Evening Star Newspaper, December 21, 1895, Page 16

EVENING STAR, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1895—-TWENTY-FOUR PAGES. THE HOUSE PRESS GALLERY. NEWS OF CONGRESS A Visit to the Press Galleries in Both Houses. QUARTERS FOR’ NEWSPAPER MEN Regulations Governing Admissions to These Places. CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC HEN CONGRESS IS in session two of the busiest spots under the great white dome are the House and Senate press galleries. These gal- leries and adjoining rooms are the places provided for the use and convenience of the members of the corps of Washington | correspondents in transacting their @aily business at the Capitol. The only por- tions of the galleries visible to the public are the benches and desks set aside for the occupancy of the newspaper men, and in the House and Senate are located directly over the chair of the presiding officer. Back of these reservations are rooms to which the public does not have access. In the House wing the newspaper men’s quarters consist of three large rooms on the gallery floor, extending two-thirds of the length of the chamber of the House. The room nearest the elevator ts occupled by telegraph operators, and the merry click of the instruments makes a lively din all day. The largest room of the suite Is the general workshop of the men. A long table runs down the center, equipped with writing ma- terials and flanking another telegraph office in the corner. The walls of this apartment ere lined with paintings and crayons of dis- tinguished newspaper men of the United States, the floor is comfortably carpeted, leather chairs and sofas invite the weary, and, with a crackling wood fire burning in the open fireplace, the room has a cheery and hospitable air. Little is heard in this place except the clatter of the telegraph in- struments or the industrious scratch of pens cn paper. Adjoining this chamber and sepa- rated by swinging doors, is the coat room, ‘or, as it is sometimes called, “the gossip shop.” There are racks and hooks for the topcoats and hats of the men and a number of chairs before an open fire. When there is a temporary lull in the proceedings, such as @ roll call on an important question, this is a convenient retreat; but as a rule the corre- epondents are too busy to linger long, the legislative day for the gathering of news being short enough at Lest. The press rooms in the Senate wing are similarly arranged and furnished, except that one side of the outer chamber is occu- pled by the two associations that gather and disseminate the news of Congress. ‘The busiest hours in the two gaileries are usually from 11:30 in the morning until 2: in the afternoon. Within this period the representatives of the afternoon newspa- pers do fhe bulk of their work, writing and sending most of their news from the gal- leries after having obtained the same from interviews with members or out of the roceedings of the respective legislative Etdies. The majority of the correspond- ents of morning newepapers merely make the galleries a base of operations from which they inaugurate expeditions into the various news fields around the Capitol, gathering their information and storing it away in mind or notebook to be spread upon the wires at night in the privacy of their own offices. Admission to the press galleries of Con- gress Is regulated by strict rules formed partly by the correspondents themselves, partly by the requirements of the Con- gressmen, and receiving the indorsement of the Speaker of the House and the commit- In the Senate Lobby. Yee on rules of the Senate. The rules re- quire that persons desiring admission to the press gallery shall make application to the Speaker, as required by rule of the House of Representatives, and shall also state, in writing, for what paper or papers they are employed, and shall further state that they are not engaged in the prosecu- tion of claims pending before Congress or the departments, and will not become so engaged while allowed admission to the @allery, and that they are not in any sense the agents or representatives of persons or corporations having legislation before Con- gress, and will not become either while re- taining their places in the gallery. Visit- ing journalists, who may be allowed tem- porary admission to the gallery, must con- ‘form to the restrictions of this rule. The @pplications required by this rule must authenticated in a manner that shall be tisfactory to the standing committee of ‘cofrespoidents, one of the duties of which #33 to see that the occupation of the gallery 4s confined to bona fide telegraphic cor- respondants of reputable standing in their business, who represent daily newspapers. Not exceeding one seat is assigned to each Paper; and tt ts the duty of the standing ;fommittes, at its discretion, to report vio- ‘ations of the privileges of the gallery to the Speaker, and pending his action there- on the offen correspondent {is sus- rended. Clerks the executive depart- iments of the goyernment, and persons en- saged in other occupations whose chief at- tention is not given to newspaper corre- spondetce, are hot entitled to admission The press list In the Congressional Di. rectory is confined to telegraphic corre- spondents. Members of the families of correspondents are not entitled to admis- gion. The