The National tribune., 1909-03-11

| side of the subway, but probably they
are 'bridle broke" and will run all
right. 1t was expected that q baby
electric railway would be utilized but
the auto struck the Senators as about
the right thing. and so auto 1t is. The
House will probably have abSVt the
same thing. Y
Mr.. and Mrs. Bellamy Storer were
among the very first callers upon the
Tafts at the White House on the day
after inauguration. They have return
ed to Washington after an absence of
three years, and it is said that they
Will now take up their residence here
and return to society in which they
were leaders when here a number of
years ago. 1t will be remembered
that Mrs. Storer was accused by the
President of trying so hard for the
red hat for Archbishop Ireland that
she gave away to the Pope personal
letters that had passed between her.
self and the President. This act of
hers caused the recall of her husband
as ambassador to Austria Hungary,
and broke off the social relations be-
tween the StorerS and the RooseveltS.
Mrs. Storer is an aunt of Mr.. Longworth,
the son-in-law of the ex-President.
Mrs Storer was late convert to
Catholicism, and like all new converts
to anything, worked overtime to gain
some of her hopes and aspirations, and
'o'erleaped herself"
Vice President and Mrs. Sherman
will attend the Church of the Coven-
ant. This is the Presbyterian Church
which was the house of worship at
tended by President Harrison.
Here. there and everywhere you see
items about somebody having caught
and sent to President Taft a ''possum."
1t is about time to stop all reference
to this filthy, foul smelling rodent.
Its natural habitat and habits are OBJ
noXious to decent people. You might
with safe and saner reasons try to
make the skunk an adjunct of the
Taft Administration. At least the
skunk is pretty to look at, and you
can't even say that of the rat-tailed
rodent called ''possum." Crop it.
Increased pay and a consistent cam
paign of publicity, telling of Army life
and conditions, have SO greatly infiu-
enced recruiting during the last two
months that the Army in all its
branches is now recruited up to the
full strength of 1900 and odd men
authorized by the President All of
stationed on Governors Island, have
waiting lists of soldiers who wish to
re-enIist in the regiment, which will
start for the Philippines in July.
1t cost the United States Government
s6.102,956.3s to intervene in Cuba and
straighten things out on this most re-
cent occasion. According to members
Of Congress who usually know what
they are talking about this Government
will never get a dollar of that money
back.
The general deficiency bill for 1907
contains the following paragraph:
The President is hereby authorized
to receive from the Treasury of the
Cuban Republic and pay into the
Treasury of the United States from
time to time such amounts to reim-
burse the United States for the ex-
penditure from the United States
Treasury made necessary on account
of the present Intervention as he may
consider the Cuban treasury then able
to pay without embarrassment"
1t is pointed out that as the inter-
vention has ceased that the President
of this Government has no authority
over the Cuban Government and that
unless some special arrangements are
made, as does not seem probable at
this time, the Government will be
poorer six million large round dollars.
Here is just how easy a fire might
start inside a Government building.
The overcoat of Gilbert Gray, negro
messenger in the office of the National
Bank Redemption Agency, Treasury De-
partment, was burned the other morn
ing few minutes after o'clock while
hanging on the wall of the Office, and
serious fire was narrowly avertsd by
the timely action of a watchman
Gray, when reporting for duty,
placed his pipe in one of the pockets
of the caat- but left a few crumbs of
burning tobacco IN 1t. The watchman
on the western entrance of the build
ing discovered smoke issuing from the
windows few minutes later, and,
rushing to the door, found Gray's coat
in a mass of flames on the wall
Grabbing a stick, the watchfnan pulled
the coat off the hook and dragged it
into corridor and poured bucket of
water on it, extinguishing the flames.
Six members OF President Taft's Cab
met took the oath of office Saturday
afternoon in the Executive offices at
the White House. Those who were
sworn in were Secretary of State Knox,
Secretary of the Navy Meyer, Post
master-General Hitchcock, Secretary of
Agriculture Wilson, Secretary of the
Interior Ballinger. and Secretary of
Commerce and Labor NageL The
oaths were administered by Chief JUS
tice Fuller, in the Presence of Presi-
dent Taft, Justice Harlan, Senator
Burton, of Ohio; Richard Harlan, John
| Barrett, director of the Bureau of
American Republics, and Secretary
Carpenter.
Acknowledgement Wickersham was
sworn in Friday afternoon, at the De-
partment of Justice. There remained
| two members of the Cabinet still to be
sworn in-Franklin MacVeagh, of Chi
cago, Secretary OF the Treasury, and
Jacob NJ. Dickinson, of Tennessee,
Secretary OF War.
| Secretary MacVeagh arrived on
| Monday and was sworn in at once.
Mr.. Dickinson will probably not arrive
| for a week yet.
VIII It hereafter be white House.
or shall the President again return to
Executive Mansion?" There are many
minds on the subject, but generally
speaking most people would rather &c
to the White House" than the "Execu-
tive Mansion" The fact that the ram
bling old structure was called the White
House after an earlier home of the
Washingtons endears the term or des
ignation to everybody. Executive Man,
sion" sounds stately and aristocratic
and not at all suited to our plain shirt
sleeve" way of doing things.
President Roosevelt promptly ant
with much vigor vetoed a bill 20 reim
burse numerous Postmasters who hac
funds stolen from them. The Presiden
| notad one of these PostmaSters who's,