San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-04-06

nifty attaches 10 Une OIllce, ana CDere
is always a great responsibility upon
the occupant of the position, but he
has very little actual power. The
only authority he can claim is that
of making the distinguished gentle
men of the upper house Of congress
conduct themselves in a dignified and
becoming manner, under the parlia-
mentary rules governing that body.
The patronage he can dispense as alb
solutely his own is the position of de-
partment telegraph operator for the
senate and his own private secretary
ship. He can appoint to these two
positions. and those are the only
official acts he can perform that are
not merely perfunctory. But if a sem
ator tries to speak when it is not his
turn, or speaking in proper time uses
improper language or attempts to dis
cuss the solemn secrets of executive
session before the galleries have been
cleared of the tOO-inquisitive public,
the vice-president can call him to
order and can enforce respectful ODE
dience to the rules of the senate.
The president pro tenn of the senate
is usually the party leader. He takes
a leading part in party caucuses, and
4 takes an active interest in and eXer-
cises positive influence over legisla.
ton. He votes and makes speeches
on the floor of the senate, and is a
positive power. He is member of
the senate, chosen 20 that position on
account OF his prominence in the
party. He is always in sympathy
with the majority of the senate. He
has all his ordinary duties in the SEN
ate, is chairman Of a committee, and
has, altogether, as much as he can at
tend to.
But the vice-president has none of
these duties. The position of presid-
ing officer of the senate appears to
have been assigned to him merely to
give him something to do while wait
ing to see the administration safely
through. While his duties are
neither complicated nor gravely i'm
portant, the vice-presidency is, of
course, very honorable and import
ant office; and, as the. constitution
provides, the man to hold this posi-
tion must possess all the qualifica-
tons for the presidency.
The subject of residence for. the
president of the United States entirely
separate and apart from the place in
which he transacts his business has
often been agitated, and it is a matter
which should be taken in hand and
disposed of very promptly after the
fifty-first congress meets. Since the
election of Gen. Harrison as the chief
executive, the inadequate and incon-
venient accommodations of the white
house as family residence have been
more manifest than ever.
Mrs. Harrison is quoted as having
said that she could not see what par
ticular advantage it was for q woman
to give up a house with nine bed
rooms in it in indianapolis for one
with only five in Washington. This
rather epigrammatic remark tells the
whole story. There are dozens and
perhaps scores of houses in this city
that have ampler accommodations
and more modern conveniences than
the residence in which the chief ex-
ecutive and his family live. When
the president has several children
they must be disgracefully crowded.
In the present instance President
and Mrs Harrison would doubtless
like more room, and what is perhaps
of even more Importance. greater pr-
vacy. This they cannot obtain so long
as they live in an office, for that is all
the white house really is. Every time
Mrs. Harrison or her daughter goes
out she must necessarily pass through
crowd of Otfice-seekers and polti-
clans, and such a thing is not pleas
ant. 1t would cOnduce to the health
and comfort of the president to have
separate residence, for then when he
left his office he would be free from all
official care and his seclusiOn could
not be disturbed.
Two southern gentleman were
standing in the house corridor recent
ly in conversation with a member of
congress, when one of them placed
the sole of his shoe against the wall.
A member of the capitol police force,
VINO feels it his duty to regulate every
thing within the scope of his observa-
ton, rushed at him to stop this awful
Dissertation, and in tone of thunder
told him to put his foot down. The
gentleman looked at the spot where
his foot had been. and discovered that
the wall was stained knee high with
tobacco juice for about ten feet in each
direction, thanked the officer for the
hint.
"It was awful kind of that fellow to
keep me from soiling my shoes, WASH t
it?n he remarked to his amused friend,
who fully understood that the police
man had intended to administer a
whitening rebuke:
Good judges estimate that it has
taken somewhere in the neighborhood
of five tons of plug tobacco and four
tons of fine cut to fresco this portion
4 4. H. r. r.,l