gallery, subject to the approval of the Speaker of the House of Representa- tives, is under the contro! of the standing committee of correspondents. At the leginning of the present session a new rule was added to the list. By its terms the clerks of Representatives and Senators are not entitled to admission to the galleries. This regulation was made necessary by the fact that within the past year a great many men kave come to Washirgton, drawing a salary of $100 4 mcrth as clerks of members of the House, and at the same time attempting to do newspaper work. It was immediately ap- parent that there was grave danger of the rext few years showing the presence of three hundred and fifty-six clerks to mem- bers doirg alleged newspaper work and holding rank with the legitimate corps of Washington correspondents. The danger to the public in such a condition would arise from the control of the Washington correspondence of the great newspapers of the country by men in the employ of Con- A Field Day. gressmen and subject to their fear and fa- vor. As matters stand now, né man who draws a salary from the government, either as the clerk of a Cong committee or otherwise, borne on the roll of correspondents and en- titled to admission to the press galleries. It is expected that one result of this reform will be to stimniate a smrit of independ- ence and fearlessness amcng newspaper correspondents, and the public is sure to benefit by it in the end. The corps of Washington correspondents is a representative body of writers, and in- cludes men who reflect credit and honor upon the profession. They are gathered from every section of the country, and in most cases held high rank on the papers they represented before being sent to Washington to perform the important and responsible duties attaching to the work of a correspondent at the national capital. Some of them are veteran newspaper men, but the majority are men who have re- ceived the best part of their new: training within the last fifteen years. moral standing of the Washington corre- spondents is high. Honesty is a prerequi- site of their profession, courage and inde- pendence essentials, and a love of fair play and devotion to truth a marked char- acteristic. False statements about public matters or public men are never knowingly made without involving loss of reputation to the writer, although mistakes sometimes occur, when efforts are made to conceal legitimate news from them. In the nature of things, a newspaper would rather be right than wrong, and corservatism in the dissemination of news from Washington is a dominant factor. There are unwritten rules of procedure among the correspondents which are relig- jously observed. It is not considered good form for a correspondent to write about the personal failings or/infirmities of pub- lic men, and those who violate this code find themselves suddealy isolated and alone. It occasionally happens that a black sheep gets into the fold, and attempts by means that are more thrifty than honest to ad- varce his material welfare, but he is soon discovered and cut off. At the begirning of each Congress it Is customary for the correspondents to hold a meeting and elect a standing committee to represent their Interests before the Speaker and the Senate committee on rules. The committee this year consists of E. G. Dunnell, O’Brien Moore, Robert J. Wynne, Raymond A. Patterson and Frank H. Hosford. es THE FASHION EDITOR. Not Used to the Ornate Business, but He Endeavors to Succeed. From the Dallas Times-Mountaineer. At the urgent request of many of our most fashionable readers, who recognize the delicacyof our taste in dress, we have somewhat reluctantly consented to devote a small portion of our space to answering correspondents’ questions. While we real- ize the truth of the old adage that a fool can ask questions wise men cannot answer. we nevertheless undertake to answer them according to their folly. All communica- tions should be addressed to the “Fashion Editor, Nora—As you are only twenty-six, and not liable to get older for ten or twelve years, we would advise that you get a rich, golden-brown crepon in preference to biacic for your autumn dress. A full vest or chemisette shown inside a bolero front will make a fine tout ensemble. Some other clothing should be worn with this, of course. Belle—No. we do not believe in using the diminutive for girls’ namps. Do you? Hopeless—To remove freckles treat them with lemon juice twice a day. Tincture of iodine will hide, but not remove them with- out also removing the hide. For a bad case of confluent freckles we would suggest a shell game, where the operation of skin- ning is painless and speedy. Subscriber—Pink chrysanthemums will be worn by brides. After that they will, most of them, be satisfied with anything they can get in the shape of flowers. Dulcina—Your question is difficult to an- swer. As far as we have seen bloomers are not much worn, but then, you know, they are made so full that the wear doesn’t show. Will advise you later. Sandon—You ask what a bride should be married in. We would suggest that she “get married in haste and repent at lei- sure.” As she t# bound to repent, she might as well have the leisure in which to do it thouroughly. Sarah—Try again, by slow freight, as you do not express yourself well. eS Tell’s Decaying Chapel. From