davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1916-01-22

tickles him to a state bordering on
iunacy when he remembers some of
the stunts his father had to go through
with in order to gain the recognition
as matter of course. And a typical
example OF the difference between
those days and now is shown in Jim's
story of how his father covered" a
famous White House wedding-that of
Miss Nellie Grant
representative of it's news staff should
be present, even if he had to fall down
the chimney to be there. President
Grant was determined that there
should be no Herald man there-and
now let Jim tell it:
Father had auburn hair, not a bright
red. but bright enough to cause one to
remember having met him. He gave
many hours of serious thought to the
forthcoming CEREMONY but 1t didn't
trouble him, for he had overcome equal
ly as troublesome obstacles before. 1t
was up to him good and strong, for the
Herald had a way Of dropping its rep
resentative on very short notice If
things at the Washington end did not
move right. Father concluded that
the walters. The caterer for the oc-
cason was his friend. and fully ap-
preciated the position he was in. He
assisted father, even coaching him in
the work he would have to do. in order
to remove any possibility of attracting
attention. Father assisted in fixing
the table. and unobserved witnessed the
wedding ceremony. At it's conclusion
he was fussing about the table, as If
putting on certain finishing touches,
but in reality making mental notes that
he might not overlook any of the de-
tails, when Mrs. Grant came into the
room. The first lady asked him sew
eral questions about the arrangements,
Evening star., 1916-01-22

and at her suggestion he made several
changes, Mrs. Grant being entirely ig-
norant as to who she was talking to.
Mrs. Grant having finished with him,
father was beginning to give some
thought to the matter OF making his
exit, when he became conscious of some
one watching him. and turning, he saw
the President standing in the doorway,
his eyes fixed on fathers head He
seemed satisfied with his conclusions,
for very shortly there came from his
direction, in strong, clear tone. un-
mistakably meant for the auburn
haired waiter. these words, There's
that damn red-headed reporter
However, the Herald was able to
present to it's readers the next morn
ing a full description of the White
House CEREMONY.
Evening star., 1916-01-22
cold weather

| night were followed by cold weather
the following morning.
/ But when a fellow has a stove and
fuel to take in his boat" Mack Spar
| rough said, "why worry about Such a
little thing as the weather.
"a charcoal fire in the boat he add
| ed. lis as good as a campfire on the
| shore. One side can easily be Kept
| warm"
Cold or warm. members of one party
| said some large Mississippi catfish had
| been taken from the river only few
| days before. and they thought it well
| worth while to make the effort.
| The fish were there said one, "for
| we got a few touches, although we
did not catch a fish. Getting the
| touches was sufficient to break the
monotony of the game and make us
| feel that we We're not far wrong in
| making the try
| Shad bait is what anglers are using
lfsh
ITS the only bait that will get them. -
older anglers frequently are heard to
| say.
They may think it is true" said
Capt. Charles T. Peck of the first police
precinct, who manages to participate in
a number of fishing trips each season.
| But he continued, that has not been
my experience.
| The captain related a story of a catch
made by w. II. Buckingham and him
| bait. He said they had been told of
the shad bait, but his companion. who
| is rated as an expert with rod and line,
suggested the beef.
| And so we got a small quantity of
| the meat" he said, land proceeded to
the fishing grounds. There we found a
number of others trying their luck, but
| luck did not seem to be with them.
! "It was with u.s. he quietly remark
| ed, "and while the shad-bait fishermen
We're doing nothing we>were pulling in
| fish,
| 1t is probable that the anglers will
! try their luck on the upper river. as
soon as the ice disappears.
Responding to inquiries about the
| trout with which Squirrel run was
stocked considerably more than year
ago, Austin Savage, who saw to the
stocking of the stream, admits he has
not heard of one of the fish being
caught.
But I'm sure they are there" he said.
"Only ONCE since the stream was stock
ed have l been able to reach it, the
breaking down of my~one-horse shay
disappointing me on two other occa-
sios and frocing me to foot it part of
the way back home
The nearest he has come to learning
about trout being caught in the stream,
he said. was when he received re-
port of number of pretty fish having
been brought from there by small
country boy.
.Tt is possible that the fish were brook
trout" said Savage, and it's possible
that they were tadpoles.'
Savage intends to put number OF
trout in the stream this spring
Evening star., 1916-01-22

