Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1889-03-28
WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, March Is. 1889.

| noSoA ohAsAct Ao'Asse9
stringent rules by which the flow Of
visitors into his sanctum is to be regu.
lated. He is not at present as easy to
reach as Mr.. Whitney was aud has taken
steps to keep the representatives Of the
press away from him as far and as much
az possible. One Of his first acts was to
create news bureau at the desk Of the
chief clerk, whom he has made his
medium Of communication with tho
outer world.
There was striking incident at the
door of the socretary's Office yesterday:
His time was we'll occupied in receiving
and consulting with the heads Of the
various bureaus. By = custom long
since adopted these personages are known
to that part Of the naval world located 10
the department as "the commodores. I"
They were given free entry, while others,
regardless Of condition, were excluded.
A newspaper man tried to run the gaunt-
let. but was stopped BY the Cerberus at
the door, who informed him that none
but commodores could pass the portals.
As he did not fill the bill he desisted.
Shortly after two gentlemen ap-
preached. One was tall, broad should
cred, heavily built, With smooth face,
and he tried to persuade the Waterman
to let him pass. The latter finally re-
sponded that he could not pass him IN.
less he was q commodore. The smooth
faced man responded, laughiugly, that he
was not commodore, but that he
thought Mr.. Tracy would see him. The
Waterman finally took his card inside,
after considerable hesitation. and a
moment later the doors few open and
the smooth faced man, followed by bis
companion, entered in triumph. 1t was
Stephen B. Elkins.
The Senate is having a good deal Of
fun with the visiting public at the
public's expense. Naturally some SEN
ators feel annoyed because during open
sessions anxious Office seekers send in
numerous cards and requests for personal
interviews and not uunaturally some Of
the Office seekers loss their squanimity
and think profane thoughts when thu
Senate shuts itself up for no other reason
than to rid Of the opportunities Of the
hungry multitude. The public or that
portion Of it which crowds the corridors
Of the Senate wing would Instantly
abolish executive sessions it !. could, and
its protests against being shut out were
especially loud yesterday. With or with
out reason an office seeker imagines he
has greater or less claim upon the
senators who represent the state hi
happens to hail from, when he comes
hero and finds that the sought for ID
influence is, for several hours each day
as carefully shut up as if it was in I
burglar proof bank vault, he becomes
annoyed, is peevish, fretful, and if relic
il withheld he swears and does Other
desperate things.
Ex.Attorney General Wayne Mac
Veagh, Of Philadelphia, is iu the city
| He took turn around the hotels yes
terday to visit few friends. Aftel
shaking hands with several hundred
people who had known him when be VA
In President Gar6cld's Cabinet, he re
marked to gentleman who accompanied
him.
ut looks to me like a revival of thu
past. There arc the same old faces thai
saw here in 1881 when President
Garfield was inauguarated. They lool
just the same, aud good many Of then
carry in their pockets petitions and en-
dorsements that they have had in stock
for the last eight years. Many Of thcst
men are applicants Tor three or foul
thousand dollar positions, when they
J could not earn aud have not earned /,
thousand dollars a year in any private
enterprise" Mrs. Harrison has beer
compelled by the rush Of callers during
the present week to abandon her deter
miuation to devote herself exclusively t
her domestic affairs, and has each alter
noon received many friends Informally
in the Red Room Of the White house
She usually goes out for drive accom-
panied by members Of her family, while
the President iodulges himself in regu
lar constitutional upon some Of tn,
public avenues, generally 10 close con
versation with some friend. His figure
is becoming to be almost as familiar OF
the streets as the stately form Of Presi-
dent Buchanan Of former years, WHIT
regularly each morning, rain or shine
duripc his term of Office. walked brisk !,