the London Daily News. A writer in the Bund who has been visit- ing Tell’s Chepel in the “Hohle Gasse,” or hollow way, in Switzerland, states that the condition of the building is a great scandal. The walls for the most part are riven; there are clefts between the window and the walls; portions of the turrets and the roof have fallen; the pictures are half obliterated, and the surroundings consist of an olla-podrida of all things unclassic and unlovely. In fact, this monument of avtique pst presents a sorry sight. The Bund now makes an appeal to all patriotic hearts in Switzerland and elsewhere to help restore Tell’s Chapel, if not for the pame it bears, at least for a cherished place of worship in the distant past. WITH THE SPEAKER One Day Spent With That Busy Official. A GLIMPSE OF HIS MANY DUTIES His Workshop in the Basement and Where He Lunches. MR. REED’S METHODS HE SPEAKERSHIP of the House is the working place of Con- gress. It seems easy to the casual loker om for a man to pre- side over the House with dignity for a few hours each day, rec- ognizing those whom he will, commanding ! order when the mem- bers are nolsy, and compelling members to take their seats when he is so disposed. But the duties of the Speaker of the House extend far be- yond this formal display of authority, this parliamentary police work. ‘There is a great difference between the labor and responsibility of a Speaker and that of the Vice President, who presides over the Seaate. Tne Vice President is merely the presiding officer of the Senate and the understudy of the President, who is not supposed to have amy responsibility for the policy of Congress, and who never cx- pects to be called upon to take the part played by the President. His duties are purely parliamentary, and his labors beyond that are no greater than he chooses to make them, or than is involved in the corres- pondence of a man prominent in public life. ‘The Speaker of the House is the great power of Congress. Upon him depends chiefly the success or failure of the sessio’ To a great extent, he fixes the opportun ties, if he does not control the destinies of the men who serve in the House under him, and it has come about that he practically controls legislation. He may yield to or may resist pressure brought to bear upon him by members of the House, but in the end his decision controis in nearly every in- stance. The rules governing the body a such as he wants; the order of business is actually, though not nominally, controlled by him, and he dictates the policy toward which all things are bent. In doing this he consults the several leaders of his party on the floor, but they are leaders of his choic and in the end they carry out his policy, or their leadership is a failure and their in- fluence destroyed. This great power is not ys exercised without friction and wjth- out a struzgle. Members of the majority not only request, but sometimes demand things of the Speaker, and as far as poss bie he must be compliant, but in all things his main purpose is adhered to and what he grants to individual! members is received as favors. : li he aker's Work Shop. His responsibilities are great and His time is constantly occupied. There may be occasions during the session when things are going smoothly along lines al- ready marked out that he can relax his labors, mingle with members on the floor or perhaps join the cloak room circle. These occasions are rare. From the be- ginning to the end of the session kis re- sponsibilities and labors press upon him. The Speaker's work shop is a little room next to the lobby, overlooking the southern grounds, just at the head of the south- eastern lobby staircase. Somewhere in the basement of the building he has an- other smaller room, where he can retire when his work shop becomes overrun with visitors. But he cannot shake off his labors there. They follow him to his lodg- ings, put him to bed and awake him again in the morning. The Speaker usually gets to the Capitol by 10:30. At 12 o'clock the House meets, and every minute of the time between these hours is fully occupied. The bi ness of the day has to be laid out. There are official communications and personal requests to be looked over, correspon ence to be disposed of and measures pre ing for consideration to be examined. There are always members during the session awaiting the Speaker to ask his recognition for this bill or for that, and always committees petitioning for special orders. He has to know what the bills are that are offered and to so parcel out the time as to get desirable legislation disposed of as rapidly as possible and with due regard for the claims of consideration. He must fol low the work of the several committee: and must so understand the m: bills that get upon the calendar as to be able to determine when requests for their con- sideration are made whether they are as it is within his policy to have pz and also what relative claim they for consideration. He has also to sult often with chairmen of leading com- mittees as to the order of business for that day or for the next, and to arrange for the recognition of the leader of the House for certain measures, motions or resolutions. Like a Military Command. Between his arrival at the Capitol ard his taking the chair at noon there is hardly time for him to hear those who come