Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-02-28

Washington. Feb. e7.-The Gridiron
Club Saturday night at its second ain
ner of the Winter. projected itself INTO
the convention activities OF next june
and helped q distinguished party OF
President makers and candidates board
trains for Chicago and st. Louis 10
meet the fates awaiting them there In
a make-believe railway station, the ac-
tor members Of the club satfrized the
foibles OF some OF their guests and
some well-known men who were not
present
President Wilson was among those
who looked on, and he may have re-
ceiyed an intimation Of the opposition
he will meet later in the year vice
President Marshall, the secretaries OF
state, navy and interior. the Brazilian
ambassador, the Chinese and Bolivian
ministers, several members OF the Sen
ate and House. officers Of the army ana
navy. and a number of the most not
able figures in the nations financial ana
industrial life were present.
The newly-elected president OF the
club, Louis ". Strayer OF the Pitts
burg Dispatch. was inaugurated with
humorous skit in which all members
participated. variously attired to rep
resent the Old Guard. the regular army
reserve, the Continental Army, the
Government Merchant Marine, the Pro-
gressive party and war revenue tax
collectors.
MeAdoo Had Odd Ticket
The most ambitious of several sketcn-
es presented by the club was the po-
litical one. Scrambles 10 make trains
strange travelling companions. ana ticK-
ct complexities that COMPOUNDED the rail-
way gatemen offered extraordinary OPP
portunities for fun-making.
Passing through the Chicago gate
were regular and progressive Republi-
cans, characters representing former
Senators Burton and Beverage, form
er Vice President Fairbanks. Senators
Sherman, Borah. Cummins, Weeks and
Penrose. Representative Cannon, form
er President Roosevelt, William Barnes
and George ". Perkins Of New York.
Through the st. Louis gate passed
Sec. McAdoo. Postmaster Gen Burle-
son. Charles F. Murphy Of New York
and William Jennings Bryan
The first passenger TO reach the Chi
cago train was recognized by one Of
the two gatemen as Senator Burton.
Nervous and fused. he inquired if he
were TOO late and appeared greatly re-
lieyed when told that he was leading
the parade"
You won't be too late till you get TO
Chicago" he was informed as the gate
man punched his ticket.
Next came a passenger for ST. Louis
who was hailed as Sec. McAdoo. He pro-
duced a weird looking ticket. finally rec
ognized as a mileage. which the ga,eman
examined laboriously. Muttering that it
seemed las complicated as the shipping
BILL the gateman asked if a mistake
hadn't been made. Its intricacies were
explained by methods of addition and
subtra ctiOn. and the passenger passed
through grinning. The gateman, recover
! ing. remarked to his pal: That wasn't
no railroad ticket; that was today's
treasury statement
Ciark's Ticket Four Years Old
Among the next batch Of passengers
was a tall. heavy-set man. carrying 4
broken plank under his arm, who tried
to crowd through the ST Louis gateway
Hey. Mr.. Speaker" expostulated the
ga,emar, this ticket amt no good. 1,
reads for Baltimore. And it's four years
old"
/ Il knew IT," shouted the passenger
who resembled Champ Clark Bill
Hearst told me 10 try to work it off, but
the darn ticket never was any good
/ The Speaker finally got through OF
Missouri mileage" but the plank be-
came wedged in the gateway. AS he tried
/ to disengage it he explained that i,
came out of the Baltimore cycline'' and
was the last surviving bit of the one
term plank. They asked him what good
it was. and he replied that he was mere.
~ following T. RS advice-Learn tc
swim, but always carry life preserv.
err