The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-12-11
"Mikado'' Taft Com
mutes 1t to lmprison-
mentin Congress.
MISS DEMOCRACY
ARDENTLY WOODED
But Harmon, Wilson, Dix and
Other Suitors Fail to Get Seat
in Presidential Band Wagon.
Political Lights Are Roasted 7
and Toasted at Fall
Gridiron Dinner.

Ir1dlron Dinner.
Washington. December 1o.--Politcs.
jpast. presenl and future, was ,Aa
dominant note at the annual fall d,n-
| ner of the Gridiron Club to-nigEl.
i President Taft was there with mem
/ bers of his Cabinet; Vice presidenr
| Sherman. Senators and Representatives
in Congress; latent presidential pos
| sibilities, newly-elected Governors Of
States and men of mark in various
Ipositions and of all shades of political
belief and ambassadors and minister,
Iplenipotentiary of foreign countries
/ who We're numbered among the clubs
guests heard with wonder the good
Enatured grilling administered by the
/ newspaper men to their victims. with
1 tableau and comedy sketch and topi-
cal song. in clever speech and ,,ovins
picture, the incidents of the last carr
4 paign We're recalled aud grim forecast
made Of the future.
X And right wfttily and with many
4, a scintillating thrust of oratory did
the objects of this attention retort
4 upon their tormentors. Forgotten for
the moment We're party differences.
victor and vanquished joined hand and
critics
II = ne present year 'Ot Lame DUCKS,
\ of endorsed dictators. Of landslides, Of
sundered political hearts and boun-
tfful harvest of presidential candidates
4 gave the toastmaster, wits and play
wrights their best opportunity in
II decade to produce their satirical car
II nival.
Before President Taft the writer's of
the skits took special pleasure in ex-
htbiting the contortions of Miss De-
mocracy, coy, receptive and wrestling
humorously and valiantly In the arms
!. tof her .'many friends"
Il Parade of "Ghosts.v
President Taft also had the opportu-
!, nifty of seeing parading7 before him. as
u Macbeth saw the choice line of ghosts
II successors to his crown. among these
spectres being hudson Harmon. Wood
Il row Wilson John a. Dix and some
X others. The authors of the skit man
aged in the denouement to-. push the
ambitiots statesmen off ''Democracy's"
4 band wagon. whereat there were
. shouts of laughter from ESQ prominent
men who saw the play with the Pres
4 ident.
4 Then Champ Clark was given the
first representation of himself and two
mules on any stage, with Uncle Joe.
chained to the Clark chariot wheel
Champ Clark Enters.
i furious cracking of whips and
.Caadan,,4 ANA s,ann;ng ne honfse sisy
4 naliged the apnroach If a tumuIt,,ni,s
i party from outside. 1t portrayed the
/ redemption of Champ Ciark's famous
election pledge to ride down Penn
sylvania Avenue behind team OF
nluiss II ne We're eiecied spea ker. me
ci,th.S ~ ~ M ,s
\ wI,in soveraIIs .,s-iGa feIt hat ,n1, h;ck
DRY shirt. He was riding in a two
wheeled cart; cracking, his whip am,
and "fltz. Dragging behind in heavy
A chalns were cannon, lalzeii ana
tasns. -. sast o,met seep ,tns eA,8
cspar,' -is' 80 .
Ollie James introduced c,ark as tha
Y new Speaker, and the latter promptly
f; sentenced his prisoners to various pun
Il istments, such as the assignment OF
Cannon to the craftsmanship Of the
y committee on dlspositiof OF useless
aper Where Tue =
TaS Nv ,le a,in
Iamas cIar,, uns,ertnnL ~ dafine his
j policies, hut had only gotten to the
:. point where he declared for free trade
d when the party broke UP in a row.
II But the greatest skit OF all was
{ when the counterfeit presentment Of
Il Colonel Roosevelt started across the
room, his retlnue being the lame duck
tSen1tors The time kept by these gem
Itlemen who lag superhuously on the
stage" was 10 the cheerful strains
of the Dead March From Saul
When the presidential appetite had
been stated with satire on the dead
ones, the lmping, the ambitious and
the fallen ones, he was put on the
sridiron himself and roasted to turn.
Il Dear Bil"; "Dear Theo."
= Certain correspondence. apocryphal
hut interesting between INC preslaent
] and the former President, dating from
July TO November, lslo, was read, lha