and becomes the pro-tempore helms
man for the great galaxy of states
men. And scarcely any one refuses.
However. Dorsey Shackleford of Mis-
souri, was tearing the air few days
ago with a speech on subjects relating
trails, and kindred subjects, and ever
and anon there would come a deeply
beloved "Amen." from the throat of
the new member from Texas. Cyclone
Davis. 1t was not perfunctory per-
formance' by any means. but regular
old-time camp meeting shout, indicat-
ing great spiritual satisfaction and
complete acquiescence in the things
Dorsey was saying.
A clerk approached the Speakers
desk and announced that a visitor
wanted to see Champ Clark for a few
minutes. The. Speaker beckoned to Cly-
clone Davis:
over the House for few minutes" he
Il would be deeply honored." said
"But you must not shout Amen from
Ghe chair" warned Mr.. Clark.
Then I can't accept the gavel," said
Cyclone. and he walked back to his
with redoubled force.
**
Jim Preston, superintendent of the
deus ex machina for the corps of cor
respondents in Washington. is the son
of the late Herbert A. Preston, himself
a newspaper man and chief of the
New York Herald bureau in this city
during the seventies. Inasmuch A.
Jim has a daily view of the operation
Of news writer's. ETHICS. 1t. sometimes
Evening star., 1916-01-22
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

The House District committee served
notice on the House appropriation COM
mittee to keep hands off District of
Columbia legislation, in anticipation of
legislative provisions suggested for in
corporation in the District appropria-
tion bill by the latter committee. The
board of Commissioners announced it
self in favor of the immediate con-
struction of a new structure to replace
Aqueduct bridge. The subcommittee
on education of the House District COM
mlttee conducted public hearing on
the proposal to transfer control of the
public schools from the board of educa-
tion to the District Commissioners: the
Commissioners declared their willingS
ness not to have the change effective
until the present board retired: a sub
stitute bill, proposed by the Commits
sioners, placed power of appointment
transfer, etc, of teachers in the pro-
posed director of education, appointed
by the Commissioners and remova BILE
by them; Chairman Lloyd of the sub
committee suggested the giving of the
power of appointment of board of edu-
cation members to President instead
of to District Supreme Court, as at
present.
The public utilities commission un-
dertook an exhaustive investigation of
all traction lines, with view to stand
.ardlZlng service. The Board of Trade
declared IN 1aVOr OF no change of con-
troll to the board of Commissioners over
the board of charities and the board of
children's guardians. The commission
of awards made report to the President
of its findings in the matter of the pro-
posed extension of Union station plaza
The National Civic Federation held its
conference. National Security League
met. Meyers military shop, 1927 F
street. was damaged $1,000 by fire Fire
caused loss of $4,000 on the water
front at 2Sth and K streets. Among
those who died during the week were:
Orlando F. Smith. Confederate veteran;
Marion Osborn, prominent Mason and
lifelong resident; DR.. B. F. Gibbs, lead
er in citizens movements in Columbia
Heights section; Rev. Nelson Falls,
former rector of st. Alban's; Brig. Gen.
and Mrs. Samuel l.. Glasgow, DR.. L. J.
Collins, prominent in Catholic church
circles; Bernard T. Janney, supervising
principal of public schools; Dr. E. D.
Boone. Jesuit educator; Sledge Tatum,
chief geographer geological survey.
Evening star., 1916-01-22
'TTdvelette
Cayenne.

To the world at large Cayenne means
red pepper. To the few hundred hap
less French convicts who hear the
word each year on the lips of judge
it means a horror unspeakable-
Cayenne. the other guillotine.
Cayenne is the French penal settle
ment in French Guiana, on the north
eastern shoulder of South America.
Long before a ship makes the port it
self the sickly atmosphere of the place
seems to reach out and touch her. The
clean Atlantic waters are all yeliowed
rivers. She anchors off low-lying
island, and a boats crew of yellow
skeletons comes out for the thin mail
bag. Armed guards stand in the bow
far too weak and hopeless to revolt
This Is one of the outlying islands
where the most vicious prisoners are
confined.
quiet with hopelessness. perhaps. and
gray with despair. There are few
white-clad helmeted French officials in
the street. occasional uniformed
headgear lends a touch of color. but
everywhere you see the fever-gaunted
faces of the deportes. the prisoners.
They are here on parole. free to come
ana go as tney pleaSe, 10 set up little
shops IL they will, for from Cayenne
there is no escape. Before them is the
sea and behind them the bush. with its
wild men and its fever.
These are the fortunate convicts,
though you would never guess it to
look at them. The Others are in the
prison camps, or on the islands, max
ing roads or clearing the brush In the
hot, damp air. They get the fever, of
course-everybody gets the fever-and
they die and are flung in the sea- or
they live and work on under the rifles
of the guard. ..
1t is all horrible-the hot. muggy air.
the neat barracks whore the convicts
sometimes fight like beasts at night,
the tablets to the memory of warders
who have had their brains dashed out,
the mysterious row of cells for soli-
tary confinement, the vague tales of
awful punishments on the outlying
islands where no visitor may land.
And to crown the whole with a touch
of bitter mockery. they have set up a
monument in the square OF Cayenne.
There are three words carved on it
Liberty. fraternity. equality"
Evening star., 1916-01-22
NATIONAL.