and to dispose of the various things which have to be settled before the session begins. There are things to be guarded against, as well as things to be done, and often rul- ings to be prepared in anti@ipation of points which will be raised during tre proceedings in the House. There are pia liamentary questions to be answered and suggestions to be made, and withal the run of business for a long time ahead must be kept in mind and the whoie chart to be studied, like a great commander studies and maps out his plan of cam- paign. When the House is in session the Spe: seldom leaves the chair if there is any thing of serious moment pending. When the House is in committe of the whole a chairman presides, and the Speaker is fr for other work, but he has to keep in e: call in case the committee has to ris The House does not take a recess at the lunch hour. Members come and go as they please, so that this is unnecessary, and about 2 o'clock the Speaker calls ‘some member to the chair, and takes half an hour to himself for lunch. It is the cus- tcm for the Speaker's lunch to be served in his private room In the basement, where it is brought by his colored messenger from the restaurant. Almost invariably at the close of the day's session a conference is held between the Speaker and those in charge of the measure of particular importance which is to occupy the House the fext day. At this time, too, requests of members for recogni- tion during the, next morning hour, et pour in, and the*Speaker 1s seldom free un- til he can get away from the building. In disposing of his clerical work, the Speaker has the assistance of a private secretary and a clerk. Mr. Reed's Methods. Mr. Reed has the habit in his work which is common to most newspaper men. He acquires his information from all available scurces, digests it while seemingly occu- pied with other matters, and when he is ready to put it into form goes at it with a dash and hustles as if a voice at the tube were calling for copy. Since he came to Washington his days have been occupied with interviews with n-embers of the House or in presiding over the House during its sessions. He has not been disposed to deny himself to those who have called on him, and on a few occa- siors when he has left orders that he shculd not be disturbed by visitors he has recanted at the first call. In spite of all the warning he had that the task of making up the committees woul devolve upon him, he did very lttle work which “stuck” until after Congress ass! bled and all the members were here to pass in review before him. From 9 o’ciock in the morring each day until the mee House, or if there was no s e’clock in the night, most of his time has been devoted to seeing members who had the commfttees or some other subject to talk about. For the most part members have had little else besides committees on their minds, and they -have unwound the thread of their ency. He usugiy breakfasts just before 9 o'clock, and hé has seldom been able to fin- ish that meal without interruption. From then until he has gone to the Capitol he has received callers in greater or less numbers. He has generally gone to the Capitol about 10 o'clock. At'fo time during the day has he been able-to, be alone in his room. A Good Listener. Members are constantly going in and out of the room, one or two at a time, while he is there. All havp) been able to tell him what they wanted and to present such reasons in support of their propositions as might sug- gest themselves, and Mr. Reed has listened and talked, but jhas consistently told them nothing and intimated to ,them nothing. Dingley and onesor two others he has sent for from timé! # time to consult with on some particular point, but even in these con- sultations he has not committed himself as to the assignments to be made. He has been more successful than has any other ever been in keeping his intentions to him- self until ready to make the public an- 1ouncement. Meanwhile he has given attention to all questions of party policy which have been brought up, has presided over the House during the sessions and has found time to be sociable with all who called on him merely in a sociable spirit. ‘The while he has been measuring his men and arranging his work in an orderly manner in his mind. During about two days he did get some time to work cn the committee Hst. But most of the actu- al manual labor was done after 9 o'clock at night. At that hour he shut himself in his room at the hotel with his clerk, and near- ly every night during the past week or ten days he worked until 1 o'clock in the morning. Most of this time was taken up in studying ‘his men from the data before him and trying to ascerta'n where they would each fit best, and which of many qualified for the same thing might have the best claim on account of fitness cr other consideration. Appointing the Committecs. It was not until after Monday of this week that ho had the committees blocked out on paper in a preliminary list. Then began the serious work of shifting and shufliing them about until everything was arranged as nearly right as could be. But before he touched pen to paper he had the principal questions settled in his mind, and the blocking out of the committees after that was rapid work. He went at this work as is his habit in preparing magazine articles or set spee —the