Jasper County Democrat, Volume 2, Number 38, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 December 1899 — WASHINGTON GOSSIP [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

WASHINGTON GOSSIP

The Roberts case has worked one wonderful reform. It has made a great number of Congressmen exceedingly careful as to the company they keep. Such things ought not to be, but it is true that about the Capitol there may be seen every day a good many women of unknown associations and intentions. Their great anxiety is to become acquainted with members of Congress, and in order to achieve this purpose they send their cards from the ladies’ reception room to the particular members upon whom they have designs more or less innocent. Heretofore members have amused themselves by responding freely to these calls, and have at times provided their callers with cards to the galleries, even going so far now and then as to sit down beside them. Now all is changed. Statesmen are very careful as to how they trot out to the reception room, and are surprisingly punctilious as to the identity of persons they sit beside in the public galleries. So the Roberts case has worked some good, after all. The country may breathe with a certain degree of freedom now that it knows exactly where Mrs. Dewey and Mrs. Miles stand in the social world. Mrs. Miles ranks Mrs. Dewey where the army and navy participate as a corps, but in every other respect Mrs. Dewey takes the precedence of Mrs. Miles. Hence at all army and navy functions a convenient headache will save Mrs. Dewey the humiliation of trailing along behind Mrs. Miles, but poor Mrs. Miles will be compelled to plead chronic illness in order to escape Mrs. Dewey’s assumption of su-

periority in a season's run. These important details should be carefully committed to the intelligence of every hostess and every menial, for should a waiter carelessly pass the batte,r cakes to Mrs. Miles before Mrs. Dewey and her necessities are served the entire social system would be plunged into hopeless disorder. We cannot tie too careful of our etiquette in Washington public Vfe. The people of Washington are pleased that the Republican convention is to be held in the East. They believe that a great majority of the delegates and visitors to the convention will visit Washington either in going or returning from it. The last national convention Philadelphia had was in 1872, when President Grant was renominated. In 1876 the Re-, publicans went to Cincinnati and the Democrats to St. Ixniis. In 1880 the Republicans met at Chicago and the Democrats at Cincinnati. In 1884 both parties held their conventions at Chicago. In 1888 the Republicans met at Chicago and the Democrats at St. Louis. In 1892 the Republicans met at Minneapolis and the Democrats at Chicago. Again in 1896 the Republicans went to St. Louis for the first time and the Democrats to Chicago. Now the Republicans are going to the city where they held their first national nominating convention. The government has decided to increase the number of depository banks and the amount of deposits in such banks, with the hope of relieving the embarrassed monetary situation in New York, To this end the entire receipts of the government from internal revenue taxation for the next thirty days will be allowed to go to the depository institutions instead of into the suttreasnry. The amount to be derived by the money market from this step will be from $30,000,000 to $40,000,000. Thirty days will pass, of course, before the full extent of the relief can be realized. Speaker Henderson does not use the rosewood gavel that was presented to him by his friends in lowa. The confusion in the House makes it necessary for the Speaker to use a more substantial weapon. Speaker Reed used a large ivory hammer with a strong handle and pounded so hard that the top of the desk was reduced to slivers about every thrpe months and had to be replaced by an oaken plank at least twice and sometimes three times during the session. Congress will pfobably revive the grade of vice-admiral and authorise the appointment of Winfield Scott Schley and Admiral Sampson to fill two positions of thii rank. President McKinley has suggested that this would mollify the admirers of Schley and appease the friends of Sampson. Lilidokalani, ex-Queen of the Hawaiian Islands, still lives in a modest house in 15th street in Washington, but expects to return to her native country very soon. She has made no attempt to break into society. She never entertains, and accepts the hospitality of a few intimate friends only. ' President McKinley has made it known that he does not favor the idea of sending Federal office holders as delegates to the next llepuWican national convention.

MEMBERS TAKING THE OATH.