The Madisonian. (Richmond, Ky.) 1913-1914, 1914-05-19
NOT VERY WARLIkE|
WASHINGTON DURING MEXICAN
ROW AS SEEN BY NEW YORK
NEWSPAPER MEN.
WILSON SEEMED TO BE: CALM
Cabinet Members Did Not Look Over
Important, and Capital City
Was Beautiful in the
Garb Of Spring
ny GEORGE CLINTON.

BY GEORGE CLINTON.
Washington.-When the first sharp
sign appeared that the United States
might go to war with Mexico the
exigencies OF the news situation in
Washington caused some Of the metro
politan newspapers Of the country to
send additional men to the capital city
to help out the regular correspond
ents In their work.
Every newspaper man who comes to
Washington sees things. from new
viewpoint He brings fresh recep-
tiveness to the scene. One young
newspaper man who came here from
New York was asked to write just
how the whole thing struck him--the
excitement of the occasion, the way
of handling things and anything else
that came to his mind. Here are some
of the things that he set down on
paper after he had had time to print
ON his mind the conception of things
as they came to him. It must be
confessed that this youth Of the me
tropolis saw things in much more
peaceful light than others were able
to view them, but the story has the vir-
tnes, It Is thought, of interest and pic
turesqueness- He writes in the third
person:
HE happened to come to Washing
ton yesterday, when there was mo-
ments lun in the Mexican hostilities-
He saw the president looking very
calm, with his mind on thoughts OF
peace again. He heard the secretary
of the navy say with what appeared
to be q perfectly careless smile, that
he guessed it was q case OF more
watchful waiting.
No WarIike Scene There
1.-The man sat down In a chair
In the White House Offices and in
a distant corner of his minds eye he
saw the American sailors landing at
Vera Cruz and the American soldiers
blasting a way to Mexico City with
their artillery. Then his eye wan
dered out the window over the White
House grounds, where the grass was
green, the trees covered with draper
les of tender spring leaves, the mag
nolias aight with their pink blossoms,
the tulips and hyacinths making
bright spots in the lawn-and, like the
man who couldn't believe In the gi-
raffe, he said, there amt no such
thing
Later somebody told him that the
tender hues of spring had no bearing
whatever on the question Of war with
Mexico. 1t appears that Washington
always looks lovely at this time of
year And for several nights before
| that, the President, the army and navy
| departments, and the newspaper cor
respondents had sat up till nearly
dawn, listening to the telegraph in
strument's account of the doings of
the day On several occasions the
| president had been aroused from bed
during the least-welI-known hours OF
the morning.
The man from New York, as he no
| ticed the external calm that seemed
to exist everywhere, could not help
| thinking how a war would have been
run by the typical men of affairs in
New York The headquarters would
have been in some 40-story building.
in the heart of the seething. boiling
downtown, which would have seethed
and boiled ever so much more to
| match the occasion. Men difficult OF
access, barricaded behind partitions
and ratings, guarded by ofice-boys
naughty to callers, inordinately i'm
portant IN mien, and dressed in the
clothing prescribed by 1914 New York
fashions, would have been at the head
Of things
Cabinet Members Looked Ordinary.
with one or two possible excep
lions. the members of the cabinet d.
not look as though they had thrown
and tied all the weightiest question:
in the universe and pinned row o.
orders on themselves therefor. WheI
the cabinet came out from the three
hour meeting they had been holding
more to talk about Colorado thai
about the Mexican situation-the mai
from New York could almost hav'
named the state from which eacl
member came by his clothing and hair
, cut.
Since the situation became acut
In Mexico the presidents schedul
had been almost completely abar
doned- On the occasion mentione
above, after he had finished what h
had to say to the congressman. b
turned to number of newspaper col
: respondents who had arrived In Wasi
), ington overnight-men whom he ret
ognized from campaigning days-an
gave them a handshake and wor
! of welcome He even answered fe'
questions about Mexico-a proceedin
which was altogether contrary to h
usual custom of reserving what he ha
. to say for the set occasions when a
the men are present.
e Meantime outdoor Washingto
S pays no great attention Towar
= nightfall the crowds gather arour
the bulletin boards In front Of II
5 newspaper Offices and the more BE.
sational reports are banded about
the hotels and shops The bootbla6
! says that regardless Of what the pre-
= ident expects to do with Vera Cru
Walter Johnson Is undoubtedly Il
greatest pitcher In the history Of Z
er would"