few he has prepared. In all his mag: azine work he has studied up the subject and thoroughly digested it before writing anything. This done, he has written very thoughts to off re astonishing persist- rapidly withou again examining any of his references or depending on notes io any kten He has made only two or three set speeches in Congress, his taleat lying in an aptness for impromptu speeches of five or ten minutes, which he is ready with on any occasion. His principal tariff speech, which was his greatest sustained effort, he was prov- ably two months preparing for. Another set speech, that on the federal election laws, he dictated in scarcely more time than it ‘cok him afterward to deliver it, and it was not changed from the dictation. He had prepared for this incidentally in the performance of his duties as a member of the House. THE COWBOY DIPLOMAT. Interest of an Empress in a Minister From the Wild West. Youth's Companion. Our foreign diplomatic service, as every American boy khows, 1s subject to fre- quent changes,, as our representatives abroad are usually recailed when a ne: administration takes command at Wash- ington. Other mfmisters and attaches are then sent out, In;many cases lawyers and business men. ignorant of the etiquette of e From 1 Their misadventures in their new field of action furnish many a racy anecdote for the amusement of their friends and them- selves. One “told of a former American minister at Vienna is, we believe, au- thentic. Mr. 3 had held the position for many years, and had every reason to regard his diplomatic ahd ‘Social career with com- placency. His party was defeated, how- ever, in a prgstdeatial election, and he soon informed his Austrian friends that he was to be superseded by a certain Capt. Y— “a wild man from the west." Te probabl: sKowed a hitle Jealousy when he laughing ly of the untamed cha racter of his describing him as “a cowboy. * y. in due course of time appeared tter-of-fact man—and the day al ived the yusual in- structions from Mr. X. as te his reception at court. “ZL will present you to the emperor _to- said the retiring minister. “You a dress suit?” hat will be all right,” en will the sail the new empires3 receive s will nol receive you.” was the curt reply. “She rece no foreign r.inisters. It ig not here as at other courts. You will not be presented to her at all. sted Y., gently, “I think had better call, It would oniy be civil.’ he receives no foreigners,” answered ‘I have b here -or seers, pLest." rd,” I shall leave my c: insisted gedly. “I have vays been taught should leave a card afier a lady entertained me, and I lunched with the empress yesterda: “You—what % shouted man to tin Was staring at the ad. “I took tee with her yesterday,” quietly rep Boe toca: “An hour after I arriv€e,% icy es of the sourt ected Os x that her majesty ha bg -~ fo invite me to luncheon. & end Went out the Summer Pe a “Who “was ther : diplémat, suspect’ victim ofa hoax Sonty the empTe. ¥e looked at X. ¥ is very fond of h t asked me many extig@fdinary questions about .bucking ponieg*nd rounding up cat- tle. Shecasked if T had my lasso wich me. At last she told me that she heard I was a wild western cowboy, and was a lit- tle disappointed to find me like any other geutleman. I do not know,” looking at X. with a significant smile, “to whom I owe utation which ‘procured me th tnis invitetion from her majesty. . Stammered and was silent, bui he had the manliness afterward to tell the story, and to acknowledge that even a man from . led the ren 1 7 the wildest west could bear himself be- comingly before kings. — coe Deadly Revenge. From Harper's Bazar. Ragged Haggard (at the door)—Maddim, you see before you a conscience-stricken man! I kin bear de burden of me remorse no longer, an’ have come to confe: crime. I killed me old podner, W Walker, in cold blood—or mebby I ort to say water.” Mrs. Newbride—Oh, what can you mean, my poor man?” Ragged Haggard—You remember you gimme a huhk’of frust cake yesterday, which you told me you had made wid your own hands? Mrs. Newbiide+“Yes, but—" Ragged Haggard—“An’, outer revenge for an insult, I gave’lt to poor Wabbly, an’ in less’n haffer tour after eatin’ it he fell into de river an’ sunk’to de bottom Ike lead.” ens OBES See ase Record. From cada. Blagter, ents to bowl. Being near lie rolls a sighted, he “Well, how many?” A painful silence. The club president finally collects himself, and, with a low bow, says: “Serene High- ness, two wobbled.” .any injury. SEEDS AND CONGRESS Secretary Morton Talks of the Pro- posed Investigation. DISABILITY FOND FOR CLERKS His Opinion of a Third Term for Mr. Cleveland. PROTECTION VS. I REVENUE AM NOT AT ALL likely to be a pres- idential candidate,” said Secretary J. Sterling Morton when some one spoke to him about the matter recently. “I speak my mind too freely.” I asked Mr. Mor- ton recently if he had been reported correctly as support- ing Mr. Cleveland for another term. “No,” he replied, “I have not advocated the renomination of Mr. Cleveland, but merely said that I personally have no such horror of the third term as some people express. If the convention wanis to nom- inate -Mr. Cleveland and the people desire to elect nim, why not? The people are the stockholders in the great corporation, the ited States of America, and they have a right to choose the same