The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1907-05-13
WASHINGTON LETTER
Especial Correspondence

no gifts from friends were returned.
IF total stranger to the president
sends him Christmas present it is
likely that he is after something" OBJ
served an official at the White House
ITO accept such gifts would not only
be very bad taste on the part of the
president, but would probably give
the sender reason to believe that he
might look for a return. The presi-
dent is not running his Office in that
way"
No More White Horses.
The war department has issued or
ders that in purchasing horses for the
cavalry arm of the service those of
white or gray color be excluded, be.
cause animals of those colors offset all
the work Of the department in trying
by means of dress and equipment to
make the men as inconspicuous as pos,
sible. Such a regulation has existed
for long time in the artillery branch.
Nobel Prize Commission.
John Mitchell. president of the Unit
ed Mine Workers of America. and
Marvin Hughitt. president of the Chi
cago and Northwestern railroad. repre-
sentng labor and capital. respective
ly. have accepted appointments offered
by President Roosevelt as trustees OF
the Nobel peace prize fund, which will
be devoted to the maintenance Of a
commission to settle disputes between
labor and capital The other members
of the commission will be the chief
justice Of the supreme court. the sec
rotary Of agriculture and the secretary
Of commerce and labor.
President For Beveridge Bill.
The president recently received DR..
Felix Adler, chairman of the national
child labor committee; DR.. S. Nj. Lind
say. secretary, and DR.. Neill, commits
sioner of labor, who called on behalf
of the national committee to obtain the
presidents views with respect to the
Beveridge-P Parsons bill for a national
child labor law. The president stated
that he considered this bill an excel
lent one and that he would give it his
hearty support.
For Public Baths.
The commissioners recently received
from General John NJ. Wilson, presi-
dent Of the Washington board of trade,
a resolution which has been adopted by
that organization requesting the COM
missioners to include in their estimates
for the fiscal year ending June 80, 1908.
an item to provide two public bath
houses for the city Of Washington. The
members Of the board Of trade believe
that the establishment Of public baths
in the District is healthful and neces-
sary and that the commissioners should
lose no time in securing a sufficient
sum Of money to enable these bath
houses to be built in different sections
Of the city
The House Santa Claus.
Colonel John E. Andrus, who repre-
sents the Yonkers On. ~ district in the
house. has for several years taken great
delight in playing the role of Santa
Claus to the pages, telephone and tele.
graph boys Of the house. His gifts to
the boys consisted of new crisp two
and five dollar bills. Colonel Andrus
is very wealthy man. His fortune is
estimated at something like $2O,OOO,.
600.
The Supreme Court.
The ceremony of the supreme court
judges marching from their robing
room across the corridor to take their
seats on the bench, which occurs at
high noon every week day while the
court is holding session, is always a
matter Of interest to the average Wis.
itor at the capitol. AS a rule a small
crowd gathers on either side of the
from the robing room on their journey
to the court chamber, but after new
justice has been sworn in, as in the
case Of Mr. Moody, the number Of spec.
tators is augmented for several days
out of a desire to see the new recruit
to the nations highest judicial trib-
unal. The incident is quite impressive
and fills the ordinary citizen who has
never beheld it before with consider
able awe.
An August Procession.
A few minutes before the appointed
time couple of court attendants come
forth, bearing two ropes of red cording
about an inch in diameter, which they
attach to hooks that are fastened to
the door lambs on either side of the
corridor. AS the door swings open and
the grave face Of the chief justice ap
pears the ropes are snapped into place
with a click, making a lane for the
eminent jurists to walk through. Nc
one, not even the president Of the Unit
ed States, would be permitted to crawl
under the ropes and interrupt the
transit of the court in its solemn
course. He would be bold man. in
deed. who would attempt it. and prob
ably life Imprisonment would be the
least punishment that he would receive
for contempt of court should he ven.
ture on this forbidden ground.
Order of March.
The chief justice is followed by the
other iustices in the order of seniority