Omaha daily bee., 1906-02-21
BITS OF WASHINGTON LIFE.
Minor scenes and incidents sketched
ON the SnOt.

! As the Taft party to the orient brought
about two or more engagements. so also
is the White House wedding esteemed a
promoter of unity. The impression Is
abroad in Washington that several dis
Itngulshed couples are preparing to march
| to the music of the union. II the goss!ps
are to be relied upon. one OF the d!stir-
guished ones is Congressman Bourke Cock
ran. of New York, and the lady in the
case is Mrs. Jack Gardner. of Boston.
Both were guests at the Rooseyelt-LonR-
worth wedding and the spell Of that Inn
pressive ceremony is said to have convinced
widow and widower that life alone makes
the heart prematurely old and weary. How
long the New Yorker and the Bostonian
had been betrothed is a mystery. but the
prevailing impression is that the White
House wedding precipitated either the pro-
posal or the acceptance. The favorite
report--a very pretty one, too--was that
Mrs. Gardner was touched so deeply with
the sight of the new Mrs. Longworth's
happiness that widowhood became unbear-
able to her, and in sight of the lovely floral
altar in the East room she promised the
Manhattan orator to lay aside her weeds
in the interests of his happiness and her
own. Less romantic. perhaps. was the
version that the two had been engaged
secretly for weeks and months. and that
Cockran's attentions to the wealthy widow
In the course of the Longworth- Roosevelt
ceremony became so marked that friends
charged him with being engaged to her.
and in an unguarded moment OF high
spirits he acknowledged his hopes.
Senator Elkins has suddey awakened TO
the consciousness that he has a for
midable rival In the state of West Vir-
gina 1t has leaked out, says a cores
pendent of the Chicago Chronlcal that
Governor Dawson first wrote him about
the alleged misconduct Of the PENNSYLVANIA
railroad and its allied lines in West vir-
glnia and the senator. presuming that Daw-
son was moved by a desire to do his duty
perfunctorily. paid no attention TO the let
ter. Dawson, however, was In earnest.
When he read in the newspapers that Sem
ator Tillman had attacked the Pennsyl-
vania during the course of a speech in the
senate he FASTENED to place in Tillman's
possession the facts which he had pre-
viously submitted to Elkins Tillman in
PRODUCED the governors letter into the
Record and subsequently offered resolu-
ton empowering the Interstate Commerce
commission to make complete investiga-
ton of the governors charges That
resolution was unanimously reported by
the committee on interstate commerce, of
which Senator Elkins is chairman.
How much persuasion II required on the
part of the West Virginia statesman TO
induce OF his republican colleagues
to swallow the Tillman resolution. can only
be conjectured. but 1t is no exaggeration
to say that their only reason for doing so
was Elkins' startled revelation of his
own peril
Governor Dawson Is a candidate for the
senate. Senator Elkins' term expires one
year from March 3 next. Until Dawson
appeared upon the horizon he supposed
that he had no competitor, but now he
appreciates that he has a life or death
fight on his hands. The senator has begun
his campaign by Issuing a statement in
which he declares that he was always
an ardent supporter of the presidents
railroad rate reform program. Nothing
but sense of extreme peril could have
wrested such a confession from Senator
Elkins. The statement is a confession that
he is afraid of Dawson and persons who
are familiar with West Virginia politics say
that he has every reason to be afraid.
Temperamentally and physically Dawson
is the antithesis OF Elkins. He is a country
editor. who, by a combination of fortuitous
circumstances, has been enabled to climb
over the heads of better known men than
himself into the gubernatorial chair. FL
kins is large, feshy full blooded, rotund.
with boyish face. Dawson is thin, sallow
mountaineer. but saturnine. He is a typical
West Virginian mountaineer but he has
an abundance OF native ability and force
and just at the present time. owing to
his unexpected departure from the rules
which have heretofore governed West Vir-
gina politics has endeared himself TO the
people of that state.
One of the familiar sights on Pennsylya-
mia avenue toward the middle of the day
when congress is in session is an unosten-
tatious but neat coupe carrying a young
man who sits as IL he were afraid his silk
hat might be bumped against the coupe
top. The title to mention possessed by the
young man and the coupe is that they rep
resent for the time the connection between
the executive and the legislature OF the ma
tional government. The young man is Mr..
Barnes, the presidents assistant secreter y,
one of whose duties 1t is to present to con-
gross messages in writing from the presi-
dent Of the United States" which includes
nominations, etc. Mr.. Barnes is a familiar
figure to the galleries of both house and
senate as he enters either chamber side
by side with the clerk or other Official and
after being announced bows tremendously
announces briefly that he is the bearer
OF ''sundry messages in writing" etc. and
delivers the package containing them. and
takes his departure. 1t may be remarked
incidentally that debate or any other
proceeding in the house or senate is
promptly suspended as soon Mr.. Barnes
appears, in order to go through this for
mality.
Senator Frye loves 10 visit some of his
, Maine friends and have n little supper, at
which the piece de resistance is picked
pigs feet, with the usual accessories OF
all the members of the presidents council
Mr. Root is the only epicure and sole pos
SCISSOR OF a French chef. The secretary
OF state has a dainty appetite and only the
most dainty food goes his table. The
other cabinet folks are satisfied with
cooks" Mr.. Bonaparte has a fat, greasy
looking old nanny who weighs nearly
$50, but the egg bread. the fried chicken
and the savory omelet which she can turn
out would tempt St. Anthony.
Major Sylvester. chief of police in Wash
ington is required by law to make annual
report to congress showing how efficient
his force is, This year, as usual, he gives