man to direct their interests as often as they want.” Mr. Merton makes no prediction about the democratic convention’s action, but he made one rather atariling statement to me. When I spoke of the possibility of the free silver men bolting the convention, he said: “I believa there will be just two candidates in j—a sound money candi- date and a rotten money candidate, and the republicans will have the rotten money man. I know the republicans think they have pretty smooth sailing oefore them. This confidence is a source of weakness. Wait till the republican Congress 1s through with its work. There will not be enough enthusiasm left to develop a can- didate. Mr. Cleveland in his message has left the whole situation in their hands, Let_us see how y will settle it. “But the Pre: nt would not bill restoring the ty on wool, ample, even if this Congress passed it. Protection vs Revenue. “Of course he would not,” said the Sec- retary, “But what has that to do with re- storing the revenue? Protection to wool does not mean revenue from wool; it means just the other thing. Protection per se does not increase revenue. If you really protect an article of American pro- duction, you must put the rate of duty on it so high that it cannot be imported. That means you will get no revenue from it at all. Protection is opposed to revenue. The McKinley bill is entitled ‘An act to reduce revenues, &c.’”" Turning to matters more personal to the Secretary's department, I asked him about the resolution of Mr. Baker of New Hamp- shire to investigate the seed question. The Secretary settled back in his chair, with a smile. “I am quite ready for them on that ques- tion,” he said. “But there may be a good republican or two on the anxious seat. When I began to investigate the sale of seeds by members of Congress, I seut the purchasing agent of the seed bureau to the Capitol, with instructions to buy the seed quota of some member of the House and give his check for it. He had no di‘ficulty in finding a seller of seeds among Con- gressmen, and in my possession now 1s the check bearing the indorsement of a millionaire _ex-member of the House--a check for $75. I have kept the man’s name out of my annual report, and he is not mad about that. I have no wish to do him I was not after him person- aliy, but after the system, of which he has become an ‘awful example.” “If the House investigetes the seed ques- tion of course the ex-member’s name may have to be made public. There also will be shown about a hundred transfers of seeds frum one member to another recorded on the books of the department. .They do not prove, of course, that money was paid for the transfers. I_ suppose the members will say they exchanged public documents for seed, and vice versa. One of the friends of this seed-selling millionaire said the $75 had been used to buy copies of the horse book for gratuitous cirenlation. Again, I am told that he bought $75 werth of pocket knives for presentation to the pages of the House. They had better har- monize their stories for the defense, else the matter, becoming public, would em- barrass the defendant by adverse or an- tagonistic pleadings. Seed Distribution. “The fact about that seed business is, I have complied with the law under the ad- vice of Attorney General Olne: continued the Secretary. ‘I asked him whether I was bound by the statute of 1839, which provided that I should buy only rare seeds, or by the paragraph in the appropriation bill. He said I must observe the law of 1839. So I advertised for bids for fur- nishing rare seed. Only three bids were received, and they did not comply with the law. So, having gone as far as the law required, I stopped. The money ($130,000) about which Mr. Baker seems to be so so- licitous is lying untouched in the treasury. There is no law which requires me to spend all the appropriation for the department, though Mr. Petfer has introduced a resolu- tion or bill, I am told, directed to that end. “It is quite in keeping with populistic ideas. But the populists are not the only people who are filled with the notion that this government is an institution which {fs en- gaged in turning out money for the purpose of premiscuously distributing it among favored people. Early in this administra- tion I sat at a dinner table with members of the cabinet, two Senators and a bishop, and actually members of the cabinet and the bishop were the o: people there who did not defend the proposition that the government in times of commercial depres- sion ould spend money liberally among the people, who were being taxed to pro- duce it, though the taxes are a burden on all and the money would be cistributed to a few. In the early part of my services in the Agricultural Department I received a letter from the president of a bank in St. Louis irsistirg that I had committed a great mistake in removirg a woman clerk in my department because she was in- capacitated for obtaining work elsewhere. I replied that if he considered the reasons he had given me for retaining this woman an argument for the employment of clerks in his bank, I might consider his sugges- tion. He has not replied.” “Not long after coming into this office,” said the Secretary, “I went on a tour of in- spection of the department building. I found upstairs a room marked ‘Private.’ I opened the door, and there were ten women knitting, drinking tea or reading. These were clerks who were charged with the duty of addressing packages of seeds al- lotted to members of Congress. Their work was performed in from two to five months of the year, and the remainder of the time they spent at their leisure. The poorest salary paid any of them was $840 a year, and the aggregate of their salaries was $14,080, They are neither working nor pleasuring in the seed division now.” Disability Fand for Clerks. Another set of sinecures which Secretary Morton abolished has got him into a law- suit in Cleveland. The Secretary got on the track of the assistant microscopists through friends who were interested in a pack- ing house. He found that though this house was rot shipping to either France cr Germany, four assistant microscop- jsts and a microscupist in charge were employed there at $50 a month for the first and sixteen hundred a year for the latter. By investigation it was shown that a sim- ilar condition of affairs existed at packing houses elsewhere. So he established a rule providing that when the services of the microscopists were needed they should be employed at $50 a month, and when they were not needed they were to be furloughed without pay. A woman in Cleveland, who was appointed under the Rusk administra- tion at the instance of Senator Sherman of Ohio, now claims that her appointment con- stituted a contract, and is suing for pay for the days she has not been employed. I asked Secretary Morton if he thought there was any solution of the “government clerk” problem, except the establishment of a civil pension list. “Yes,” he said, “you'll find an illustra- tien in the Soldiers’ Home system. The ground for, the Soldiers’ Home at Washing- ton was purchased with $100,000 which Was levied by Gen. Scott on the City of Mexico, but the institution {s maintained by a contribution of 13 cents a month from the pay of each soldier in the army. The same plan is followed in a great many rail- road and commercial concerns—the em- ployes contribute a percentage of thcir salaries each month to a permanent insur- ance and relief fund. The government clerks could do the same thing, and in that way provide against disability from old age or otherwise.” “And how would you adjust the seed question? “Possibly by giving the agricultural ex- periment stations $500 each to buy rare seeds. That would cost about one-sixth the amount annually appropriated by Congress for the purchase of seeds, and the work would be done scientifically, and might be of practical value instead of benefiting mostly truck gardeners.” In Case of Investigation. - Mr. Morton has collated the views of agri- cultural and horticulturai papers through- out the country on the seed question, and he finds that 75 to 90 per cent of them sup- pert his position. This will be one of the exhibits presented to the House if Mr. Ba- her’s resolution passes. Mr. Morton is look- ing forward without apprehension to the Proposed investigation. If it should result in the abolition of the entire department (which is not to be considered a possibility, however), he would not change his mind as to the extravagance, inutility and absurdity of promiscuous seed gratuities. In the last Congress a member of the agricultural com- mittee came to the Secretary for some ap- pointments, and not getting them, threw out 2 hint about appropriations and the pos- sibility of withholding them. “Congress need not appropriate a cent for this department if it does not desire to do so,” said the Secretary, cheerfully. “I am quite ready to go to Arbor Lodge, in Nebraska, whenever Congress thinks the Agricultural Department’ unworthy of ap- propriations.”” This is an illustration of that frolicsome frankness which has puzzled so many of the old-time Congressmen in the last two years, and which may have made it true, as Mr. Morton remarked not long ago, that the Secretary of Agriculture is not a pres- idential probability—because, as one of his friends expresses it, “he says what he thinks, without pandering to populists or polyfoxing with partisans of any band whatsoever.”” GEORGE GRANTHAM BAIN. eee Mr. Thompson’s Executive Ability. From the Chicago Daily Tribune. To be able to keep two women who had been married to him under one roof for weeks without either knowing the other had marital pretensions indicates a large amount of executive ability in John G. Thompson, a carriage maker of Milwaukee. He might have been thought to know enough to keep out of jail. But he didn’t. He was arrested for bigamy recently. In 1887 he was married at New Cassel, Wis.,and he has three children by wife No.1. Last summer he met Miss Lillian Nevis, and on October 17 he was married to her. For some weeks he ran two establishments, but, concluding it was too expensive, he mrought wife No. 2 to his home at 2924 Vliet street, telling her they were going to board. He had already explained to No. 1 that the newcomer was to be a boarder. They lived in this way for a fortnight, when No. 1, suspecting that all was not right, searched the room of No. 2 while she was out and found the marriage certificate. ——_+e+— The Waltz 100 Years Ago. From the Twining Papers, 1751. I was engaged in looking at these fine people, when a lady and gentleman came whirling by and had almost overwhelmed me. I could not imagine what they