Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1890-01-11
THE VICE PRESIDENCY.
Mr.. MORTON PROPOSES TO FILL
THE OFFICE AccePTABLY.

~ Il Not Important Politically. bat 10
May He Made Of Social Consequence,
Some Incldcnts at the New Years Re-
eeptions Recorded.
Especial Correspondence
WASHINGTON. Jan. 9.--Again the peo-
pie Of the capital city and of the country
have vice president. They wero re-
minded Of that on New Years day, when
for the first time in sixteen years the
wife of the vice president stood in the
line Of ladies at the presidents right
hand on the occasion Of the annual re-
ception at the White House, and for the
first time in many years the vice prcsi-
dent and his wife gave grand reception
at their own residence. The people arc
likely to be often reminded Of che exist
ence Of the vice president and his wife,
for one easily perceives determination,
very praiseworthy one, on the part Of
Mr.. and Mrs. Morton to mako all that
can be made of their Office and station.
A singular fatality has attended tho
Office of vice president for long time.
Mrs. Schuyler Colfax was tho last vice
presidents wife who was able to take
her proper place In the social world.
She was lady much admired here, and
from the day of her debut in Washing
ton society, New Years, 1869, till her
husbands retirement from Office, she
bore prominent part. The next three
vice presidents--Henry Wilson, William
A. Wheeler and Chester A. Arthur
were widowers. Vice President Hen
bricks did not live long enough to en-
able his family to contribute much to the
social activity of the capital. Mrs. Nor
ton comes, therefore, to fill an aching
void. She brings great wealth, abun-
dant culture, long experience and rare
tact to her task of taking the social lead.
ership of the new administration which
Secretary Whitney's wife bore in the last
one.
On going from the White House to the
Morton mansion on New Years day I
could not help contrasting the two build
ings, to the formers disadvantage. 1t is
fact that a private house in Washing
ton seems better adapted to social and
ceremonial events than the presidents
house, in which the whole public should
take SO much pride. There may be a
little more room in the White House
than in the Morton mansion, but the lat
ter excels in beauty and conveniences.
AT the White House an amusing incident
occurred just as the annual reception
was at its height. The diplomatic corps
was passing along in brilliant line of
gold, silver and gay colored trappings
and uniforms, greeting the president and
the ladies of his court, when some one
in the blue parlor, where were congre-
gated the members of the cabinet and the
beauty and fashion of the city, COM
planned of the temperature.
And what do you suppose then hap
pened? Postmaster General Wanamaker,
who is very jealous about proper ventila-
ton of rooms, called one of the servants
Of the house, the veteran Pendell, and
Pendell presently appeared bearing in
his hands a long pole with a hook on one
end-such pole as is used in some old
fashioned churches to pull the windows
down. That is what Pendell had it for,
but in order to get into the blue parlor
he was compelled to drag the long stick
through the line of diplomats and over
the heads of the ladies of the cabinet
and special guests in the rear of the
president and his assistants. Count Arco
Valley, the German minister, was pass.
ing just then, and he looked up at the
pole and at Pendell with his one eye
glass in half surprised manner which
was very suggestive. 1t was well he did
so, for at that moment Pendell turned
from the passageway to the blue room,
and the count came near having his sim
gle optic knocked from its roosting place
to the floor.
In the Morton house there were two
entrances, conveniently arranged as to
the drawing rooms and the cloak rooms.
People could come in by one door and
go out the other. But at the White
House the arrangements in this respect
were most miserable. Only one door
was open. Through this people were
arriving constantly, SO, Of course, it
could not be used as an exit. Shortly
after greeting the president, the mem.
bers Of the diplomatic corps had to take
their carriages and drive to the resi-
dence Of Secretary Blaine, where they
were to partake of the annual diplo-
matte breakfast. But in order to leave
the building they found it necessary to
go out through window and walk
across a temporary bridge. Here they
emerged right in the thick of a crowd of
grand army veterans who were coming
to pay their respects to the president.
The veterans had been standing for an
hnt i.,t he, in ~ En-
were soiled, and many pretty tempers
temporarily ruined by the enforced con-
The vice president has not as much
actual power as one of the senators over
whose deliberations he presides. He can
neither speak nor vote, but must sit all
the day long, merely echoing the re-
quests and formal references of business
offered by the men of real power in that
body, the senators themselves. Senator
Sherman presents resolution and asks
to have it referred to the committee on
foreign affairs, of which he is himself
chairman. The echo in the chair sings
out, "To the committee on foreign af-
fairs" Aside from simple duties like
these the vice president has to recognize
"the senator from Massachusetts," or
"the senator from Kansas" or whatever
the state may be, when senator claims
the floor, and devote the remainder Of
his time to an effort to keep awake. A
president pro tempore of the senate is a
veritable king in power compared to the
constitutional president. He can step
down from the chair and speak, he can
sit in the chair and vote, and as the rec
ognized leader of his party in the senate
he has tremendous influence upon legis-
lation.
1t is pretty certain that the trainers Of