The leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1895-1905, 1903-01-21
WASHINGTON LETTER
Especial Correspondence

BY comparison with the glowing ac-
last few weeks of the existence of
bears in other parts of the country
Mississippi is poor bear country, and
the trip made by the president down
there was futile one even before he
had started. But in the western states,
in fact almost everywhere else than
Mississippi, bears are plentiful and are
just waiting with beating hearts to be
shot. The president has been told a
dozen times recently about places
where he can find bears every few
minutes, and, like the fisherman of
old, he will probably be lured to again
try his luck. Senator Warren of Wy
oming told the president about the
multitude of bears in the Rocky NOUN
tain regions of Wyoming. The Colora-
do people have succeeded in impress
ing the president with the fact that
bears almost grow Oh limbs in that
state. The president told Senator
Warren that he is going to take long
hunt next spring if nothing he now
contemplates prevents. He will spend
a few weeks in Colorado and go into
Wyoming and other western states. If
there are bears, he wants to find them,
and they had better keep out of his
way, as the bear creation will have to
pay for the disappointments visited
upon the president in Mississippi.
The president is looking forward to
a long and healthful recreation in the
west in the coming spring and early
summer, and, as well as he can do so,
he is making plans to spend a long
time away from Washington.
"Hank'' Smiths Two Bills.
Representative Hank" Smith of
Michigan, who is one of those left at
home by the unfavorable action of a
nominating convention, is not solic-
itous about his own welfare, for he
will move to Baltimore to be general
counsel of the Wabash railroad at
that point, but he is worried about
some of his fellow "has beens" in the
house. To that end Mr.. Smith has
prepared two bills, which he hopes to
introduce soon. One is to be called
IAN act for the amelioration of those
who didn't get back" 1t will provide
that the government shall discharge
the twelve young men who are now
eating at the expense Of the govern
ment in Professor Wiley's food tests
and increase the number of candidates
for the "poison squad to twenty-four.
Representative Smith thinks he can
find twenty-four ''has beens'' who
would be glad to take the places of
the original "poison squad" and get
free board for a year and hopes to
have his bill enacted into law.
His second bill will be entitled can
act to bust trusts, and particularly the
coal trust" 1t will provide that all the
'has beens' in the house shall be set to
chopping wood and putting it on the
market. Mr.. Smith says this will be a
terrible blow to the coal trust.
President Not n Theater GOer.
President Roosevelt is not so much
of a theater goer as was his distin-
guished predecessor. On the one or two
occasions when he has appeared at To-
cal playhouses he has been restless and
has left before the production was fin
ished. Mrs. Roosevelt cares more for
the stage and generally sees the play
to the end.
Among the cabinet officers Attorney
General Knox is the most regular at
tendant. In fact, he and Mrs. Knox are
quite confirmed "Grst nighters." Ly-
man j. Gage and Mr.. Vanderlip used
to go to everything when they were in
Washington. Senator Hanna contrib
utes regular to the box office, as do
Senator Beveridge and Senator Lodge.
But the best patrons are the diplomat
ic corps.
Little Seeds of Kindness.
The distribution of seeds which the
department of agriculture conducts
each year has already begun, and the
congressman are busy scattering seeds
Of kindness in their various districts.
The number of acquisitions for all
kinds of seeds sent by constituents is
something enormous. and the burden
Of the task turns each secretary to a
member of congress into an express
agent for the time being.
Genius and Business Sense.
Mr.. Graft of Illinois and Mr.. Champ
Clark Of Missouri had colloQuy about
claims
''Do you know any place on the face
of the EARTH" queried the Missourian,
where a man can come in and plead
his own negligence as an excuse for a
new trial except in the congress Of the
United States in the case of a claim
against the government"
"That may be true" admitted Mr..
Graft, "but I think it is well known
that men who have the genius to de-
sign great structures or to write poems
or to deliver magnificent speeches like
those delivered by my friend from
Missouri seldom have any business
sense"
II have sense enough to get some pay
for my speeches outside Of congress, y
returned Mr.. Clark, and the coterie Of
listeners burst into loud laughter.
A commodious ware house is
I%,> L. e.