were about. I had scarcely extricated myself from the danger with which they threat- ened m2 when another aad another couple came twisting by in like manner. I found on inquiry that this was a favorite Ger- man dance called a waitz, and is per- formed in th@ following manner: The lady and gentleman stand face to face. The gentleman puts his arm around the lady’s waist, and with the other hand he gets firm hold of her arm. You would at first think they were going to wrestle. Thus prepared, and the gentleman having got so good a purchase upon the lady, they begin to spin around and around, with a velocity which would make me giddy in half a minute. o—_- —_____o | EVERETT'S. Open Evenings. “What to Give.” FOR MEN. FOR LADIES. Gold and Silver Scarf Diamond Farrings, tons, Rings, Tendants, Pins, Brushes, Sleeve Buttons, Bon-bon Knives Dishes, Hat Pins, 3tid- Card and Cigarette | ing Crops, Silver Jew- Cases, Seals, Lockets, | elry, Manicure Sets, Suspenders, Silver | Vinalgrettes, Garters, rtd; Gold and Sil pecimens of Old China; Tie Clasps, Pipes, Su- | Traveling Clocks, Delft vee mtd: Paper’ Cut- | Ware, Lockets, Cut ters and Weights, Mus- | Glass, Trinket Trays, tache Combs,” Shirt | Lorgnettes, Opera G Studs, Smokers’ Sets, | es, Gold ard Silver-u't'd Finger Rings. Combs. --Space forbids mentioning the hun- dreds more of appropriate things for Xmas gifts obtainable here. The very low prices marked all through- out makes it possible for a very little money to perform a great deal of buying. EVERETT’S, 1225 F Street. de19-c0 : prewereeses tree yeteece Sc acey 4 Most Useful 4q HOLIDAY PRESENT— A. Light-running DOMESTIC Sewing Machine. 4 C. Auerbach’s, «800 7th St. N.W., Cor. H. «Agency Saxony Wool? 4 German. Hand-knit 4 Jackets. 48 det4-cotode2s ag OHSS See ESTES SSS SSS STS T EES ors 9OS90C9OOCOSED SOSOOD In’ SWEETNESS and POWER of TONE, BEAUTY of DESIGN and STKENGTH of CONSTRUCTION “Bay State”’ Guitars, Mandolins, Banjos, ~ Zithers and Flutes are equaled by no other American instruments. Lowest in price of any strictly high-grade instra- merts, 26 AWARDS. Send for Catalogues. A. HILERON BAND INSTRUMENTS ARE SUPERB. John C. Haynes & Co 453 to 563 WASHINGTON ST., Boston. _d4-eo39t Soap Talk. You don't wash your face with im. pure toilet soaps, so why should the clothes be washed with impure Inundry soaps? You can't expect the Washwoman to make your clothes look white and clean unicss you sup- ply her with \Weaver, Kengla & Co.’s ‘Laundry & Borax Soaps ‘These soaps ure the best made— ry (XxeRERER EERE) save time, Worry and the clothes. | Fo. sale by all “live” grocers. ° Plant 3244 K st. n.w. le} 20-324 ie ( LXER REREREREREREEEREREREREES And Tonight At KENNY’S Six City Stores. The joyful Christmas Season is close at hand. We propose to com- memorate it in a substantial manner today and tonight by presenting our customers and all art critics with a large Richly-Colored Art Litho- graph, Entitled “FRIENDS,” An original work—designed and painted especially for C. D. Kenny by Edward Payne, in which he most ably portrays a pretty, rouguish-look- ing child of about 6 years with her arms lovingly thrown around the neck of a large, pure white bulldog. The dog presents a just-been-fed look, and, sitting on his haunches, you can almost hear him say (show- ing appreciation for his dinner), “Now, just let any one dare touch my little charge.” Thus are they great “Friends.” C.D. Kenny, Importer—Jobber—Retailer Teas—Coffees—Sugars. SIXCITY STORES: S.E. cor. 7th and I sts. n.w. 429 7th st. 5.w. S.W. cor. Pennsylvania ave. and 84 st. s.e. 8.E. cor. 7th and O st x N.W. cor, 14th and Q sts. mw. NE. ‘cor. 32d st. and Dumbarton ave. d18-4t All the credit you want. Rudden’s Christmas Letter. Judge others by your- self. . Wouldn’t something useful as a Christmas pres- ent—something that would last for years—be more ac- ceptable to you than the perishable little notions and fancy things that are laid away in the corners after Christmas is over and for- gotten? A beautiful Parlor Lamp, with an elegant silk or por- celain shade, shedding its soft, beautiful light in the home, is a constant remind- er of the giver. This is the kind of a present you want to give. You can buy lamps here for from $3 up, and you can get them on monthly installments at just as reasonable prices as at the cash houses. HR KEHRH HH RHEE RK ed es HK KE HHH HEH HK en a ee RHR REE RHE HRRHEK HH EHHHRE KEKE HHH HHH HH To your friend who is fond of rocking, what more acceptable gift could be made than a nice new style Rocker? A whole floor full to select from. RK EHH RRR HHH HEHE HH HHH KH Buy your liege lord a Chiffonier, and give it to him for Christmas. Noth- ing in the world would please him so much. Nice Chiffoniers as low as $7.50. Will let you pay for them as you are able. HR HEHE HK ed a HHH HH HE Let your gifts be Furni- ture. We'll help you to give them by letting you have whatever you want op credit. Rudden’s, 513 7th Street. ‘de20-100d FURS. Child’s Angora and Thibet Sets. Astrakhan Capes, $1 Worth $18.50. Electric Seal Capes, $12.00. Worth $18.50. Russian Marten Boos, $1.50. Reduced from §$3.5@ COATS. Ripple back, all wool, $6.00. Worth $10.00. ‘Tailor-made’ Suits, $8.75. Worth $15.00. Children’s Cloaks, $2.00. Worth $4.50. MARTIN WOLF, B21 11TH ST. N.W. Open evenings until Christmas, ee HHH HHH HH ee RK eR HH Ge13-254