I
JANUARY 8, 1909
formed from natural plants, aTo the Initials 'M
A. R.' Every evening at 5 o'clock tile electric
current is, turned on and the burial place of the
young wife and mother becomes a softly lighted
bower of beauty. The remarkable decoration
of the gra.ye is the tribute of Dr. P. W. Itolline
to the memory of his wife. On the last Christ
mas of her life Mrs. Rolling helped her husband
decorate a tree for their little boy, then eight
years old. It had been their custom to do this
every Chr stmas. After her death the boy said
to his grief-stricken father: 'Papa, we can't
haVo amfeeext Cllristmas without mamma, can
we.' The idea then occurred to Dr. Rollinc of
placing the tree at the grave."
o
rpI-IE DEATH of Mrs. William Hunter Doll
JL at Hiattsville, Md., revives an interesting
story involving political rivalry growing out of
social snubs. Mrs. Doll was formerly the widow
or Senator Cushman K. Davis of Minnesota. The
Washington correspondent for the Now York
World tells this story: "Mrs. Doll, since her
last marriage, had lived quietly on the Mary
land farm for four years, with her husband, who
was a lawyer of this city, mingling but Kttle in
tho social events of the capital. Anna Agnew
described herself as a great-grandchild of Mar
garet Malcolm, a distinguished Scotch woman,
and a great-gran dnlece of Admiral Poultney
Malcolm, who guarded the island of St. Helena
while Napoleon was a prisoner there. She be
came the child wife of a printer named Evans,
but she divorced him in 1878, and, to support
herself, entered the household of Governor Cush-
mra.,IC DavIs of Minnesota, as a seamstress.
Within a few months the harmony between Gov
ernor Davis and his wife was shattered. Mrs.
Davis" went to Kansas to -live and a legal separa
tion was followed by a divorce. A year later,
Anna Agnew Evans became Mrs. Davis No. 2;
Mrs. William R. Merriam, wife of a rising poli
tician, was the social leader in St. Paul at the
time. She was a devoted friend of the first Mrs.
Davjs, and- her decree that Mrs. Anna Agnew
Davis must not be recognized socially was obeyed
implicitly. It was not long before William R.
Merriam was elected governor of Minnesota,
and his wife assumed her position as mistress of
the executive mansion. The inaugural ball is
the great social function of St. Paul, and When
Mrs. Merriam sent out her invitations the former
governor and his wife were excluded. .Mrs. Davis
was by no means crushed. She was a' woman of
striking beauty and superb carriage. She did not
seek retirement to avoid the cold stares of
Society. One flav shfi nnnpnrod rm-mna l -r,,i, u.
lurs.and driving a magnificent white horse to a
snow-white sleigh.", r . .'
GOVERNOR DAVIS was elected to the United
States senate in 1887 and his wife, who
had not ceased her struggle for social recogni
tion in the northwest, carried the fight to tho
national capital. The World's correspondent
says: "Mrs. Merriam's power extended to Wash
ington. The wives of other senators, ignoring
the social rules of the republican court, refused
to make the first call on Mrs. Davis. She was
snubbed. She determined to make a bold bid
for recognition on the occasion when Mrs. Wana
maker gave a reception to which all of smart
Washington had been invited. Mrs. Davis drove
up alone in her splendid carriage. When her
name was announced in the principal drawing
room the fashionables withdrew silently to tho
further end of the room and stood watching the
door. Mrs. Davis, faultlessly gowned and radi
antly beautiful, advanced with a calm smile on
her lips. It chanced that Mrs. Wanamaker was
in anothor room at the time. Mrs. Davis gazed
into the unresponsive eyes of the other guests,
and the smile froze on her lips. At this junc
ture, First. Assistant Postmaster General Clark
son and his wife appeared. They read the situ
ation at a glance, and, approaching Mrs. Davis,
they greeted her waTmly. This action changed
a crushing snub into a comparative triumph.
Mr. Clarkson extended his arm to Mrs. Davis,
introduced her to prominent women and men,
and they were charmed by her tact and grace.
