The National tribune., 1904-03-31

Dress. kaSt senior Wee Commandments.
Chief John McElroyy delivered the address
at Gettysburg last Memorial Day.
The President will spend most Of the
Summer in Washington. He will not go
to Oyster Bay, EXCEPT for day or two at
a time, but expects TO remain in the city
to meet the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS..
There was an easthq,iake up in Wash
ington State the other day, not O very big
one it is true, but just the same the dis
turbance was recorded by the delicate in
strument in the ma gletic observatory here
in Washington D; 6
prince Cupid" or Representative Jo-
nah Is. Kalanianaole HawaiD is dead
tired of Congressional life, it is said, and
this session. Prince Cupid finds himself n
little too dark" to suit the demands of
Washington "sassiety," and he does not
think that the Police Courts treated him
very we'll in his recent contact with them.
He has been much angered, too, by the re-
fusal Of Congress to give the Ex-Queen the
money she demanded for the Crown
find life in the National Capital agreeable,
and proposes to go back to his Island
home. where he Is still considered as be-
longing to the blood royal. One thing sure
he has not cut any ice in Congress.
Often, very often, Mr.. Robert Baker
On " must echo the Melancholy Dane:
1.-The time is out of joint; o cursed spite!
That ever l was born to set it right"
Mr.. Baker, who (mis)represents the
Sixth Congressional District of New York
in the House, seems to think that he was
born into the world for the express pur-
pose Of reforming it. He goes at it in
the way that a reformer usually does.
hammer and tongs, and with mighty little
reason. He takes up nearly q page in
the Congressional Directory with the his
tory of his life, telling that he is Dem
ocrat, and recounting his failures polit-
ically, because. as he states, he was al
ways "frustrated' by the Republicans. He
finally broke into Congress, though
minority member, for had ballots against
him all been cast for any one Of his three
opponents he would have been defeated by
over thousand votes. Since that election
Mr.. Baker has been worse than bull in
a china shop.
Mr.. Baker is only about as big as pint
Of soap-yelow soap, such as your grand
mother used to make out of scraps Of
grease and concentrated lye. And by the
way. his temper bites just like that soap
used to. He has scant yellowish hair, thin
sharp yellowish-pink features, watery-
blue eyes, and a voice! Ye gods, that
voice! 1t is high and waspish. and ex-
asperating. You think Of files and scrap
iron when it goes into action, and you'd
like to have the scrap iron in a shell and
toss it in his direction, If it would put
IN end to his fish-wifc scolding. He can't
talk for sour apples, unless it is wild crab
apples.
His first ridiculous break was to refuse
some railroad passes. He had q perfect
right to refuse the passes, many members
of Congress have done that before, but
Mr.. Baker was not content to courteously
decline a courtesy. No. indeedy! He few
exposition of his extreme probity, recti-
tude and honesty, and made himself a
laughing stock before he had taken the
oath Of Office. He has. been doing q lot
Of things ever since. but they amount to
SO little. considering, the source. that they
are scarcely worth speaking Of.
His very latest "deed without a name"
is..a covert attack ON Q member Of the
to print" is q rare privilege, held very dear
by members, and the times when its sane
tity has been violated in Congress could
be counted on the fingers of one hand, in
all probability. A member may be able
to get but two minutes to speak on an all
important subject, because Of so many
crowding the Chairman of a Committee
for time in which to speak, but he can get
unanimous consent OF the House to lex
tend his remarks in the Record" if he is
trustworthy, which means that he may
print in the Congressional Record so pages
OF q speech on the subject, il he likes. At
the same time he is placed upon his honor,
not to mention member of either House
by name, or indirectly, in q way TO do
him hurt or harm, and he must not make
an attack upon any body in that leave to
print"
Mr.. Baker abused this privilege in a
scandal0us manner. He used his privi-
lege to print by attacking a member OF the
House with malicious innuendo. putting
into the Congressional Record lot Of stuff
printed against the member by an Oppo-
sition paper in his faraway Western State.
The member so attacked lives a thousand
miles from New York. Very naturally the
House wouldn't stand for anything OF that
kind, and even Mr.. Williams, the minority
leader. had to admit that most Of Mr..
Bakers utterances must come out Of the
permanent Record. But the dastardly
deed was done, for In the Record Of the
current edition, Mr.. Baker had oil the ma
IeTlHl No WdutcQ 10 uS0 as u campaign 0r-
gument. 1t was little short Of imbecile
for Mr.. Baker to proceed as he did. He
has probably forever cut himself of from
leave to print and he certainly never
will get a chance to make a speech unless
he steals it, as he stole the space in the
Record to malign a colleague.
Col. Theodore Bingham. predecessor OF
Col. Thomas Symons as Superintendent OF
Public Buildings and Grounds in Wash
ingt0n, had narrow escape from death
last week. He is the United States Gov
eminent Engineer in charge Of the Buff
falo District, and while experimenting the
launching Of boat from the dock In front
Of the Government storehouse, the der
rick toppled over, and making a long
sweep struck down q group Of men Of
whom Col. Bingham was one. His leg was
broken near the hip and again below the
knee. and he was seriously injured in other
ways. Quartermaster Peter Duffley also
got broken leg and other injuries. Col.
Bingham's injury is such that the broken
leg will be three inches shorter than the
other. The thousands Of friends Of Col.
Bingham will be sincerely sorry for his
dreadful accident. He was one Of the
most popular men who ever served in his
capacity in Wash gton.