Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 21, Number 22, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 December 1899 — WASHINGTON GOSSIP [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

WASHINGTON GOSSIP

Miss Lillian Paunceforte, daughter of Sir Jnlian Pauncefote, the British Ambassador to Washington, will be married on February 22, Washington’s birthday, to Robert Bromley, honorary secretary of the British Embassy. The wedding date, it was stated at the embassy, was selected by Miss Pauncefote without thought of the coincidence with Amer-

ica’s holiday, but all concerned are now delighted with the happy choice, Sir Julian himself having stated that he is very much of an American. The wedding will be celebrated at the embassy and will be one of the brilliant events of the Washington season. Miss Pauncefote is the first child of an Ambassador to be married at the United States capital. The President and all the members of his cabinet, with the entire diplomatic corps, will attend the ceremony. A question of precedence has been settled by Secretary Porter, the official social arbiter at the White House. Occasionally the wives of cabinet officers are unable to take Lheir place in the official line at the state receptions. Under such circumstances a daughter frequently acts for her mother and the momentous question has been whether this daughter should take the place in the line which her mother would occupy or go to the foot of the class. Secretary Porter has decided that the substitutes must go to the foot of the line, below Miss Wilson, daughter of the Secretary of Agriculture, who is the regular representative of her father, but who takes the foot of the line because he is legally at the foot of the cabinet succession. Mr. Porter’s decision puts an end to a social discussion which had in it the elements of some heart burnings, and the matrons of the cabinet are overjoyed at the fact.

The Roberts case is an annoying one to both parties. Public sentiment is against allowing the Mormon member to hold a seat in Congress. Mr. Roberts contends that the constitution of Utah, accepted by the United States Government when the State was admitted, prohibited polygamous marriages, but did not prohibit men who had plural wives from living with them and caring for them and their families. The Republicans want to expel Roberts because he is a polygamist, not because he is a Mormon or a Democrat. The Democrats do not want to have him expelled because he is a Democrat, but they do not care to defend him as a polygamist. They hesitate at inviting him to the Democratic caucus, but they do not care to deny him admission as a good Democrat. Neither side cares to have it made a party issue.

Mr. Madden, the fourth assistant postmaster general, in his annual report tells how fourth-class postmasters sometimes increase their compensation, which is regulated by the number of stamps that are sold and canceled in their offices. Many postmasters who are merchants arrange with the wholesale dealers with whom they buy goods to send as much as possible by mail as fourth-class matter. The wholesale merchant puts a single 2-cent stamp upon a package, and when it arrives at its destination the merchant postmaster adds a sufficient number of post-age-due stamps to cover the deficiency, which may run into dollars in a month. Then he credits himself with the commission on their cancellation under the existing rules for the regulation of compensation of postmasters of the fourth class.

Members of both houses of Congress are receiving largely signed petitions of sympathy with the Boers, which ask that Congress shall interfere to protect them from the rapacious policy of Great Britain by insisting upon an arbitration of the questions at issue. While Congress has nothing to -do with the foreign affairs of the country, and is expressly forbidden to interfere with them, there will doubtless be an effort to respond in some measure to public sentiment by the introduction and the possible passage of a resolution of sympathy. For thirty days the families of the administration will abstain from all social pleasures out of respect to the memory of the late Vice-President. The ladies of the cabinet have withdrawn acceptances of several dinners and a number of interesting affairs have been abandoned. All the houses of members of the cabinet will be closed until the Ist of January. The Navy Department has awarded contracts for building the six unprotected cruisers of 3,200 tons authorized by the last Congress. To carry out the dying wish of his wife, Peter Karl of New York will go to Bedloe’s Island and empty tbe urn containing the ashes of his wife from the torch of the statue of liberty. Mrs. Karl’s body was cremated at her request, and the husband is determined to see her final wish fulfilled.

The American Public Health Association has declared emphatically against the use of food preservative preparations. v « ■ A panic was caused by falling meteors in llussia, the people believing the end Of the world was about to come.

MISS LILIAN PAUNCEFOTE.