Thereafter she pressed her campaign, and grad
ually society unbent somewhat. Senator Davis
was appointed chairman of the committee on
foreign relations and because of the social attri
butes of that position, the success of Mrs. Davis
was assured. She entertained lavishly and be
came a central figure in the diplomat and official
life of Washington. Such was her standing
when President McKinley was elected in 1896
and set about to select his cabinet. He ten
tatively decided on offering the portfolio of war
The Commoner.
secretary to William R. Morriam. Senator Di
KfnlevThS ?,B Wlf' vised'PreSn SE
wav yqnnnfnnrnam mUst not bo honored in y
way.x Senator Davis was so powerful that his
barton? q"4 C0T?sulted- ce President IIo-
ovll hi i ?T IJ?11,!a tr,0Cl t0 smooth thl"BS
ovei, but Senator Davis that is, Mrs. Davis--
f? Sre f n,HnB; U was hcr hour of trIuinPh
for tho slights imposed by Mrs. Merriam in
foimer days. Washington was stirred by a
struggle which was continued when Mrs. Mer
riam came to Washington to make her homo.
Mrs. Davis assisted. Mrs. McKinley at the New
Years reception of 1899. Mrs. Merriam assist
ed Mrs. Hobart at the vice president's reception,
ino feud was continued until January 19, 1899,
when Mrs. Davis gave one of her famous recep
tions. Mrs. Merriam capitulated. She attended
the function with All Ferrough Bey, and was
received graciously by tho hostess. The fued
was ended. Governor Merriam was appointed
director of the census. Senator Davis died on
November 27 1900, from blood poisoning.
While campaigning in Maine ho suffered a slight
abrasion of the foot. The dye from his silk hose
infected tho wound and septicemia resulted.
Mrs. Davis was married to Hunter Doll on July
29, 1903."
9
A WASHINGTON dispatch to tho Chicago
Record-Herald follows: "Carleton D. Haz
ard, a wealthy Virginian, who lives on a thirty
acre suburban tract near Rock Creek Park,
where his young daughter takes daily rides, has
sent the following letter to the president: 'Hon.
Theodore Roosevelt, Washington, D. C. Sir:
My little daughter Martha, fourteen years old,
camo homo abput two weeks ago from a horse
back ride, crying,' and stated that she had been
accosted by you while riding in Rock Creek PaTk.
She informs me that she unexpectedly came, up
on your party and guard and not wishing to
pass you, she simply rode slowly back of you
until she should come to the road that would
lead her toward home, whereupon you turned
on her and asked her if she did not think she
had followed you long enough and ordered her
to take a side road, which would have led her
away from home.' She refused to do this, and
promptly tdld you she would take the 'other
road,' which led her toward her home, and did
so. I notice from an article in the Evening
, Star of this city that you angrily turned upon
some college girls, knocking the foot of one of
tho young ladies from tho stirrup and lit the
same time striking her horse with your crop
j for passing you. Did you expect my little
! daughter to dismount upon meeting you? I
can not comprehend how a gentleman could ac
cost young girltf unprotedted on a public road
with fits of anger. As fbr my little girl, she
shall take licr rides as usual, and if she should
be so unfortunate as to meet you again, I feel
confident that this communication from mo will
be sufficient to assure her safety hereafter.
Carleton B. Hazard.' In forwarding this letter
Mr. Hazard addressed it to Mr. Roosevelt, as
an individual and not as president of tho
United States."
MRS. MARY ELLEN LEASE of Kansas war ,
for many years, famous as a' leader of
the populist party and as a public speaker of
ability. Some one called her "the political car
rier pigeon of the Sunflower state." But Henry
D. Estabrook now of New York, formerly of
Omaha, and famous the country over as an ora
tor, declared after listening to one of Mrs.
Lease's speeches that she was "a Patrick
Henry in petticoats." Mrs. Lease visited New
York recently and the New York Herald says:
"Mrs. Lease is now appearing under the direc
tion of the lecture bureau of the department of
education as a lecturer in the public schools of
this city. She recently lectured at public school
No. 64, at Tenth street and Avenue B 'on Amer
ica and the Americans.' Her talk was of a
patriotic nature, and In her speech there was
little to identify her as the same woman who
turned the politics of Kansas upside down, who
made and unmade senators and representatives,
who caused the supreme court of her state to
reverse its decision on the mortgage tax law.
