The Washington times., 1909-10-27
Capital Tales

few more days the improves
ments to the White House Offices
VIII have been completed. Curious
\ folk, who have gone about looking
at the new offices. have noticed that
at the extreme west end Of the build
ihg' on level with the street, there
are a set Of large double doors. These
doors one is informed. lead into the
noiIeT room But leading up from the
oolIer room Is small winding stairway
Miiich mas an exit TO the main floor OF
the office building.
This raises the rnomenfo,s o,,os.to-,
whether in the future secretfva "a
mysterious statesmen win GO IN and
out the White House Offices bv vav or
the boiler room. Think OF the scholarly
Lodge bent on some dark mission
which he was anxious to keep from the
world, winding his way through the
boiler room. Or OF Leader Aldrieh. or
Uncle joe Cannon. or the uItra-dig-
ntfied Philander Chase Knox. Secre-
tary Of State. weaving in and out
among the steam pipes in order to
elude watchful Newspaper men
Hitherto, during the office hours OF
the President. all visitors have gone TO
see that official through the main door
Of the Executive Office building. Now,
It is possible that in times Of stress
and crisis, the newspaper men win have
10 post a guard over the boiler roo1A
Colonel Hepburn Writing Memoirs
At last Col. w. p. Hepburn, for 30
many years member Of the House from
Iowa, IS writing his memoirs. Colonel
Hepburn has long contemplated doing
this and has long talked about it. But
his duties as chairman of the House
Committee on Interstate Commerce and
the constant disposition OF his enemies
IN the Eighth Iowa district to make
trouble for him, have served to keep
him busy. Now that he IS out OF Con-
gress and leading a retired life, he is
giving some attention to the writing OF
his recOIlections.
Friends of Colonel Hepburn have
great confidence that when they are
published they will cause a stir. Mons
of his worst enemies has ever accused
him Of lack OF a bitter tongue and a
gaIl-tipped pen or OF lack OF nerve to
apply both. He has a keen memory
stretching back to civil war DAYS, and
even long prior TO that eventful time,
when. as a boy IN hickory shirt and
Jean trousers. he first walked behind
an OK team over the unbrOken prairieS
or Iowa And he knows Intimately
80
likely TO give original estimates Of
1t may safely be COnieCtured that
Colonel Hepburn's production viii be
worth reading
Judge Lurton an Able Lawyer.
Judge Horace H. Lurton. Of Tennes-
see. who is much in the public eye Just
now on account Of the frequency with
which he has been mentioned for the
Supreme Court is a small. white haired
Lnan, with white mustache- He and
President Taft have known each other
for twenty years
Judge Lurton was at Hot Springs q
great deal while the campaign was on
and he and Mr.. Taft were much to-
gether. It was Judge LurtOn who rec
0mnended the appointment OF Jacob III
Dickinson as Secretary Of War. When
Judge Taft was on the bench of the
Sixth circuit ne and Judge T,urt0n some
times exchanged with each other.
With former President Mckinley
Judge Lurton was also intimate. He
has the reputation Of being an able
lawyer
Mrs Lurton is an admirable woman.
with host OF friends
7 don't know whether Judge LurtoR
IS going on the Supreme Bench" said
an acquaintance of his the other day.
but hope he will on account Of Mrs
Lurton- She is fine, motherIy type OF
woman. who wins the hearts of every
body who meets her"
Prof. Emery Well Liked.
The chairman Of the new tariff board
IS Prof. II. c. Emery. professor OF eco
Monies OF Yale University.
This sounds austere and fOrbidding.
and NAV scare some folks. But there
is no occasion for fright
Prof. Emery is neither austsre
nor fOrbidding. and IS not encased in
that dignity that is popularity supposed
to belong TO a university professor. He
looks and acts and talks like q live
and up-tO-date business man or man Of
affairs, and is more apprOaChable than
some Washington bureau chiefs. More
than this. Prof. Emery Is showing q
disposition to get 10 the bottom OF the
tariff situation that viii commend him
TO a large section OF the public.