Mountain Home bulletin. (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1888-1889, 1888-10-13
-. $500
BUDDING STATESMEN.
The Little Fellows Who Walt ON I'll
Great Law Makers of the Senate.

The Little Fellows Who walt ON tho
Great Law-Makers of the Senate.
The Senate page corps numbers fiji
toen as bright and quick boys as can be
found anywhere They receive ap-
4 pointments on the recommendation of
Senators, and come from all sections OF
/ the country. There is the elongated
and dark-hued Southerner and the
ruddy-cheeked and chunky Western
boy, the quick Northerner and the
srectacled New Highlander. They are
paid $40 a month each during the ses-
sion Of Congress, which generally lasts
about eight months for the long and |
three months for the short session, and
at the close of the latter it is customary
to vote them an extra months pay in
order that they may return to their
homes. In addition to their salary the
pages make quite "a goodly sum by
selling autograph albums containing the
signatures of the Senators ana prom
inent people whom they buttonhole for
their autographs. Their period OF
butterfly life is rather short, however,
us il generally does not extend beyond
two Congresses, the age limit being be-
tween ten and sixteen. After they
reach the age of sixteen they are COM
PEELED to leave.
The pages are very neat in their
dress and pay great attention to style.
They wear tunic coats and knee pants,
generally OF some dark material. and
affect dark black silk stockings. Their
work begins at nine a. M, when they
. assemble in the Senate chamber and
get the desks of the Senators in order
for the day, arranging the several
bills, petitions, etc, on them, after
, which, unless there are errands to run,
they can amuse themselves until twelve
> o'clock, when the Senate convenes, at
= which time they station themselves on
either side ot the Presidents platform.
After the chaplain's prayer the work
: begins in earnest, and they are con-
stantly on the run, answering the snap
J. of the fingers of the Senators, carry
ing bills and papers to the Presidents S
: desk and executing the multitudinous
demands of the Senators.
! The Senate usually is in session till
four clock, when it goes into Executive
, y :ession, releasing the pages from duty.
a As it is customary for the Senate to
Il adjourn on Thursday evening until
y Monday forming, there is nothing for
- the pages to do in the interim, and
= they amuse themselves in various
= ways. Some are continually poring
over novels OF The White Eagle, the
2 lrapper' order, but the greater num-
|. ber are enthusiastic bicyclers, those
} who are not fortunate enough to own a
). wheel not begrudging paying sixty
cents an hour for the rent OF one. and
= many are the amusing squabbles among
y them as to how many minutes one has
V to ride it before another takes it, they
- having hired it on shares. 1t can moi
70 be denied, also, that some are con
is tilmcd gum chewers. The wide marble
. bannisters ON either side of the stair.
leading to the upper floors offer grea
= temptation to them to slide down then
! head first. rather than walk down, ant
'. the velocity with which they go (wher
20 IA fall to the tassellated floor below
A. means certain death) would terrif,
A. their mothers.
p They are all young politicians, TAX,
A deep interest in the debates and arc
thoroughly posted on all topics tha
come before the Senate, and religiously
VI defend the position and merits OF theil
respective Senatorial favorites. 1t il
!, no uncommon thing, after ndjournmcn
:, over some heated debate, for them t,
', take sides and debate the argument
=, pro and con that they have heard. Ant
~ they go at it with vim, defying parlia
~ mentary law ana grammar alike, ant
10 just as much in earnest as though the,
.o received $1,000 a year for it, But it il
~ in their playroom, the awful mysteries
If of which they allow no other morta
IN eyes to penetrate, where the pages kicl
= up high jinks. For good and sufficien
y reasons, apparent to the most casua
IT observer, this room is located in dis
h tant and secluded portion of the Capito
~ building and there they shout, laugl
a and play to their hearts content. 1t il
- very seldom that quarrels among then
~ ever result in blows, as it means a sum
NJ mons to appear before that awful tribu
% nal, in the mind OF a page, the ser
;, geant-at-arms, to be followed by sus
", pension of two weeks or more with los
n of pay.
Of The pages are under the charge ant
H. direction of old Captain Bassett, wht
#. has occupied the position, it is said
IN ever since the memory of man. HI
a. started in as a page himself and is nov
of a hale, bald-headed and white-beardet
ct old gentleman. His post of duty is t,
os the left of the President and behind hi
Nv youthful charges, where he can keel
~ an eve on them. 1t would seem to tax,
q. some ingenuity for fourteen-year-olt
a. boy to dispose of $75 monthly, bu
ba some of them rise quite equal to the oc
ho casion. Others again have quite ,
a. GOOD sized bank account. Those wht
~ are so fortunate as to have relatives il
- Washington of course are well looked
:, after. but those who have to trust Il
-. the tender mcrees of the typica
~ noarding-house keepers become afte
n, time more or less reckless. Taken a
-, "A whole. they are very gentlemanly
=, well-meaning lot of boys, and are sait
a. to be great Improvement ON the fore
- of former sessions. Senator Gormal
was once page, and the story is tina
:. he frequently had his ears pulled b.
,al Captain Bassett on occasions when h