The President and Mrs. Wilson were
guests of honor at the ball given in
the Pan-American building by diplo-
mats of other American republics. The
President announced his purpose to
make speeches in various parts of the
country to forward the preparedness"
| program. Representative Clark, chair
| man of the House committee on public
buildings and grounds, spoke in favor
of standardizing public buildings of
the United States. Rivers in northern
Illinois overf1owed their banks. inun-
dating scores of cities and villages.
Charles Lathrop Peck was elected pres
ident of the American Forestry Asso-
citation. G. W. Healis, negro chauf-
feur, testifying for the state in the
Mohr murder hearing at Providence,
r. l., described events leading up to
the alleged killing of DR.. c. Franklin
Mohr by assassins the wife is accused
of hiring to do the deed. Inquiry pro-
ceeded into the causes of the internal
explosion of the submarine E-2 at the
New York navy yard. Fifty families
were made homeless by fire at Passaic,
N. j., which destroyed eleven build
ings, with loss of $250,000. Thirty
three were injured when an Illinois
Central railway train plunged over an
embankment into creek near GAIA,
Iowa,
Evening star., 1916-01-22
500 Added to Conscience Fund.

A contribution CT $40 to the conscience
fund of the United States Treasury has
come from far-away Hawaii. The money
came in one twenty-dollar note. and the
communication accompanying it gave no
explanation other than to indicate that
the matter was an affair Of conscience
The envelope was directed to the Secre-
taryl of the Treasury. ~ st.
Evening star., 1916-01-22
BY Webster.

he saw no beauty in it. Instead of
beautiful it looked to him hard and
cruel Where could he find anything
to eat? 1t was of no use at all to go
down on the Meadows to hunt for
Danny Meadow Mouse. Danny and
Nanny were under that hard crust
very warm and comfortable in their
little tunnels and with plenty to
Evening star., 1916-01-22
Reddy Fox Gets the Surprise
OF, His Life. !,
By THORNTON w. BURGESS.
Copyright. 1916. by J. G. Lloyd1

Reddy Fox was hungry He was SO
hungry that it seemed to him that in
side he was all stomach and that
stomach was the emptiest thing in the
whole world. Because Of the storm
the night before he had been unable
to hunt. He looked out at the gilt
tering white and crystal world and
Evening star., 1916-01-22
Presidential Immunities.

Presidential immunities, from a legal
point of view, are few, and exist simply
for the purpose of safeguarding the
interests of the cou0try and the gov
ernment. 1t has been stated that Presi-
dents are immune from arrest for
minor infractions of the law. This i'm
munity, however, does not extend to
high crimes, capital crimes or treason
able offenses. though no President has
ever been arrested on any such charges.
Indeed, it is an interesting source of
speculation as to what course would
be pursued should President of the
United States commit murder or be
guilty of or charged with felony. Par
ticularly does this purely theoretical
question create ground for debate
should such hypothetical offense be
committed during a session of Con-
manifested criminal tendencies-how-
ever much the superheated denuncia-
tions of campaign orators might tend
to the creation of opposite ideas-there
Is small likelihood that the question
will ever be one for actual decision
and action.
To ell intents and purposes, therefore.
a President of the United States, be-
yond the prerogatives assured to the
office by the Constitution and by statu-
tory enactment, enjoys no privileges
that are not the property of any other
American citizen. By virtue of his Of
fee he may be known as the first
citizen of the nation but he. is still
william Howard Taft. or Theodore
Roosevelt, or Woodrow Wilson when it
comes to paying his taxes or casting
his ballot-the chief tests by which
real citizenship is judged. The Presi-
dent paws taxes the same as John
Smith; he votes the same as Henry
Jones' Smith or Jones, however, have
one advantage over President in the
exercise of the latter function-they
hniv h,,f -
anybody ever heard. no President ever
did that
Evening star., 1916-01-22
FOREIGN.

