virtually says that any state
may do as it pleases III sovereign matter
of this character. and the decision will
tend to clarity the situation respecting Ne
gro suffrage in all the states of the South,
and probably viii put an end to other test
cases. If so, it Is believed here that 1t
will have a reaching effect for good 10
the whole country and 90 far toward the
settlement of the so-called Negro problem.
Ii simply means that the southern people
are the agency through which the question
of the Negro future can be solved, and
that the first step toward satisfactory set
Element is TO be found in dsfranehisement.
IL means that the Negro must first be
eliminated from politics. That accom-
plished, the white people of the South can
seek, by industrial development, the bet
terment of the black race, which shall not
only rebound to the advantage of the col
ored people, but the whites of the South
as well.
The written opinion Of Mr.. Justice
Holmes contains discussion of the ques-
ton how far court of equity ought to 90
in attempting to redress political wrongs,
and it arrives at the conclusion that such a
court properly has no such power-that
for the court TO undertake such Jurlsdlc-
ton would amount in the end to the adj
ministration of the government by the
court, and puts the whole question up to
the Congress
One effect that the rottenness in public
office under Republican administration is
going to have, is that it will revive the
necessity for Democratic platform next
wear modelled after that of $40, on which
Samuel J. Tilden was nominated and
elected. That platform called for reform
in almost every paragraph. There Is as
much necessity for reform now as there
was then, and it seems TO he the concensus
of Democratic opinion here that the cry Of
reform will be one of the issues in the next
campaign. If the honest men Of the ma
ton, regardless of politics, could be made