The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-10-18
The Government Penniless for That
Length Of Time, Thanks
to Reed.
Your Uncle Jerry Rusk's Vanity
Exhibited in the Matter
of Portraits.
New Features In the Next Congressional
Washington Girls Riding
- :. Man Fashion.

WASh1N0TONs OCC. 1.-lSp0ClHl.J-1H6 II H6
last week of congress was an exciting
one in the treasury department. There
we're three days in that exciting time when
Uncle. Sam was almost penniless. Had
there been less excitement at the other end
of the avenue the desperate councils of the
secretary of the treasury, the treasurer OF
the United States and the director of the
mint would have furnished quito az inter-
esting news as any event from the capital.
The failure of congress to provide appro-
priations for the mints had stopped coin
age. The question was whether silver GER
tificates could be voluntarily issued by the
government for bullion. The director OF
the mint thought it could be done. Treas
finally sided with him. For three days the
treasury shipped no money out Of Washing
ton.
II am not the only cabinet candidate fol
the presidency. said Secretary Window
the other morning az he walked down Fif-
teenth street. Look, at thatr' Just
then handsomely painted delivery
wagon passed bearing on it's side a huge,
we'll executed portrait Of our Uncle Jerry
Rusk. There are sco.e of Wholesale por-
trait painters in Washington who do q
thriving business painting congressman for
themselves and their constituents. ThiG
wagon belonged to one of the most success
full of these picture manufacturers. who has
devised machinery by which he
turns out life-size crayons in an
incredibly short space of time. - don't
understand why Uncle Jerry should hire
that man to carry his picture around on his
wagon here in the District of Columbia
where there are no votes,'' said Mr.. Win
dom. Even Uncle John Sherman, who
did good deal in the way of pictures,
never did such a thing as that
The next congressional directory will be q
striking and unique document. It is TO
have maps Of al the states showing in clear
lines the boundaries of the congressional
distlicts, and by graphic statistics give the
population, total vote, and the republican
and democratic vc.es and maioritiss OF
each district. This makes this nom -politi-
cal non partisan little book something OF
an argument. The size of the volume will
be increased by nearly fifty pa0es, but it
will be much more interesting than ever
before. As the next edition will appear be-
fore the matter of tie new apportionment
it will cut figure in that question.
Washington society girls are going to
make the divided skirt fashionable fad.
Already it is to be seen any day in the rid
ing schools, where the girls ride astraddle
unblushinRly. But on the streets it has
not yet appeared, except with an occasion
al lady bicyclist. The girls, however. prac-
tice early in the morning out on the coun-
try roads, whore they can bestride their
bob-tailed nags fearlessly and with all the
comfort man has on horseback. When
the society season opens and one or two
leaders in society set the example there will
be enough to follow. s
Senator Spooner. of Wisconsin, before
going home, commissioned Joe Blackburn
to buy him another riding horse. The lit
tie Wisconsin senator is noted for his love
of good horsedesh and his unsparing use Of
it. He keeps twelve horses and it doesn't
take him long to use up q team. He is a
good rider and has just irretrievably lamed
fine Kentucky horse that Senator
Blackburn bought for him two years ago.
Spooner has been arrested three times this
summer for fast driving. Gen. Grant was
arrested also for fast driving, it will be re-
membered, but Grant drove for the love of
speed. Spooner pushes his horses to con-
quer time and space. He is the most active
man in public life, by all odds. It is a
wonder how he keeps still long enough to
sleep.
Two hundred desks were put in the big
pension building Tuesday and 100 more
Wednesday to provide working places for
the new clerks added to the bureau by the
last executive bill. It is quite a sight to
zee this procession Of new desks come into
the big court Of the building and ono after
another are taken up along the balconies to
the fourth floor of this most curious and
unique of all American buildings.