Omaha daily bee., 1909-02-18
mrs or wAsHrNeroN LrFr.
Minor scenes end incidents sketehed
on the snot.

Minor scenes and incidents sketched
on the SPOT.
Three plans are under consideration by
the house Of representatives designed TO
change the arrangement OF the house hall.
Some change Is necessary for better ven
~tilation, better acoustics and better light
ing. and action for a change will be had
before the present session closes. One
OF the three plans submitted by superin-
tendeht Woods provides for a hemicycle
hall; the two others for rectangular halls.
similar to the present hall, but consider
ably smaller. one with the long dimension
or the hall running east and west. as in
the present hall, and the other with the
long dimension running north and south.
Either one OF the two first plans is recon-
mended by Mr.. Woods; the third is sub
mitted merely to show that every possible
scheme OF arrangement has been investi-
gated. The cost Of the various plans varies
from SOo,Oo for the hemicycle plan to
S75,OO0 for the third plan. The second will
cost $4,000.
In all of the plans It is proposed to do
away with the desks the members now
use on the floor of the house. In this way,
II viii be possible to make the chamber
much smaller. to bring the members closer
together, and to make II less OF a strain
for them to follow the debate on the floor.
AL of these plans propose to push the
house chamber as close as possible to the
south wall OF the capitol. in order that
the chamber may get fresh air directly.
Certain descendants Of John Marshall. re-
gliding in Kentucky. are trying to sell to
thu OnxrnEnnaAAN -.
which were originally the property Of the
chief justice and which possess much his
torical value. Included in them is a British
order book. containing the daily orders to
the British army as II was about to en-
bark for America down to the day it was
captured by Washington's troops. This
book was given by Mrs. George Washing
ton and Judge Bushrod Washington to
Judge Marshall.
There is also an army register Of the
troops under the immediate of
His Excellency. George Washington, COM
mander-in-chief of American forces" given
by Mrs. Washington and Judge Bushrod
Washington. General washington's nephew
and executor, TO Chief Justice Marshall.
The lot includes Chief Justice Marshall's
diary while in France as special envoy of
tie United States to that country, in 1877,
containing copies of all papers sent to the
Stete department, and so forth, and Talley-
rand's letters, in French; Timothy Picker
rigs secretary OF state, and so forth, of
the United States), letters in English, and
Chief Justice Marshalrs observations in
France from day to day. II is proposed TO
sell all these original papers to the govern
ment for 5000 and a bill for this purpose
has been introduced in the house.
Flashes Of humor sometimes relieve the
dead. dull monotony OF congressional legis-
latlon. The other day the house had a
good laugh over an objection raised by
that prince of directors, Mr.. Mann of
Illinois, against the payment Of $3.50 for a
couple OF horses confiscated by the govern
ment during the civil war. Mr.. Mann said:
"Mr. Speaker, this bill is a very good
illustration Of the necessity at times Of CIV
ing careful consideration to a proposition.
l did not object to the consideration of
the bill. 1t only provides for the payment
OF $3.50 to a man for two horses taken in
the war of the rebellion.
But it is put upon the ground that the
man could not be accused of disloyalty be-
cause he was minded. The man
probably was weak-minded. Then the COM
mittee produced two affidavits, one of the
man, that his horses were worth $3.50, and
one of his COMMITTEES, who had charge of
him for fifty years because the man was
weak-minded, that the horses were only
worth 500. And yet the committee, finding
that the man could not be accused of dis
loyalty because he was an idiot, accept
the judgment of the idiot as against the
judgment OF his committee"
At this point Ollie James OF Kentucky
suggested that the committee went upon
the Idea that even a weak minded man
ought to know that two Kentucky horses
were worth $3.50. This brought a rejolnder
from Mr.. Mann to the effect that, in spite
OF the evidence, the committee assumed
that a weak minded K~entuckian knew more
about the value of horses than a man of
brains In Kentucky. After some further
banter, Mr.. Mann said that he had had $50
worth of fun out OF the incident and was
willing to let the bill so through in its
original form, although it took out Of the
treasury $50 more than justice demanded.
Malcolm Kinnard, Simon Lazarus, Ben
Harmon and John Moore, all prominent
business men of Columbus, o., started
from there at noon last Saturday to drive
to Washington In what is known as the
old Governor Tod carriage, to attend the in
auguration Of President-elect Taft. 1t is
planned for them to ride at the head of the
Ohio section of the inaugural parade.
The carriage was used by Ohio's war gov
ernor. 1t was bought In Philadelphia dur
ing the war and cost s.. $500. The liveryman
who bought 1t traded it ten years later
for a city lot. It's new owner kept it
twenty-nine years and then sold II for $40.
Soon after 1t changed hands again for sis
and its present owner. Mr.. Kinnard, re-
Gently bought It for So.
President Grant, James @. Blaine and