Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1912-04-12

I had rather be a dog and bay the
moon than such Roman ! will not
yet despair. Rome had her Curtius;
Sparta her Leonidas. and Athens her
band Of devoted patriots-and shall
1t be said that the American senate
contains not one man who will step
forward to rescue his country in this
moment Of peril?"
Story About General Harrison.
Out of the record of the days Of
Calhoun, Webster. Jackson and the
rest comes story of General William
Henry Harrison. Of whom the record
writer says: General Harrison was
native of Virginia and received his
education there. To his last day he
never recovered from Plutarch."
This animadversion. for as such 1t
is intended. was uttered in connection
with the statement that the use Of
ancient illusions was a fault (or.
virtue) common to the Virginians.
The chronicler tells this story Of Cen.
efal Harrison and his love for Plu-
tarch, and Daniel Webster's connec-
ton Herewith.
President Harrison's inaugural
message proved the duration of his
attachment to Plutarch. Plutarch's
heroes would have appeared therein
in still greater numbers but for an
untimely fate that kept them out.
1T was said at the time that the
morning before the message was de-
livered the secretary of state elect
(Webster) was met by friend walk
ing in the vicinity Of the White
House in no little apparent perturba-
ton.
"'What is the matter with you this
morning, Mr.. Webster?' inquired his
friend; you seem agitated.'
"'Agitated, sir! and who would not
feel agitated, that had committed the
murder l have this morning?'
Murder! Mr.. Webster?'
"'Aye, sir, murder; murder with
malice aforethought, of l know not
how many Greeks and Romans"
1t may have been Of benefit to Har-
risons writing style that Webster
was merciless copy reader.
William E. Russell is the envoy
extraordinary and minister plenipo-
tentiary of the United States to the
Dominican republic. Mr.. Russell Is
one Of the picturesque men Of the
governments foreign service. Once
on a time he was our minister to
Venezuela when President Castro
was in all his troubling glory. When
the officials Of the department of
state and naval officers happen to get
together they find stories of William
w. Russell appealing, for the envoy
extraordinary is as we'll known in
naval circles as he is In state circles
Mr.. Russell Is a grave diplomat
with light in his eye that neither
gravity nor position can put out.
But he was not always grave one
blrdened with the affairs Of state.
Once upon a time he was Pete"
Russell, midshipman in the United
States Naval Academy. William was
changed into "Pete" the minute
that he reported at Annapolis, but
truth compels the statement that
neither the official archives nor the
middies' archives disclose the reason
for turning William into Pete. Suf-
flee 1t to know that the middies
would have 1t that way, and that way
1t went
Midshipman Russell had way
with him, and the middies and the
authorities were not long in finding
1t out. Pete had difficulty in re-
straining himself on occasion.
Breakers Under His Bow.
One Sunday at Annapolis the chap
lain preached long and droningly.
The listening middies were tired out
with the heat of the day and the bur-
den Of the sermon, which lasted one
hour and ten minutes. The sermon
over. soloist In the choir, started
in to sing Sun of My Soul" He
went through the first line untrip-
pingly and then struck into the sec
ond. 1T is not night" he sang.
Then he repeated ut is not night"
and repeated 1t again. The sermon
and the song got on pete" Russell's
nerves. He stood up, whistled melo-
diously but very loudly the tune ac-
companying the third and fourth
lines Of the first stanza Of "Sun OF
My Soul" and then before the bewil-
dered and shocked officers could put
in an interference, he calmly de-
manded the soloist to "get a move on
HIM"
They grabbed Pete out from the
middle pew seat and marched him
down the aisle under guard. When
the corps was dismissed and was
marching back to the barracks Pete
was going in the opposite direction
headed for the prison ship Santee,