The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1912-02-29
BOON TO VISITORS
Twenty-Five Policemen Relieved
From White House Duty.
PRESIDENT IS ACCESSIBLE
How Minister William W. Russell,
Then Midshpman pete" Got
Into Trouble In Chapel Serv-
Ice at Naval Academy.
Bv GEORGE CLINTON,

BY GEORGE CLINTON.
Washington the order re-
lleving twenty-five policemen from
duty in and about the White House
has gone into effect. The president
and his household still are pretty
well guarded, but the difficulty will
come when the spring influx of sight
seers sets in to Washington. From
the middle of February until the first
of June washington is crowded with
sight-seers, large part of whom
are brides and grooms The most Of
them insist upon their inherent right
as American citizens to go to the
White House Ito see the president"
A good many policemen are neces-
sary to handle White House crowds
in the springtime. They act as ush-
ers more than as police officers, and
they have their hands full President
Taft is much easier going in the mat
ter Of receiving people than were
some Of his predecessors.
Just about one-thtrd of those who
come to Washington ask to be intro
duced to the president, and as no
representative dares to decline to do
the honOrs for fear of losing votes,
he takes his home people over to the
White House and gives them the op-
portunity to say Good morning" to
man who no matter how he may
feel. makes each visitor believe in
his or her heart that, the president
Of the United States would have been
desolated If he or she had ventured
to leave Washington without making
personal call at the White House.
Midshipman "Pete" Russell.
William E. Russell is the envoy
extraordinary and minister plenipo-
tertiary of the United States to the
Dominican republic. Mr.. Russell Is
one of the picturesque men OF the
governments foreign service. Once
on 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 grave diplomat
with light in his eye that neither
gravity nor position can put out.
But he was not always grave one
burdened 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 it to know that the middies
would have it 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, a 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. TT is not night" he sang.
Then he repeated "It is not night"
and repeated it again. The sermon
and the song got on pete" Russell's
nerves. He stood up, whistled melo-
diously but very loudly the tune &C.
companying the third and fourth
lines of the first stanza of Sun of
My Soul" and then before the Devil
dered and shocked officers could put
In an interference, he calmly de-
manded the soloist to 'get 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,
with his books and his blanket swung
over his shoulder AS he passed the
marching middies and the officers ia
command he was heard loudly solilo.
quizing, with his head we'll down in
counterfeit abjectness
Poor Pete. poor Pete, breakera
right under Pete's bow"