"I'anco' Villa. leader of Mexican
rebels and bandits. was reported cap
tured and in the hands of Carranza
troops, with execution the certain fate
staring him in the face as reprisal for
the recent murder of Americans; the
report was denied; Col. Miguel Baca
Wales, bandit chief, captured at Palo-
mas, was executed by a firing squad,
and his corpse put on public exhibit as
a warning; about 1000 at Torreon de-
clared for Felix DiaZ. threatening death
to Americans; seven United States SOL
diers were reported captured by ban
dts at Doyle Wells, n. NJ; Queretaro
was selected as the temporary capital
of the Carranza government; repub-
lican members in the Senate demanded
Intervention to punish the slaughter of
Americans by bandits. Chinese revo-
lutionists. in the province of SEE Chuen,
10000 strong, defeated government
troops. Japan declined to receive an
official visit from Lu Cheng- -hsians,
Chinese foreign minister. supposedly
unwilling to recognize the new dynasty
Of Yuan Shi kai Mrs. Emmeline Pank-
hurst, British suffragette, was admitted
Internationally to the United States.
Bergen, Norway, was swept by fire,
causing destruction estimated at S15,-
100000.
Evening star., 1916-01-22
LI1TLtE8oRlEs L1L
%rbEDTIrE

The Star has received from Peter
Rabbit a package Of pin-buttons,
with his picture thereon, for dis
trfbutiOn among his little friends
who read the Little Stories for Bed
time, published daily in this news
paper. The buttons may be OBJ
tained by calling mt the business
Office of TIE Star.
Evening star., 1916-01-22
HEARD AND SEEN HERE AND THERE.
By Earl Goodwin.

Story No. 35S,676,s9O in the Uncle
Joe-Cannon-and-H His Big Black Cigar
Series is retailed through the town by
member of ST. Patrick's Church, who
says that Uncle Joe was asked by one
of the priests there If he did not be-
lieve smoking hurt him:
II remember that Senator Pugh of
Alabama" retorted Uncle Joe, was
asked that same question. The per-
son that asked it accused Senator
Evening star., 1916-01-22
MANAGING The CITY.
VII.-HoW Ashtabula
Elects.
By Frederic J. Haskin.

ASHTABULA. Ohio, January Is
Ashtabula deserves place in history
as the first town in this country to
violate the ancient American principle
that the majority rules. 1t has added
one more new flourish to commission
government by electns its commits
sioners on the proportional represen-
tation plan, which insures that the
minority shall be represented in the
city government. incidentally the
Ashtabuians have shown most pro-
gressive civic spirit, and talent for
higher mathematics which is even
more amazing to the lay observer.
This innovation was just put into
practice at the last election. SO that
it has yet to stand the test of time;
but the way the problem has been
worked out in Ashtabula is interesting
in itself
When you first hear about the pro-
portional representation method of
voting and counting ballots you wish
that whoever brought up the subject
would talk about some simple little
thing like integral calculus. the pre-
historic civilization of China, the
fourth dimension or esoteric Buddhism.
The exact age of Ann or scientific
determination of why the hen crosses
the road is simplicity itself compared to
the proportional representation system
"a process even longer and more COM
| plicated than it's name.
However, Ashtabula has passed a
successful examination. and what man
| has done man can do, SO here goes.
| Don't mind the supposing, because
/ you've got to suppose a lot to under
stand ii, and when the smoke is all
| cleared away it is found that the
system really does accomplish it's the
oretical purpose.
Evening star., 1916-01-22
Two Per Cent Sign
for Name on Ballot.

