Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1912-05-09


for Butt was one of the genial. sym
pathetic men who invite liking, close
comradeship and wholesome respect
At one tine he was a newspaper cor.
respondent in the capital This was
prior to the days of the Spanish war.
When war came he received a com
mission and went to the front and aft
erward was given a commissioned
rank IN the quartermaster' depart
ment His birthplace was Georgia.
There are hundreds of stories told
Of Archibald W Butt during his stay
in Washington President Roosevelt
chose him for a personal aid, and it
was expected that when President
Taft came in some other officer would
succeed him, but Mr.. Taft knew the
captain and asked him to act in the
same capacity during the present ad-
ministration Butt was part of
Washington Official and social life for
years, and he bore every burden well
and conducted himself with infinite
tact and judgment.
Did Trying Work Well.
One Of the majors duties was to in
roduce at the great public and semi
public receptions and at the dinners
and banquets given to ana by the
president the guests who filed by to
shake the hand of the chief executive.
It may seem that this would be no
particularly arduous job, but 1t is one
Of the most trying things which
presidents aid has to do.
As the guests approach the presf-
dent the one who is nearest whispers
his name to the introducing officer.
Names. as everybody knows, are the
hardest things in the world to catch
properly, and then there are men con
ceited enough to suppose that their
faces ought to be known and that
therefore only perfunctory mention of
the name is necessary. Major Butt
almost invariably caught the muttered
name correctly and transmitted it just
as correctly to the president. There
never was any trouble with the ma
jor's enunciation. The most peculiar
foregn names were spoken fuently
and clearly, and this thing in itself
made Major Butt Invaluable, because
if the president had made a mistake
himself in addressing a hanshaker the
guest, as is always the case, would
have felt hurt and Inundated.
The kindness of Archibald Butt
was shown in a thousand ways. There
is great army and navy reception
civ OF h~
The persons eligible for invitation are
officers of the army, navy and marine
corps, both active and retired, and all
the National Guard of the District of
Columbia. The army and navy lists
carry the names Of all the officers
who have right to be invited, but
Archie Butt was not satisfied with
these lists. He knew that living in
Washington were men who had served
their country in army and navy as
officers, but who either had resigned
from the service or had been muster
ed out at the close of hostilities. He
took it into his hands to look up as
many of these officers as he could and
to crafty them with the presidents
approval, of course, with invitations
to the army and navy reception.
Still Suspicious About Alaska.
Congress has before it a bill
to grant home rule to Alaska. 1t
seems to be entirely probable that
it will pass the house. 1t makes pro-
visions for an Alaska legislature, each
member of which will be paid $40
day. This seems to be a good sum
of money for the daily service of
legislator when the ordinary pay of
Ike officials of the various states is
considered, but things are high in
Alaska and travel is expensive and
moreover, if it is not wicked to sug-
gest it, it may be that when a man is
well paid he is above yielding to be-
setting temptations.
Alaska has not had much done for it
at this session of congress, notwith-
standing the fact that there has been
so much suggested in the way of leg
islation. Just what is to be done in
the matter Of substituting a govern
ment railroad in Alaska does not yet
appear. There are still all kinds OF
conflicting interests at work in the
matter Of the northwestern territory.
Suspicion is still rife and if one makes
a move another man says that he is
headed straight to the road OF graft
and the man accused retorts in kind
Alaska is still the Land of Sus.
picion"
Wants Three Cent Piece Coined.
Representative R. J. Buckley of
Ohio, member of the house commit
tee on banking and currency, has in
troduced a bill to authorize the coin
age of three cent piece. Men whose
memories cast shadow twenty years
long remember the old three cent
piece made out of nickel 1t resem-
bled the silver dime so much that ig-
norant persons constantly were cheat
ed cut of seven cents when it was
given to them in change by unscrup-
ulous persons. 1t was the fact that
the three cent piece was so much like
the silver dime in general appearance
that led to the discontinuance of it's
coinage
Mr.. Buckley intends that nobody
shall be deceived by the three cent
piece if his bill authorizing it's coin
age becomes a lew. He has inserted
in his measure a provision that the
coin shall be perforated in the cen
ter the operation making it look like
a Chinese piece and obviattng any pos.
sibiIity that it can be taken for
silver dime. If the three cent piece
is to be coined it will be made OF
rs per cent copper and % per cent
nickel.
Defin ed.
You don't know the difference be
tween an apiary and an aviary."
.sIndpRd | do then !"