The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1906-03-22

President Roosevelt approves the
following recipe for q pepper omelet.
and which is now in frequent use in
the culinary department of the White
House, says a correspondent: Melt
an ounce Of butter in a saucepan, and
in it stir two spoonfuls of -four. Use
one pint Of beef stock, half a dozen
good-sized mushrooms. half a dozen
per, q dash Of nutmeg, and cook for
20 minutes. When done. add a half
pint of shrimps, three fresh peppers.
chopped fine, and let simmer for FIVE
minutes. Prepare a plain omelet and
pour in the mixture before it is turned
over Serve on hot plates"
Now, you careful Marthas who look
well to the ways OF your household, try
all those peppers II you dare. Half a
dozen whole peppers, understands, as q
starter, those little cornucopia things,
single seed than q cord of hickory wood
that's been drying all Summer. Just a
round half dozen to start with. One
taste Of that stuff would make man
think he had swallowed Mount Popo-
cataptel In full eruption. and after the
three fresh peppers are added, those
dear. shiny, elongated cones OF red
peppers, you know, he would swear
that the lake which burneth with Are
and birthstone prepared for the devil
and his angels an episode in the trapped
regions of the North Pole which Wal
ter Wellman can't find. If that is the
kind Of stuff the President feeds on!
But, then, you know, that little recipe
was written by q mana man who
didn't know what he was talking about,
and had to fill some space with White
House news.
Lieut.-Col. Charles F. Powell, Corps
of Engineers, is to be promoted to the
grade of Brigadier-General and retired,
before the name Of John w. Bubb Is
sent in for confirmation by the Presi-
dent.
Col. Powell Is reported in bad health,
and should he be retired now, It would
be only with the rank and pay of a
Colonel, while it is known IL his health
would allow him to remain in the SER
vice he would shortly attain the grade
of Brigadier-ueneral. His name will
be sent In with the other four Lieuten-
ant-Colonels who are TO be promoted
and retired before the vacancy is filled
by Col. Bubb.
Col. Powell is a civil war veteran,
having served in the 5th Wis. He was
afterward appointed to the Military
Academy from South Carolina, and,
being q star graduate, was assigned to
the Corps of Engineers. During the
Spanish war he served as Engineer
Commissioner of the District.
A Mr.. Jacob Riffs. resident OF New
York City, a friend of the President, q
reformer and a writer, came to Wash
ington a year or so ago and went
around among it's "siums." Then he
lectured on Washington "slums'' here
to clean up, and all that. But he did
worse. He went OF and said hateful
things about the "slum' conditions Of
Washington. Now, be It known. Wash
ington hasn't any slums-not q slum.
We have here the widest streets in the
world. We have here the cleanest
streets in anybody's civilized country.
We have here the fewest tumble-down
houses, the most rigid inspection, the
most independent poor people of any
absolutely true, no matter how much
you may like to doubt 1t. What Mr..
Jacob Riis, reformer, took for slums
were the negro shanties of Washing
ton We have almost no poor people
except among negroes. But, now. mind
you. those shanties are not q fair ex-
hibit OF poverty" for, miserable as
many Of the shacks are. their inmates
make money and have money. Fur
thermore. they own the valuable land
on which the tumble-down shacks ex-
ist, and could sell for good round sums
proach one OF these landed" colored
people with an offer Of $4,000, say, for
q shack that must be burned and little
bit OF ground, and the owner will say
nonchalantly: IF yo'-all thinks it wuff
$4,000 to yo' It's wuff mo- to we-alls.
kaise 1t er a heap O. trubbie to move"
And you don't get the land. See?
These shacks, once good houses, be-
longed to some ''op Marse or OIL Miss
befo' de wah," and are sacred, and
there Is always an awful row when
any Of these are condemned and torn
down by the authorities; but, some
way, 1t Is the nature of the old colored
auntie and uncle to want to live just
that way. IL you were to put them in
q flat they would have Il hung with
rags. old shoes, red peppers, clothes
lines, harness and the like. and inhab-
fted by cats, dogs, pigs and chickens in
less than a month. These old colored
people are respectable just the same.
They are not to be compared with the
offal Of Latin people which drifts to
our shores and filters up New York
with Little Italys'' and vicious rus
sian settlements" and Polish quar-
ters-" Nay. nay. When you start out
TO hunt slums. don't bide in Washing
ton. They are not here.
Did anybody suppose that Senator
Tillman could be bribed to keep hands
off OF the President IL he got a good
chance to get I'm body blow? Well,
no; not this time, anyhow. He just
literally lambasted the President last
Saturday for his comments on trust
inquiry He made one of the most
caustic and cutting speeches he has
ever made. He said in the beginning
that he regretted the necessity which
caused him thus early to disagree with
the President. 1.-The fates have enlist
ed me as an ally OF the President in
getting an adequate raiIroad-rate bill
and / regret very much to have any
thing come up which would occasion
any disruption OF the amicable rela-
fions that now exist, or appear to exist
between u.s. Appear TO exist Is
good. For let me tell you that Is as far
as 1t goes-the appearance
This statement provoked smiles and
audible chuckles from both sides Of the
Chamber.
But there are some things that as a
Senator / cannot put up with patient
ly." he declared. and then said that the
Executive contempt and ridicule of the
resolution seemed To charge that he
had been ignorant of what he was do,
ing in Offering the resolution. and by