That the United States is facing new problems
and is in the midst of an era when the question
as to whether this' nation will "continue as a
republic or follow in the footsteps of so many
ancient governments, that labor saving machines
have proved a menace and that the bread line
is a disgrace to modern civilization were some
of the things discussed by Mrs. Lease. She
bmm io- thQStar Spanglod Banner, of 'tho
boundless prairios of tho west,' of Ilia nntlm iS
great undeveloped wealth,' nn 1 of "iCwiSi ?,,
exhaustible supply of salt.' A a wo nor
S ' ho ";,, 01.' lv? loned down In my old
the loc uro Inw Prrt,0r fr th Uraa nflr
InuoTn. iin eo1 a 8tro"K'y on reform
lasuos as I did your ago. This, however Ik n.
conservative ago, and I find thn It 7. not bttt
o bo too radical. Then, too, It would not ho
proper to discus, such thin in a chool room J '
THIhNS'm ?,ty PoHt l Ponnlblo for this
ii , P' wh,ch "IMWirH as a dispatch from
Hardy, Ark and which the Post says cou d on y
?Er '' "ln- MftUd 'PoSn wife
of Henry Pcpoon, a farmer on Blue Clay crook
on,".P 1l,10"l,nK aml m onco proceeded to
search her husband's pantaloons, as was her
usual custom, but instead of finding the custo n
nry collection of small change she grns Zl a
giant bullfrog. Her wild shriek iwaKnod her
?n iani,.wh0 lo?l)od froin h,H m' intending to
tell her it was a Joke, but she already had rushed
out of tho door and into tho adjoining woods,
still screaming in her fright. Pepoon pursued
her and both might have boon running yet had
not their wild flight boon suddenly halted by a
big black bear rushing ferociously at them from
the opposite direction. The- Pepoons whirled in
stantly and rushed for their dwelling, tho bear ,
after them and gaining in tho run. .lust as thcyi
neared the clearing (hey noticed that their houso
was on flro, probably due to overturning a kero
sene lamp In their hasty exit. In order to es
cape tho bear both jumped into a wall from'
which they wore rescued, more dead (Imn alvo
after,, neighbors shot the bear. Tho dwelling
was burned to ashes. Pepqoji Is too excited to
admit, that he put tho frog In his pocket to break
his wife of bad habits. He, however, has coined,
ii morai uko uiw,: ui jb cheaper to let your,
wife search your pockets than to scare her with
a bullfrog.' " ' . '
"Ijo " ' - ' - : '
IN AN EDITORIAL entitled "Bo Just to
Bryan," the Houston (Texas) Post says:
"There are quite a number of southern con
temporaries that are not exhibiting the proper
strain of courtesy to Mr. Bryan. They are cither
assuming that ho Intends to bo a candidate In
1912 or ridiculing him for the purpose of pre
venting his candidacy. No one is Justlllcd In
assuming that Mr. Bryan wants tho nomination
in 1912. Still less is ridicule warranted., Mr.
Bryan deserves nothing but the kindly regard, of
the democratic party. He haH done everything,
in his power to lead it to success and though
he failed of election, no fair-minded man will
say that he has not given a tromondous im
petus to reform. His recent canvass was in
many respects the greatest of. our history. In
Its loftiness of tone, its earnestness, Jfs patriot
ism, its Intelligence, its eloquence, It has never
been surpassed, and nothing happened to lower
him in tho esteem of his countrymen. Mr.
Bryan Is not seeking anothor nomination. Ho
has returned to his place In the ranks to labor
with other democrats for tho upbuilding of , the,
party ana ror tnc assertion or democratic prin?
ciples. The proper course for democratic news
papers to pursue is to co-operate with him in
the great work which must bo carried on for
the next three years, leaving the question of
the candidato to 1912. It can do no good to
wound Mr. Bryan's millions of friends by at
tacking him in an unwarranted manner or ridi
culing him as a perpetual candidate. It would
have been impossible to nominate Mr. Bryan
this year if the democratic masses had not de
sired his nomination, and it vill bo impossible
to nominate him in 1912 If the democrats do not
want him. If conditions then suggest that Mr.
Bryan's nomination would not be advisable, Mr.
Bryan is not a man to forco himself upon tho
party. On the contrary, he vould be the first,
to advise the selection of another candidate.
Those who intimate that Mr. Bryan Intends to
be a perpetual candidate, not in the expectation
of winning, but merely to advertise his private
business simply perpetrate a libel upon him,
and Insult his friends, with the result of creat
ing discord where harmony Is needed. In 1912,
it will be time enough for these newspapers to
urge tho claims of other candidates and they
can do this without attacking Mr. Bryan. All
of us will know more about the situation tljen
than now and the Post feels sure that Mr. Bryan,
will be ready then as always to give the ticket
his loyal support."
M
va
"
61
' .-i
'
i.
fi
M
"
,1
aCVl. il.atS tn xilWfct iv '
MUffr--"!"
lllllllllrtiritT"'"r"iJ,a' - ' '"-'-'", " """ r f -;