Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-01-18
BOYS WHO SERVE CONGRESS.
The Pages ut the Capitol and What
They Have to Do.


They Have to Do.
PRECIOUS YouTBs WHO KNOW MICH ARoUr
roLITIcs-rHEIR PAY AND rHrIR PERoUrsIrEs-
GETTING AUTOGRAPHS AND SUBSCRIPTIONS FOR
sPEEcKEs-PAoEs wHo HAVE RrsKS.
The pages Of the Senate and House are Q
sort OF understudy to the statesmen. Each has
some Senator or member whom he admires
and initiates. and II is not beyond the range of
his ambition that he may some day occupy q
seat In Congress himself. They have sort of
fellow feeling for Senator German and other
statesmen who have risen from seat on the
steps by the Vice Presidents desk to = chair in
the Legislative body. All the pages are states
men in their way and are up in politics Their
fate Is dependent upon the welfare OF their
members and they rise and fall with their
party. Ina republican Senate the boys are all
repu bllcans, and In the House they come and
go as the majorities shift. The Senate pages
have more secure tenure and hold themselves
TO be OF a little more Importance than the bows
who wait on the Representatives. But the lat
ter profess contempt for n class OF young indi-
viduals who don't take the chances of politics
at every election, and pride themselves upon
their own close alliance to their party's viciss-
tudes. They look upon the knee-breeched at
taches of the Senate as old fogies without
a
themselves au fait on all matters political.
They are the LEGS" of the Congressman, but
they have heads Of their own that are crowded
with schemes to their full capacity. They are
not usually well up in book learning, but are
well up on affairs of state. They enter public
life at the mature age of ten or eleven years
upon a salary of 81 so day and such per-
quisites fall into their hands. and, IL their
political fortunes are good. remain in the
service until they are no longer bows. Then
world n hpC0ma
clans, drummers, railroad presidents, or Con-
gressmen, or else take a do snward turn. They
usually enter the field of politics. they are
familiar with all its branches. They are fully
equipped for the position of Senator or Repre-
sentative, but deficient in almost all other USE
full knowledge.
PRECIOUS.
The average page of fourteen or fifteen years
old counts in his wardrobe beaver hat. pair
of knee breeches, a cigar case, Lord Chumley
overcoat and rn-handled cane. Many of
these have brilliant career during their
tender years and have gone through all excuses
of mature manhood before they are old enough
to vote at any well-regulated election.
On the House side there are thirty pages,
fifteen who sit on the right of the Speaker TO
wait on the democrats and fifteen on the other
| side to respond 10 the call of the republicans.
They are under command Of two chief pages,
who have been promoted from the ranks and
one-armed captain. who is chief in command.
The chief page on the Senate side is almost
| as old as the Senate itself and is custodian OF
| the snuff box and all the antiquities and remi-
| nlscences of that body; while the pages who
are under command of Captain Bassett are
usually very small boys.
When a Senator Chaps his hands half a dozen
| small boys rush out from different directions,
coming to collision in the center isle, and the
| one VINO sustains the shock and picks himself
up quickest holds the secret conference with
az nd fhap with air orfc
off on a private mission-to the document room
for bill or to the library for a book.
1t takes almost as much political influence to
be Senate page in Congress as to get for
eign mission. The usual age is from ten to
Fl teen. and very few remain after they are
eighteen.
IN AFTER LIFE.
Some of them after outgrowing their posi-
tons have done very well in the world. but
many have acquired dissipated habits which
ma We ended their career disastrousiy at an
early age. Familiar conspicuous examples of
success are those of Senator German. ex-Repre-
sentative Scott of Erie and the late Representa-
tive Iowsend of Illinois. who became eminent
| in public life. Others have been quite as sue
! cesSful in business or professional life, though
not as well known.
Pages usually make considerable money and
make 1t easily. and they spend it with freedom.
Besides their salaries they turn a good
many honest dollars. They complain in these
| days that they have not the opportunities thew
used to have for making extra money. Rich
| and liberal members often pay them large
| sums for small services In the House each
| page has to file the records for ten members
| This Is part of the duty for which they are
| paid by the government, but each member at
the end of the session usually gives the page who
| tends to his file from IS to so. If member
sends page off to buy theater ticket or make
some small purchase be often gives him IS
or $40 bill and lets him keep the change OF the
| transaction. Some of the rich Representatives
and Senators are in the habit of making pres
ents of money TO the pages at Christmas time
and at the end of the session.
THE AUTOGRAPH BUSINESS
used to be very profitable. Every morning the
pages would go around from member to mem
Der they reached the hail and -olicit their
| signatures in big autograph books. A book
containing all the names was worth from s. 10
$40 to the pages who had II. They found
ready sale for these books as fast as tney could
fill them and it did not take long to get all the
signatures. One of the regular duties OF
member was to sign his name about thirty
times each morning Whether it is thai the
members are shy about giving IA, II signatures
since their experience with SilcOtt or whether
| there is a falling off in the market for auto
graphs. for some reason there has been but
little OF that business done this session. An
autograph book is seldom seen in either the
House or Senate now. The fact Is that there
are not now as many chances for the pages TO
make money as there used 10 be. fhe new
member is the game hunted by the page. On
his first appearance in Congress the member
Is liberal If he ever intends TO be
so at all. The Young men rush to wait on
him them and If he does no: respond quickly
they know that he is not going to be a paying
Investment for them. and they are less as
slduous in their attentions afterward. As a
member grows older III service he discovers SO
many ways OF increasing his expenses above
the limit of his salary without giving away
money just to impress these little men that he
gradually gets out OF the habit of tipping"
The pages, too, have suffered through the
grace!ess conduct of Slcott. The men,
bers at the opening Of this session
did not feel that they could afford
10 be quite liberal as usual
When Mr.. Flower was in Congress before he
got quite a reputation among the pages for his
prodigal generosity, and on his return this
time there hot rivalry among the pages
over who sh Juld file his record. The boy to
whose lot this duty fell was an object of uni
versal envy. He is now the sui feet OF deep
disappointment, for while Alr. Flower is stil
liberal he does not at all come up to the exag-
gerated expectations of the young man. Mr.
Flower Is now content to be only as liberal as
are other members of means, whatever cloud
it may cast on his past record.
GETTING SUBSCRIPTIONS FOR SPEECHES.
The most fruitful source OF income the pages
now have is through the canvassing for the sale
of members speeches. When popular orator