The National tribune., 1906-12-27

cation of the negro race in the South
and of illiterate whites wherever the
census returns showed in any section
of the country excessive illiteracy.
Mr.. Blair entered the seth N. Fl.
during the civil war, and reached the
rank of Lieutenant-Colonel when the
regiment was mustered out Since his
retirement from the Senate he has
practised law in Washington, but for
long time has been an invalid. The
matter of pension for him has been
urged by his old Army friends. Ex-
Senator Blair. altho entitled to pen,
sion. has never applied for one. The
bill introduced by Senator Gallinger
provides for a pension of SIS a month.
a good deal of sly fun has been
poked at John Wesley Gaines, of Ten
nessee, who has proposed legislation to
dock Members for the days when they
do not attend Congress. Mr.. Gaines is
one of the strictest Members Congress
has ever had in this respect. He is al
ways on hand. always knows what is
going on, and he always has his say
if the Speaker permits. After he be-
gan to agitate The matter, and had been
made fun of a while. some inquiring
Member made the discovery that John
Wesley Gaines is behind the times
Mr.. Gaines's proposed law is already
on the statute books and has been there
ever since 1856. The existing law uses
the words Member or Delegate"
where Mr.. Gaines's bill reads Senator
or Member of the House of Represen-
tatives," the former phrase referring
to Members of the Senate and of the
House.
Altho the old law is mandatory, no
Secretary of the Senate or Sergeant
at-Arms within the memory of the old
est employe OF either Senate or House
has ever enforced it. So far as known
it is, and always has been, a dead let
ter. The official who would make the
first move to execute il would find him
self the center of good deal of bust
ness, at least for short time.
After reviewing the amicable rela-
tions long existing between the United
States and Japan. in New York
speech the other night, Viscount Aoki,
the japanese ambassador. declared
that his people were fully alive to the
magnitude of Japan's obligation to this
country, the memory of which would
be living monument of the cordial
friendship that cements the two Ma
tions. Eastern Asia, he said, was large
enough for the commerce of all Ma
tions, and the dream of the pessimist
who saw the phantom of a struggle
between the United States and Japan
for the supremacy OF the Pacific was
too ridiculous to be made the subject
of serious thought.
Sir Henry Mortimer Durand. the
British ambassador. called on Secre-
tary Root at the State Department one
day last week and formally presented
Mr.. ESme Howard who has just been
installed as Secretary of the British
Embassy at this Capital, and who will
act as Charge d'Affaires after Embas-
sador Durand's departure for England
the latter part Of this month. until the
arrival of his successor ambassador
Durand and family left New York for
England on the 29th inst.
In this removal of the Durands from
Washington there is a little gossip
which may and may not be true 1t is
said. sub rosa, that Mrs Roosevelt and
Lady Durand crost swords over society
matters. Lady Durand was OF the
opinion, it is stated, that Mrs. Roose-
welt was trying to set up an au-
tocratic sort of a society set and
the lady of high English familv,
believing that this did not comport
with the simplicity of alleged shirt,
sleeve" diplomacy. objected, and prac-
tically refused to conform to the fash
| ions set by the First Lady in the Land.
and GOODNESS came between them
Then, ii is said, the President and the
British ambassador had some words
over diplomatic procedure. and a cool
| ness came up there. If the Hon. James
Bryce comes here there will be a diff
ference all around. He is not so gifted
socially as many British En- bassadors
who have come to us, but he is long on
brains and diplomacy. AS a matter of
| fact. the United States has never had
| more satisfactory foreign representa-
| tive here than Sir Julian Pauncefote
| Rest his soul.
Now, will you be good! An eminent
professor declares that American wo-
men have sloucfy appearance be-
cause they cannot walk we'll He says
| that good woman walker in this coun-
try is rare thing. and that they all
wiggle when they walk. My, my,
| If all the money that has been spent
in Investigating the Panama Canal
| had been applied on the work of push
| ing 1t to completion the appropriations
for that purpose would have been low
cred appreciably. Another ''Commis-
SION has gone down there, all its ex-
pense paid by the Isthmian Canal Com
! mission from money in the Treasury OF
that Commission
| The party left Washington Saturday
night, and sailed from New York Sun
| day on the Panama Steamship Com
pany's steamer Allianca In the party
were Senator Flint of California; Rep
resentatives Mckinley and Knowland
Of California; Howell, of Utah; F'ulker-
son. of Missouri; Smith. Dickson, Rives
and Mckinney, of Illinois; Kinkaid, OF
Nebraska; Steenerson. of Minnesota
and Hale, of Tennessee. They We're ac-
companied by the private secretaries Of
| Representatives Mckinley and McKin-
ney.
Ten of the best staterooms on the
| ship were reserved for the party, and
| their transportation and meals aboard
| ship and transportation on the Isthmus
will be provided by the Commission.
In each stateroom was placed copies
of the Canal Commissions reports since
the beginning of its work, and the Pres
| identS special message to Congress OF
| his trip to the Isthmus. There were
also copies of all the official photo.
graphs made while the President was
| there, there being nearly half a hun.
dred in all. and on the walls were
placed charts and maps of the Isthmus
| Canal Zone and work on different sec.
tons of the canal.
The trip will require about sever
| days each way at sea, and the party
will have five days on the Isthmus. They
1