The National tribune., 1906-07-05
!

and then some. AS matter of fact.
some of them had more luxuries, better
company and more social recognition in
that society" camp than they ever had
before in their lives. The General COM
| manding had velvet carpets and rose
| wood furniture, a chef and maids to
| wait upon his distinguished guests, and
the younger officers entertained swell
society people in magnificent style. Con-
gress ripped the War Department up
| the back for the whole business; the
public criticised everybody and every
| thing. The War Department has thus
| learned a lesson.
1t is the purpose to have the camps
established not later than Aug. 1, except
those to be located at Mt. Gretna, Pa. !;
| Chickamauga Park, Ga, and Austin.
TEX which are to be established on July
1877. In the concentration of the troops
at the camps and in their dispersion at
the conclusion of the period in camp
the routes will be so arranged as to re-
quire marches which. for the infantry.
will approximate 200 miles each way,
and for the field artillery and cavalry
25G miles each way.
Mr.. Judson Lyons. former Register
of the Treasury, has been presented by
his friends of the Treasury Department
with splendid silver tea service. On
the teapot is inscribed: Presented to
Judson w. Lyons. Register of the Treas
ury, April I, 1898. to June II, 1906, by
his associates in office. Washington.
1906" The pitcher. sugar bowl and
tray bear the monogram ~. w. L."
Mr.. Vernon, of Quindaro, Kan.
who is Mr. Lyons's successor has taken
charge of his office. Mr.. Vernon is a
finely-educated man of unaSsuming
manners, but with CheSterfieldian bear
ing. He speaks with remarkable clear
ness and distinct enunciation, and as an
orator it is thought there is scarcely his
peer in the United States to-day. In
his home State recently great political
convention was in an uproar. 1t had
howled down two or three of its favor
ties, and was fast getting beyond con-
troll. MIR. Vernon entered the hall, and
somebody demanded a speech from him.
The cry was taken up and carried
around the hall, and Mr.. Vernon mount
ed the platform and waited for the si-
lence which came almost instantly. He
spoke with great earnestness, and in the
music OF his voice men whose turbulent
passions had led them to be unjust for
got their anger and the weary freshened
up. Closing his speech at last in a burst
Of remarkable eloquence, he was about
to take his seat, when the members Of
the convention demanded that he "go
on" This when not Is minutes before
they had declared they would listen to
no more speeches was great tribute
from any body of politicians at the close
of hot convention.
Feodor Alexiovitch Machnow. the
biggest man in the world in point of
feet and inches, Was received by Presi-
dent Roosevelt at the White House last
week. This tremendous piece of flesh,
nine feet three inches tall and weighing
365 pounds, got to Washington in the
afternoon with "Parson" Davies, the old
sporting backer. Accompanied by his
wife, the giant went to the White House
and sat in the room of Secretary Loeb.
Machnow and his wife were not overly
bright, and on their way to Washington
from New York, to which they returned
they were exceedingly nervous, the wo-
man being afraid that her husband was
about to be kidnapped.
The President greeted the giant with
his usual cordially, although compelled
to stare at him out of the ordinary so
as to take in his full length.
After the interview the giant fire.
quently referred to the President as the
King" and said he looked much like the
Emperor of Germany. Oddly enough,
the wife of the Russian giant could not
be induced to enter the White House.
They do not keep gold fish in the big
fountain tank at the east side of the
White House any more. There are diff
ferent explanations why this practice
has been given up. Some say that the
fish browsed off the water lilies in the
tank. and others that the quality of
water furnished by the city mains did
not agree with the constitution of the
fish. But one of the most ingenious
explanations is that the tomato-can ho-
! boes drank the fish up at such a rate
| that it was impossible to keep up the
supply. 1t Is not to be understood that
| the trampS drank the fish up directly
but vicariously as it were. The gold fish
were of the japanese variety; that is,
some of them, big fellows with fan tails,
and some others of a piebald sort with
white spots on their red sides, while
there were some of the commoner sorts
Now, everybody knows that there are a
lot Of policemen on duty about the
White House, but it was said that they
were kept In such a solid phalanx
around the West Wing. where the Ex-
ecutive offices are, that the tramps could
scoop in fish at almost any hour of the
evening, and that there were several
| Saloons IN the nefgnDOrnOOd that had a
| stated tariff for gold fish. common one
| being good merely for glass of beer. a
| piebald one for a drink of red-eye and
full-biown fantail for two drinks of
whisky or mixed drink of any sort
| bar only champagne cocktails. How
true the tramp explanation is one can
only guess. The fact remains that the
tank in question does not contain gold
| fish any longer.
Mr.. Stanley. of Kentucky. than whom
none can be better qualified to tell how
whisky can be made, interested the
House greatly the other day during the
pure-food bill discussion. He rushed
himself down In front of the Speaker to
where the array of chemicals stood, and
proceeded to deliver himself on the sub
ject of whisky after the following fash
ion, which Is somewhat vigorous:
! He was very much in earnest, and
with high pitched voice said he stood
before the House in the name of the
health OF the American people, in the
name of honesty in enterprise and bust
ness. Just as much for honest whisky
as for everything else"
Mr.. Ryan, of New York, sought to
interrupt him, but he waved him down
by saying that he woIld not yield To
anybody. He said he had no objection
to anybody blending two kinds of whis-
KY, but he did object to making whisky
while you wait. Then taking Il bottle
from the table he poured 1t into a grad.
uatc and said: Here is a quart of al.
cohoI. 100-proof strong. 1t will eat tho
intcstincs out of a coyote. 1t will make
a bowling dervish out of an anchorite