The National tribune., 1908-01-09

Memories of the dfa titles in Wash
ington were often repeatedly to callers by
Mrs. Semple. She recalled upon many
occasions her Acquaintance with men in
public life. When she bessme the mis-
tress of the White House, after the
death of her mother, Prince de Joinville
was one of the guests. Daniel Webster
Secretary of State during her fathers
Administration, was 'also a great friend
of the family. In her,remfriscences she
said she regarded him as not only one
of the brilliant men, but one OF the
most profound thinkers whom she ever
met He spoke so wiseks" Mrs Sem
pie would say. land with so much
knowledge on the simplest subject thai
no one would think of making a frivo-
lous remark in his presence
Mrs. Semple was "a years of age She
was married to Paymaster Semple, oi
the Navy. several years before her faith
er's election to the Presidency. WheI
her mother became ill and shortly be.
fore her death Mrs. Semple spent much
time at the White House. After hel
mothers death she returned to the Ty-
Ter home at Williamsburg. and after the
period of mourning had passed she dis.
pensed the hospitality of the White
House until 1874. when her father mar
ried Miss Julia Gardiner.
Mrs. Semple's room at the Louise
Home, home founded by the late Will
liam w. Corcoran for aged gentlewo-
men, was regarded as "a room of mem
cries" Over the mantel were the family
portraits, among them a charming pic
ture of her sister Elizabeth, whose we'd
ding at the White House was one of the
distinct social events of the Tyler Ad-
ministration. There were also many
portraits of distinguished people of the
days of ''Tippecanoe and Tyler, too
Often Mrs. Semple would speak of the
White House. II don't care for the in
terror of the White House of to-day
she said on one occasion. "It is toe
ornate, too elaborate for the old house
and too pretentious for a Republic
which should be characterized by sim
plicity. Life there was much simpler as
I remember it than now. We breakfast
ed at 8, dined at and had supper at &
There were public receptions every two
weeks, but at the dinners given for gen.
tlemen the women of the family never
appeared"
Mrs. SempIe always kept up with the
politics of the day, tho she said she
was saddened and depressed thereby.
There is so much corruption, so much
dishonesty The Republic seems to be
,
the intentions of the fathers. There
are no statesmen now-only politicians %
While it was the desire of Mrs Sem
pie to be laid beside her father, Presi-
dent Tyler, in the cemetery at Williams
burg, this could not be done because
the cemetery has been closed to inter-
ments for years Her body was taken
to Richmond. and inferred in the ceme-
terry on the old Tyler plantation
Cuba is developing rapidly in agrfcul-
tural population and agricultural prod
ucts. This fact is shown by the recent
census of the island. Reports received
by the State Department from the
American Consul at Havana show a to-
tai population Of 2.0s2.2S2, an increase
of 509,437. or about 20 per cent, over
the census Of 1899. F3t
President Roosevelt has approved the
Of Col. Goethals, Chief
Engineer of the Panama Canal, con-
cerning the location of the locks at the
Pacific end of the canal, and they will
be placed at Miraffores, or behind Sosa
Hill, four miles inland, instead of at
La Boca, on the Bay of Panama, as was
at first intended. This change will put
sition, and will save $S,e00,000 in the
total cost of construction.
1t is stated that the change Is by no
means a radical one, but was decided
upon after careful consideration Of four
different projects. It has been shown
thru the sinking of trial pits that a
much better foundation can be obtained
there, as bed rock can be easily reached,
while at La Boca, where the mud is
much deeper, it would require much
more cement, labor and material TO
make the construction good. From a
standpoint the placing of the
locks behind Sosa Hill is a necessity, for
If they were placed on the bay at La
Boca they would offer fine target for
a hostile fleet, and few minutes firing
would put the canal out of commission.
1t will also permit of easy access to
the lake at Mifaf1'es, which would
make a fine sheltered rendezvous for
the fleet in time of war. The new plans
are identical with those of the old
French company.
The story comes from San Francisco
that with more than ordinary secretfve-
ness, and in spite of denials of Army
and other officials that the shipments
amount TO anything worth noting, the
largest consignment Of war material
ever sent to the Philippines in two ves-
sells is assembled on the transport dock
in San Francisco, ready for transporta-
ton to Manila this week.
The greater part of the material, It
is stated, amounting to 1000 tons, and
including 6,240,000 rounds Of cartridges
and a vast quantity of commissary sup
plies, boilers, wagons and other freight,
is to be carried to the Philippines by
the Pacific mail steamer China, sailing
next Tuesday afternoon. The remain
der of the material already assembled,
of $500 new Springfield rifles
and much equipment for submarine
mines, as well as a full cargo of general
war supplies, will fill the hold Of the
transport Sherman, which departed for
Manila on Jan. 6.
The huge shipment of cartridges to
be carried by the China is in $500 boxes,
1900 rounds each, all of 30
caliber, for the new Springfield rifles,
and comes from the Frankford Arsenal.
The recent industrial depression Is
attributed by Gen. Elliott, Commandant
Of the Marine Corps, as the cause of his
being able to recruit the corps up to the
full allotted strength.
July 1 last the Marine Corps was
short 400 enlisted men. For a year or
more previous to that the corps had
ranged from 200 to $50 short of the au-
thcriZed strength. and at the end of the
last fiscal year the situation seemed al