The Washington critic., 1888-02-25
TOPICS OF THE DAY..
AS Fine Stores in Washington as
There Are in Any City,
{. GUM-CHEWING CONGRESSNIEN
MIR. Randall's Son as Assistant
United States Fiag-Raiser.

Washington Syndicate Letter:
When the gavel Of the Speaker of
the House snbls upon the desk at
exactly l2 O'Clock each day, flag is
hoisted upon the pole that rises from
the crest of the cupola on the House
end of the Capitol. John Chauncey,
the oldest employe, has this duty to
perform. lie came TO Washington
with Thaddeus Stevens, "the great
commoner," and, when the latter got
so weak that he could not walk,
Chauncey used to carry him up and
down the stairs 70 and from his
carriage. II was 10 him that Mr..
Stevens made the remark so often
quoted. When he was carrying the
statesman into the House one morn
ing as usual, Mr.. Stevens remarked:
"Chauncey, | wonder who will carry
me when you are gone ~ Mr..
Chauncey has been in the employ Of
the House ever since, and his chief
duty is TO see that the Republican
Members are in their places when
vote is taken. The Democrats
have man by the name of Ike Hill
for the same duty on their side of the
hall, and these two know the haunts
and habits of every Member Of the
House, If vote is TO he taken at
MONDAY or midnight, il is the duty of
Chauncey and Hill to see that the
Members of their respective parties
are present or paired. Butlt was not
this | intended to speak of when I
commenced. ] wanted to tell of Sam
Randall's son, who is Chaunrey's vol
unteer assistant in the flag-rasing
Mr.. Randall has but one son, lad of
fifteen years or so, bright rs new
silver dollar, but powerfully homely,
so homely that it seems as if his face
must ache. He has large head, Of
peculiar shape, of the Gothic order Of
architecture, and his features are
fiattened downjust as II some one had
sat on his face when it was soft.
His hair is dusty red color and
he wears spectacles which con-
ceal the only beauty that was
given him, and lies in his eyes. But,
fas | have said, there are plenty of
brains under his homely "mug," and
his wit and wisdom are quoted
throughout large circle of acquaint-
ances. He goes TO a private school in
the neighborhood of the Capitol, and
at noon recess every day he rlishes
over TO assist Chauncey in raising the
flag. There is prevailing impression
among the boys ut the school that
Samuel Jackson Randall, jr., IS EN-.
ployed by the Government of the
United States to assist in elevatlng
that star-spangled banner, and he un-
doubtedly does nothing to correct it,
but he only goes for the fun, and has
plenty of it. Chauncey always comes
down from the loft smiling at some
thing the Randall youth has said, for
he hasa new story or q wise epigram
every day.
~
Says Macfarland in the Philadel-
Nphia Record; Speaker Carlisle is
pecuifarly dependent upon his wife.
His health is always so delicate that
it requires the constant care,of some
one beside himself. Mrs. Carlisle,
one OF the most devoted of wives, is,
fortunately, one OF the best of nurses.
She understands her husbands s con-
: stituiion thoroughly, and knows how
% 10 keep him in health, except, when
lie is under some extraordinary strain
She would have kept him we'll in
spite of Thoebe's contest and the
committee wIangles if he had only
announced the committees before
Christmas and then gone off with her
Tor two weeks rest but, as it was,
when he did break down her nursing
had more to do with his recovery than
the doctors medicine. But he went
!, back to the House aweek too soon. lie
had only had one walk III the open
air after his convalescenee when he
went back into the wretched atmos-
phere OF the House. Even then his
wife might have kept him WELL but
last week she was called out TO Wich-
ita, Kan, where their sons live, bv
the serious Illness OF one of them, and
in her absence the Speakers health
failed him, so that he had to go back
to bed.' He has since gone to Wich-
ita himself.
Wv
Gum chewing is becoming almost
rs common among Congressman as il
is among high-school girls, says the
Chicago 1Ti6une's correspondent
Scores of Members have acquired the
habit since it was introduced by a
new Congressman from the West.
He started the custom by inviting his
colleagues out to take some chewing
gum. This was novel proceeding to
the old-timers, who were accustomed To
get something more exhilarating than
chewing gum when a fellow Member
offered TO stand treat, and they fell
Int ~ I,,,
spread it among their friends, and the
man who keeps little stand near the
main entrance to the House floor Is
doing a thriving business. 1t is nc
uncommon thing to see q Member
take four of his colleagues to this
stand, buy five sticks of gum for Z
cents, and distribute them around
Then the entire party stand around
chewing with as much enthusiasm Us
the school girls. Some Of the Con
gressmen are getting TO be as particu
lar in their choice OF chewing gum a.
in the choice of their cigars.
~
The Chinese diplomats are very
fond Of pretty girls, and when they
take a fancy TO an American beauty
their attentions become very marked
says II b. l.. in the Cincinnati Times
Stdr. Most ladies treat them kindly
but do not desire close or frequent as
sociation with them. But some young
American women have permitted
their love of attention and admira
ton to carry them to the point of in
discretion. There is one girl whC
goes alone for long drives with tn,
Cinnamon, and who seems to be quite
proud of their devotion to her
great many women will not dance
round dances with the Chinamen. anf