The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1911-02-09
NEWS NOTES OF
NATIONS CAPITAL
(From f. J. DYER.)
Especial to the Silver State.)

VADnlNOION, req. S.-IneTe are
thousands Of persons In the District
of Columbia who have never made the
short pilgrimage to Mount Vernon, the
one shrine which every American
citizen, regardless of his race, political
beliefs, or religious sentiments, holds
sacred. Scarcely man, woman or
child, however, in the eitire nation,
thinks of that home and last resting
place of the Father of his Country
without feeling a patriotic thrill; and
there is hardly visitor of prominence
from foreign lands who does not
make the little journey by rail or
steamboat from Washington to the
beautiful estate where George Wash
ington lived and died, to gaze on his
mausoleum and perchance to lay a
wreath on his bier. 1t is not too much
to say, therefore, that there was a
sigh of relief from hundred millions
of free people when congress refused
to permit reformatory, asylum or
workhouse to be established within a
radius of ten miles of Mount Vernon
Under authority duly granted by
law, site embracing 1000 acres had
been bought in the vicinity of Mount
Vernon on which to erect a work
house. Public opinion was opposed to
the location of such an institution in
proximity to Mount Vernon. The mat
ter had been referred to the commits
sion of fine arts appointed to pass on
the artistic merits of public buildings
and monuments, and that body found
that it had no authority to pass on the
question involved. Then congress took
hand, and when the bin making ap-
preparations for the conduct of the
District Of Columbia came up for dis
eussion, Mr. Carlin, of Virginia, in
troduced an amendment providing that
no part of the appropriation. proposed
should be expended "for any purpose
whatsoever for a reformatory or
asylum or workhouse in the state of
Virginia, within a radius of 10 miles
of Mount Vernon, except the one now
located at Occoquan, Va
On this amendment there was parli-
amentary discussion by such states
men as Tawney, Hull, Mann, Norris
and Bowers, who fairly bristle with
lore relating to legislative procedure.
Points of order were made and over
ruled, and congress put itself on
record, in a manner more than dry and
prosy but effectual none the less, as
being firmly opposed to anything
which might be considered as even
looking toward the dissertation of the
sanctity of the ideals which are in
seperably associated with Washing
ton s home and last resting place.
Lame Ducks Despondent
Hardly had the. results of the late
election been canvassed sufficiently to
make certain the reality of the Demo
cratic landslide, before defeated CON
gressmen, euphoniously dubbed ELAINE
ducks,'' began calling ON the president
by wire, by letter and in person, to
remember the great services they had
rendered to the party, and in token of
his appreciation to find for them
some nice pleasant berth of almost
any kind, provided only that it car
ried an adequate salary. Before con-
gress assembled in December the
elaine duck' contingent began arriv-
ing in Washington to storm the White
house. "Lame duck alley as the ex-
ecutive Offices became a jest in Wash
ington and throughout the country,
for it was there that candidates for
cooling their heels while awaiting the
pleasure of the president, and his pri-
vate secretary, to admit them to an
audience. Each of the eminent elaine
ducks and some of them are un-
deniablN entitled to generous space in
Who's Who--had his favorite job
picked out and labeled, and when he
got the chance he told the president
what it was; but while the president
was all kindness and consideration he
gradually made it apparent that some
thing else would have to be selected,
and when the next choice was mention
ed it usually developed that for GER
tain reasons that place also could not
be delivered. And so it went on un-
til it gradually dawned on the men
who couldn't come back that the
president didn't see how lame ducks
we're particularly an asset to a man
who was looking forward to strenu-
Gus campaign to succeed himself.
Then the disappointed ones dropped
their talk of places they would con
sen ito take, and adroitly admitted
that they would take almost anything
they could get. And that is about the
way things stand now. The president
s mighty sorry for the defeated con
gressmen, but his political advisers
seem to blieve in the well-worn po-
litical adage that it ism I what a man
ha3 done that counts; It's what he is
able to do in the future. In other
wotds, political jobs are being treas
urdd up to give to those who can de
livfr the goods.
champ Clark's Religious Discipline.
Il Champ Clark is genuinely religious.
Nok that he is ostentatious about it,
| bud it's a part of him. He lives it.
Hell became member of the Camp
bellite church very early in life, and
be | still a member of that church.
although for a time it seemed very
doubtful what his future course in a
eligious way would be. And thereby
hangs tale.
While still young man the future
speaker of the house went to the
town of Louisiana, Mo-, to establish
himself. The town was mstyA bust
ling, typical Mississippi river town of