The Washington bee., 1911-06-03
Public Men And ThiDps
(By the Sage of the Potomac }

L DE1ENE, d
St. Louis, when White McKinlay
became 4 National character. In that
year Whittie assumed the response
bility of nominating the late Senator
Allison for President Whittie splut-
tered and fumed around the hotels of
St. Louis, implOring every one to vote
for "what-you-call-um," but all his
powers of persuasion, and all the
freckles in his salad-colored face
couldn't turn the trick. Then Whit
| tie returned to Washington, and ever
since, backed by a constituency con-
Isisting of himself and White Nc
Kinlay, he has been telling various
Presidents just what their duties con-
sist Of, who they should appoint, and
who they should blackball. And the
real joke of it IS that he actually be-
lieves that the Presidents have fol-
lowed his advice. If a man is ap-
pointed, and White hears of it in
the newspapers, he tells it all around
that he turned the trick, and he be-
lieves it himself. If a man is turned
down, White can tell you exactly
how he, single handed and alone, ac-
complished it. He claims everything
White is known not to claim is re-
sponsibility for that old bank failure
White draws the line on that accom-
plishment And | guess he is right
| had about $50 dollars in that old
bank when she breathed her last, and
it's there yet. When the thing was
fresh many of us who had a little de-
post in the bank, and those of us
who owed the bank long over due
notes, which we were tickled to death
to be relieved of, heaped a lot of
blame on McKinlay. But if there is
a man who came clean out of that
bank it was Whittie MCKinlay He
was an actual, and a heavy loser. If
it had not been for paying up debts,
the result of that bank failure, and
for which the courts relieved him,
White would be riding around this
old berg in a FrenCh-made touring
car, and be living swell on Easy
Street, right around the corner from
Millionaire Avenue. In business he is
a shrewd little mess of freckles, and
some times | think he is distant rel
ative of the Einstines. White is
resident of South Carolina, when he
gets to talking about what votes he
can control, but ordinarily, and in
reality, he is a resident of Washing
ton, and if he lived a few blocks fur
ther he would be over in Virginia.
He's Collector of Customs now, but
just how he put it over the boys and
landed this plum, l have not been
able to find out, but he landed all
right. | used to borrow money, OC-
casionally, from Whittie, when | was
a single fellow, and thought / was in
society here, and he always accom-
modated me- He was the most &C
CommOdating fellow about lending |
know of, when you paid the toll, and
he never was particular how big the
toll was. If it had not been for the
Spanish-American war, which sent
stocks tumbling down, and that
mournful dream-the Capitol Savings
Bank, McKinlay would be a very rich
man, and they say he is fast getting
on his feet again, and if things break
right during the next two or three
years, he will be moving towards Easy
Street. AS a politician White thinks
awfully mistaken at times, and Nc
Kinlay is one of those. He is an aw-
fully game fighter, holds on with a
sort of bulldog tenacity, and he's a
mighty loyal friend. But it is better
than a minstrel show to listen to him
tell how he did everything, from max
ing the world to eleCting Presidents
and picking Cabinet officers. And the
funny thing about it is, he's just semi
conscious enough to believe 1t. But
old "what-you-call-um" IS not bad
stag at making a man. In fact, the
freCkled-faced South CarOlinian, who,
like the rest of the tribe from that
State, think themselves better than
any people on earth, is a credit to his
race. But if Whittie would only for
get that he is not a Warwick, we
might reside in the same city with
him, at least comfortably. But the
critter won't forget. His dad never
taught him that word.
"Mr. President" | exclaimed, and a
deathlike silence shrouded the White
House Even the COW that Senator
Stephenson donated to the President
stopped chewing her cud, for fear of
making a noise. 81 arise to nominate
| the only, TedI proper llldh 10 iCplC-
sent this country at Port AL Prince.
President Taft looked up from his
desk in amazement and surprise.
When he caught his senses he softly
remarked, "Mr Sage, proceed" The
proper man for Haiti should be a col
ored man. He should be one who
feels himself capable of being a diplo-
mat" Overcome with this infoTma-
ton, the President was speechless for
few moments. On recovering his
powers of articulation, he arose from
his gilded chair and said: 'Mr. Sage,
I have applications from an even hun
dred proper men, and each mail brings
in additional proper men. Up to date
every applicant has been a colored
man, and up to date every one has
avowed that he felt himself fully ca
pable TO be Minister TO Haiti"
| might have known that every tel-
| low feels himself capable to draw that
$4,000 per annum. 1t was rumored
on the Rialto the past week that Or.
Tunnel, too, was a candidate. Well,
he would not be bad. In fact, there
are many colored men who, if given
chance, would make crackerJack
ET;,;~4o- Dr E,1ruecs sjmOiV deVei-