Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-02-18
tRv Associatcd Press l

tBy Associated prcss1
I ASKING TON, February IT,
Patriotic fcrvor stirred participants at
the dinner given ny tho Gridiron Club
of Washington tonight with President
Wilson. members or the Cabinet and
others prominent III government and
business life of tho nation as guests.
III the midst of the dinner n call OF
the buclc. sounding sharp above the
1 chatter of tho banquet hall. caused the
guests 10 pause and look out. Then
came n word OF command and the rat
tie of accoutrcment and over the halls
swung u platoon of Uncle Sans blue
Jackets from the yard, guns at
the carry. headed BY II young ensign.
Smartly they marched to the center
Of the hall. hating before the Presi-
dent OF the United States. Present
arms" was the command. and AS the
ensign salutcd With his sword tho
sailors obeyed their order. Just then
Il beautiful silk American nag was
unfurled and the eridiron quartet sang
The Star SpanSled Banner"
Three hundred diners arose in their
places joining IN tile chorus and wind
Ing up with :, volicy OF cheers in
great outburst of patriotism.
SONGS RING WITH
SPIRIT or AhERICANISM
Songs that rang with the spirit OF
Americanism and demonstrations of
loyalty to the President were inter-
spersed with travcsties on tho peace
note leak investigation woman suf-
frage pickets at the White House gates,
prohibition for the District of Column
bia. Culifornia's part IN the national
election, with Scnator-Elect Hiram
Johnson impersonatinE himself, and
with other satirical allusions 10 various
phases OF national life.
The leak inquiry was cariCatured in
several sketches, one of them a must
cal mclange and another melo-
dramatic cffusion entitled The Wait"
In which Administration Leak" APP
pearcd as the heroine and Barney
(T W) Lawson" as the ir.cpressible
villain. Introducing the musical sketch,
one of the correspondents with a
tremulo tenor sang Down on tho
Leaky Way which WAS followed by
another sung by a club member I'm the
character Of Representative Wood. of
Indiana, whose resolution led to
the congressional investigation into
| charges Of a leak on the peace note
message
The "Leaky Way" chorus ran thus:
. Come where the information oozcs
Down on the Leaky Way.
Come see the Lambs at play,
Bears eager for the fray
Come hear tho ticklcr gently ticking.
Giving the leaks away.
See tho brokers gay.
They are making hay.
Down on tho Lcaky Way.
REPRESENTATIVE WOOD
CLENEILY lNIPERSONATED
\ The impersonator or Representative
Wood WAS presented as "William Wood
4 the Plumber. the Man Who Stops the
Leaks" who sang:
come from Indanny,
y statesman great and true,
And when ! smell "a scandal
I don't care what | do:
Oh, II | hear rumor
follow il for weeks,
For I'm William Wood. the plumber,
I'm the guy who stops the leaks.
Hazel Jones" as one of the silent
suffrage scnt!ncls at the White House
was introduced, and was made the tar
set of several jibcs in minstrel skit.
DO you know Hazel jones'" aucricd
ono Of the wandering uinstrcl-corrc-
spondcnts.
Why. yes" was the response. "Shc
/ is one OF tho silent scntlncls ut the
White House gates"
DO you know Iiozel had an awful
accident"
is that 50? what happened to
/ lIazcl"'
why, one of those zig lat squirrels
in the White House grounds hi, OFF
hrr cur''