his name printed on the ballot along
with the other candidates. In Ashta-
bula a city commission of seven mem
bers was being elected and fourteen
men happened to be running for the
jobs. The system would have worked
the same way If forty had been run
nlng- NO nominations are made by any
party or organization. Each ballot
| bears the names of all the candidates.
printed in one column
When Mr.. Voter goes to the polls on
| election day he is given such a hal
| lot. In front of each name is a blank
| square. and it is in this that he does
| his voting. He votes for az many
| men as there are jobs to fill In Ash.
| tabula the number is seven
| 1t is right here, however, that the
| system gets up and walks off at right
| angles from the ordinary systen NJ
voting in this country Mr.. Voter look
| over the names and picks out the ma n
! whom he is most anxious shall he
elected. In the square in front of this
mans name he writes the figure Il"
| Then he picks out the man whom he
would like TO have elected IL numher
| one doesn't get IL. and in the souare
in front of his name he writes the
| fgure This process is followed
| until he has expressed his choice in
the order of his preference. for ali
| seven offices.
| All this is easy and simple enough.
| but at this point trouble begins. The
| voters duty Is done and the mathemat. =.
| ical expert steps in to determine from
the seven choices Of each ballot just
| which men shall be given Office in
order to carry out the theory of ner-
\ feet representation. AS intimated he d.
| fore, the process is too intricate to he
| traced in detail, but its outlines are
easily followed.
Evening star., 1916-01-22
Never Swear Off.

Somebody commenting on the muta-
bility of human affairs once said that
nothing is certain but death and
taxes" The fact that a man has been
designated by a plurality of the voters
of the country to serve for four years
as President confers no Immunity on
that man from the activities of the tax
collector, and no President has ever, so
far as recorded history or word Of
mouth tradition go, exercised the func-
tion known as swearing off an assess
ment." Perhaps this has been due in
part to the fact that few of our Presi-
dents have been men of wealth suf-
ficient to make such swearing off,
profitable. But the average American
will choose to believe that a President
has rather too exalted an idea of the
duties of citizenship to endeavor to es-
cape bearing his share of the burdens
of citizenship. Be that as it may, how
ever, the assessment blanks of the
President are among the very few doc
uments which receive the personal at
tention of the chief executive: no secre-
tary or other subordinate in the mem
ory of man has been permitted to fill
out such blank for President of the
United States
Evening star., 1916-01-22
THE WEEK
Epitome OF Events Ending Janu-
ary -. 1916.
PROGRESS OF THE WAR.

The entente powers were reported
having delivered an ultimatum to
Greece, supposedly demanding that
Greece declare in favor Of the allies;
the time of the ultimatum was sup
posed to have expired; the Xii of
Greece protested. through the press.
against the "harshly unjust attitude
of the allies; the landing of troops at
Corinth led to the rumor that the al
lies intended to occupy the capital,
Athens. Declining the terms offered
by Austria-Hungary for peace, the
Montenegrin government decided to
continue to fight. even with the capital
occupied by the enemy. Turkish
troops were defeated in the Caucasus
by the Russian advance. and forced to
retire before the British in Meso-
potamia. The kaiser, reported fully re-
covered from recent indisposition. met
the Bulgarian king and reviewed the
victorious troops in Belgrade, capital
of captured Serbia.
Evening star., 1916-01-22

Pugh, who is father of Judge Jim
Pugh of this town, of committing a
sort of suicide. He said that smoking
those black cigars took ten years from
his life"
Uncle Joe paused moment:
but it's wuth it, said Pugh.'
The reverend Eentleman looked SOL
emnly down at the carpet; and Uncle
Joe kept on:
$50 wouldn't / have been an old man
II hadn't smoked?" he asked.
4 X
To have Champ Clark hand the gavel
to a member of the House and ask him
to preside for few minutes is always
more or less of an honor, and the pa
pers back home" chronicle the event
with great gusto and headlines when
ever favorite son steps to the desk
Evening star., 1916-01-22
View of a President.

Not many years ago President OF
the United States. commenting on the
fact that the press of the country con-
sidered the fact that he had made his
plans to go home to. vote in a state
election worthy of a first-page posi-
ton beside big" news, remarked:
why do the newspapers consider 1t
noteworthy that / am going to do my
duty citizen by voting in an off
year election? If / failed to go home
to vote and thus abandoned even tenn
porarily the highest privilege of Amer
lean citizenship. l can see how the fact
would be of interest A Presidents vote
counts no more than does that of a day
laborer: but a President who fails to
vote fails in his duty to the country.
and fails without the excuse that the
day laborer might have"
Nevertheless the news disseminating
agencies and the Washington corre-
spondents continue to go into minutest
detail in writing their stories of the
Presidents purpose to go home to
vote" Arrangements of trains, details
of the trip. who will accompany the
President on the journey; and then
what time-even to split second-the
President enters the polling place. how
long it takes him. to cast his ballot.
what he says, if anything, to the clerks.
election officials or persons nearby. all
is chronicled without the omission of
the slightest and most Insignificant
detail.