Saint Mary's beacon., 1904-07-28
WASHINGTON LETTER.
CFrom Our Regular Correspondent

Washington d. G. July %, 1904.
On wall at, tae Navy Depart
ment is n nap OF the sea giving the
changing locations of the derelicts
afoa.-that is OF the wrecked and
abandoned ships which, without a
mast ;r, go blindly wandering up
and down the ocean TO the constant
peril Of every "live" vessel adrift.
Upon that scribbled chart their
labyrinthine paths ass raced round
and round in loops add triangles
and double bow nots. and day by
day as news comes in from the cast
aways the vigi,antskipper in charge
with bit gf colored ink gives each
track new angle or a wider sweep
and sends word of the danger to the
principal port.
Our ship OF state is q sad derelict
this month. Her aimless rudder
swinging with the tide aud her
blistered deck OF asphaitum aban-
doned by Admiral Roosevelt and
his Commodores. she swelters and
staggers about upon our Sarag. :sa
Sea. She sprang a-leak another hall
billion dollars this year, but it is i'm.
possible to scuttle her for she is very
stanch and seaworthy, the revenue
pumps are in first rate order, and
with q vigilant watch on the port
quarter she will weather many sea
sons yet. During the year the
Treasury has had big hole knock.
ed in her abaft the pinnacle. and has
leaked fifty millions extra-a tre.
mendous sum. sufficient TO swamp
an ordinary European craft. And
now, within week Of August, no
body is on deck but q few middies
and supple jacks too weak TO desert
the ship.
NOrthward fee Supremest Judges
Learned coUrt-its head in Fuller:
Northward each official trudges
To some port where nights are cooler.
Catches breath ON bleak Nantucket:
Catches cold in Watkins Dell;
Quaifs, perchanee, the sulphurous bucket
Drawn from SaratOga's well.
On Bar HarheT's blackboard riding:
Through the Thousand Islands padding;
Down Mount Washington a-gliding:
In the halls of Newport dawdling:
On the pier at Narragansett:
In the parlor at Cape May,
On the sandy shore OF 'Sconset:
In the surf Mt Rockaway.
Officially, / say, the ship of state
is q derelict. Secretary Metcalf Of
she Department of Commerce and
Labor. and the very newest men,
ber of the Cabinet, is the only man
left on deck to pipe TO quarters in
an emergency. Payne was here
yesterday, but has fed. Morton lis
in Nebraska. Hay, Hitchcock and
Taft are all away on business, and
their business didn't take them
South. lt took them to northern
New England where they are swing
ing in hammocks this minute. Shaw
is at Oyster Bay. Wilson, too, is
of hibernating-or rather, begging
pardon Of Mercury. estivating. Ma
tional Chairman Cortelyou is In
Philadelphia with his frying pan,
and Congressional Chairman Bah
cock is at Atlantic City with his
fishing-rod and long, cool, glass
of something. Inefficient fountains
flash lonesomely in the parks and a
few hopeful Congressman take of
their coats and vests i'm their parti-
san headquarters. The maddest
people in town are probably we
correspondents, jealous and DISCUS
ted at the removal of the capital to
Oyster Bay and Esopus.
Up at the vanishing Republican
headquarters Secretary Elmer Dover
is doing battle with the lithox raph
and button men who assure him that
their wares are indispensable to the
success of the party. One picture
is entitled Our Perpetual Star"
(RoosevelD. IL Is an allegory OF the
boyhood. manhood. lifeand thoughts.
stirring scenes Of battle and bivouac.
peaceful conquests, with rough and
smooth riders; stacks of books, all
his own; White House in foreground,
crossed with swords and discharged
and dove Of peace bearing
the olive branch of arbitration.
Soon both parties will pull up stakes
and fly to New York with scissors,
ink. paste-uOt. blue Dancil. waste.