The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-12-28

Washington, L. S., 10 Dec.
What is that government of these
United States? For many days I have
studied this great problem. I shall
now tell my countrymen Of France
what / nave failed to learn. 1t is with
despair that / write.
Before | have come to these United
States | have no p~erplexity, but now
what shall l say to France?
IN France We say: IN. Roosevelt is that
government Of those United States
In Washington | do not know. ] can
not tell.
Gayly 1 have written to my country
men that M. Roosevelt has sent his in
structions to the congress. But now l
see the ongreS nap the finger at NJ.
Roosevelt! In affairs Of terrible i'm
pOrtance the congress smiles and turns
to the little things. NJ. Roosevelt in
the chapter II of that message instruc--
ed the congress to make laws quickly
against the race suicide. The congress
has done nothing! In the chapter q
M. Roosevelt said: make a law IN
stantly to stop the lynch" Yet the
congress talks of everything-evedy-
thing-but not of the great habit Of the
lynch. Ten, twelve, twenty instIuc-
tions were made by NJ. Roosevelt, each
more imperative than those others. Yet
The congress still smiles and yawns,
For one week l trembled. Those
American newspapers filled me with
the dread. One said: NJ. Roosevelt
Demands Reforms," One other said:
Congress Gets It's Orders!" One othe"
said: It's Up to Congress-" One
other said: Tips from Teddy" One
other said: Millionaires or the Rum"
One other said: Trouble Begins in
Washington"
Yet the congress did not excite. One
tworthree days passed. The law Of the
race suicide did not pass. The law Of
the lynch did not pass. The great mess
age was in the pigeons hole! / looked
and listened, agitated extremely. Would
it be revolution? Many times | thought
! beard the rataplan of those drums
the tramp-tramp Of the army toward
that capitol: I shuddered to think OF
those congressional widows, those SEN
atorial orphans
Yet nothing has happened. | have
disappointment and chagrin. What
shall / think? If NJ. Roosevelt is not
the government, where IS that govern
meDt? That is the question.
= IL !.
One thing has made great perpiexIty.
1t is the simplifed spell. This thrice
important problem makes those Amer
leans wonder where is their govern
nent. In the ummer, before that
supreme tribunal meets, NJ. Roosevelt
iSsued a decree: Let it be the simpli-
fed spell. No word shall be spelled in
the difficult Obey this Very
weil: Those newspapers said All
words must be simple. The govern
meat must not use great words. This
is the order of M. Roosevelt" Those
did not change, because
1hey love those great words. They said:
"DAe government must now make itself
understood"
When the supreme tribunal meets it
snaps the finger at M. Roosevelt and
the sinpnfed spell! The newspapers
said: Beware, this is the government
arlAri" But that supreme tribunal
does not read those newspapers. Those
people eaid: THE supreme tribunal
defee the government! Prepare for
revoIAtioni" But nothing happens!
The supreme tribunal uses greater
words than ever. Where is the govern
neat7 All, that is the question
And new the congress Is told Of that
government order. Everywhere it
stumbles upon that simpliaed spell.
What could it do? With simple words
the congress would be lost! How could
it FIJI the Record Congressional? Yet
it is the governments order! At tine
last one Congressman with the genius
said What is the government"
TI.~-- oNt1z-n,o- 10 1;- r<~,~I
ed. 1t was the new question. They
saias What is the government? Is it
not III. Roosevelt"
He said: That supreme tribunal
snaps the finger at the simplifed spell.
Yet al. Roosevelt does nothing, So
those people begin to say: What Is
the government But if the congress
obeys the simplified spell those people
will say: All! Now we know that
is the government. It is M Roosevelt
Let US snap the finger, too, and nobody
will know what is the government
The reply: "Hurrah! Let us snap
the knger!"
Again / tremble. Those newspapers
fill NE with the agitation One says:
"Simplined Spelling Strangled, but
Struggling" One other says: Con
gresS OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES Rous-
ed" One other says: War Of the
words-Wow!" One other says:
Where 10 that Government Now?"
All, that Is the question! l ask
many savants, many doctors Of the
Jurisprudence, but they say: You
ask TOO much. NJ Clam! We cannot
tell where is that government yet We,
too, are hooking for it,
To-day / was stricken with that bril-
liant ideal shall S n. Twain, thar
thrice renowned 1itterateur!
M. Twain" said l, will help me!
He knows most things that other men
do not. He shall tell me why that
simplihea spell does make the goF-
eminent disappear"
/ found Ii. Twain in his hotel. He
was IN his bed, smoking that grand