The Washington critic., 1886-11-22
TOPICS OF THE DAY.

OF the st. Louis RopUbttchn: There are
some fifteen or twenty members of the
House Of Representatives who do not
draw their pay regularly every month,
but let II accumulate in the hands OF
the Sergeant at Arms, to whom they
give orders on the United States Treas
ury. Among these Is Congressman
Bill Scott of Erie, Pa lie has not
drawn dollar of his salary for the
present Congress from the Sergeaut.at.
Arms and there Is over $4,000 to his
credit In the Office of that official, in.
cluding mileage, etc. The majority Of
the members draw their money regu.
larly, and in several instances there are
some who have overdrawn. This, how.
ever, Is done ut the risk of the Ser.
geant at Arms, and the money is adj
vanccd from that deposited with him to
the credit of those who have not drawn
for several months, such as Bill Scott,
who, as stated, has over $4,000 to his
credil-robbing Peter to pay Paul, so
to speak. There are number who do
not draw a cent from the beginning of
the session until the close, when they
get 1t in a lump, and during the recess
have draft sent to them on the first
of each month for their salary for the
month previous. There are some
twenty. five or thirty who draw their
money quarterly or every four or five
months. One or two take ii once
year. and several only twice year. 1t
is said that Beriah Wilkins has not
touched cent Of his salary as Con-
gresham for six months. 1t Is also
said that the Sergeant. at Arms Is In
hole to the tune of several hundred
dollars In accommodating one Ohio
statesman who will not be o member
of the Fiftieth Congress.
4*~
"Woman is q queer creature" said
sleeping car conductor to q Chicago
Herald reporter. 81 have often no.
ticed that our women passengers are
the first to get up in the morning. If
train is due in Chicago at 8 o'clock
in the morning they will get out of
their berths at 6, and begin to getready
to get off the car at z. / remember
one old lady who came In with us one
night last summer. She was up at 4
O'Clock in the morning, or just at day
light. AT 5 o'clock she began gather
ing up her traps. The train was two
hours late, and | told her we would
not reach Chicago until 0:30 or 10.
But that made no difference. Long
before 6 o'clock she had her cloak,
gloves and black veil on, her shawl
straps in her hand, and her valise all
strapped and on the seat beside her.
There she sat, bolt upright, turning
neither to the right nor the left, ask.
ing no questions and saying nothing
TO anybody for nearly four mortal
hours"
&"~
A correspondent of the New York
Tribune, who heard Mr.. Ccnkling when
arguing q case in the Patent Office the
other day, says of him; AS speaker
he has lost none of the peculiarities
which distinguished him when he de-
lighted the galleries of the Senate. l
noticed the same mannerisms, the same
theatrical gestures, the same intonation
of the voice, the same sneer with which
he seemed to goad his unwary adver-
saries into attacking him. the same air,
l might almost say, which distinguished
his entrance into the Senate chamber,
and which seemed to say as plainly as
words almost, "Knock this chip of my
shoulder If you dare" He has aged con
siderably since then. His hair is whittier,
his features more set his form Is also
D slightly bent, and his complexion re.
vtals the traces Of physical ailing; his
mental force, however, is rs great rs
ever The greatest change however,
was in the mans attire. Everybody
remembers, of course, the care with
which the eX Senator used to dress
while he was in Washington. But he
seems to have discarded this together
with his political ambitions as one of the
vanilies of life. lie was dressed yester.
in a cheap "hand me down" business
suit, i'll fitting and great deal worse
for wear, which might have delighted
the soul of some Chatham street cloth
ing dealer. The cont seemed to burst t
the seams, the waistcoat was too shorI,
and the trousers-shades of by.gone
days, which looked upon this man as
the Apollo of the Senate--werc baggy
ut the knees; and the once we'll known
flaming rtd neckte-it had been re
placed by one Of sober and austere
tint. Even that famous Hyperion
head, as the nursery song has it-hls
disappeared, and the head of the eX.
Senator looks much like that of any
other mortal.
~
dropped into II barber's chair last
night for n shave, says Frank Carpen.
ter in the Cleveland Leader. The
young colored man who handled the
razor was a character. He told me
that he shaved many of the prominent
men Of the country Said he;
"Speaker Carlisle Is hard man to
shave. He has an angular, rougn
bearded face, lie drops into the
chair, and does not say word until he
gets out OF 1t, except when he is
afraid of being cut "Did you ever
shave a PresldenlY' | inquired "No.
But ! used ta go over Hendricks face
every day or two. Vice President
Hendricks was very hard muu to
keep clean. II took a long time, too,
to shave Inn, but he was such a good
talker, and told so many stories, that |
never noticed how the time wns pass
ing The last time he was here Post.
master General Villas came with him
and he kept telling ANECDOTES to him
between the sweeps Of the razor |
Lave shaved Dan Voorhees,, too, at
times, voorhees, has one OF those
red and gray, coarse boards, which
Is very hard 10 cut, He Is very partiC-
ular as to his personal appearance Gni
considers himself dandy Govern or