The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-02-09
BOYS WHO SERVE CONGRESS.
The Pages at the Capitol and What
They Have to Do.
From the Washington Star.

he's some senator or member whom he ad-
,nires and initiates, and it is not beyond the
range If his ambition that he may some
day occupy a seat in congress himself.
They have a sort of fellow feeling for
senator German and other statesmen who
bsve risen from seat on the steps by the
the Vice Presidents desk to a air in the
leo .slative dy. Ali the pages are states
men in their way and are up in politics.
Their fate is dependent upon the welfare of
Tbeir members, and they rise and fall with
their party. In a republican Senate the
bovs are all republicans, and in the House
they C, me and go as the majorities shift
The Senate pages have more secure
tenure and hold themselves to be of little
more Importance than the boys who wait
on the representatives. But the latter pro-
fess contempt for a class of young indi-
viduas who don't take the chances of poll
tics at every election, and pride them
selves upon their own close alliance to
their party'5 viclssitudes. They look upon
the knee-breeched attaches of the Senate as
old fogies without knowledge of political
wire pulling. They are themselves au fait
on ali 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 learn
Jug, but are we'll up on affairs of state
They enter public life at the mature age of
10 or II years upon salary of So 20 a day
and such perquistes as fall into their hands,
and. if their political fortunes are good,
remain in the service until they are no
longer boys. Then they go out into the
world to become politicians, drummsrs,
railroad presidents, or congressme !, OF else
take downward turn. They usually enter
:, oil Of TNnii nc nc fhAxY Far 10,
with all its branches. They are fully
equipped for the position of Senator or
representative. but deficient in almost all
other useful knowledge.
PRECooIoUs.
The average page of IA or Is years old
counts in his wardrobe beaver hat, pair
Of knee breaches, a cigar case, a Lord
ChuDley overcoat and @ horn-handled cane.
Many of these have a brilliant career dur
ing their tender years and have gone
through all excuses of mature manhood
before they are old enough to vOJe at any
well-regulated election.
On the Honse side there are thirty pages,
fifteen who sit on the right of the spea zer
to wait on the democrats and fifteen on the
other side TO respond to the call of the re-
publicans. They are under command of
two chief pages, who have been promoted
from the ranks, and a one-armed captain,
who is chief in comma d.
The chief page. on the Senate side is al
most as old as the Senate itself and is custo-
dian Of the snuff box and all the anti
quities and "reminiscences of that body;
while the pages who are under command
of Capt. Bassett are usually very small
BOYS.
When Senator claps his hands half
dozen small boys rush out from different
directions, coming to collision in the center
aisle, and the enc who So tains the shock
and picks himself up quickest holds the Sc
cret conference with the senat r and then
with pompous air starts off on a private
mission-to the document room for bill or
to the library for book.
1t takes almost as much political influence
to be Senate page in congress as to get a
foreign mission. The usual age is from 10
to 10, and very few remain after they
are 49,
IN AFTER LIFE.
Some of them after outgrowing their
posi- ions have done very well in the world,
but many have acquired dissipated habits
which have ended their career disastrously
at an early age. Familiar conspicuous
examples of success are those of Senator
Corn an, ex-Representatlve Scott of Erie
and the late Representative Towssnd~.o of
Illinois, who became eminent in public life.
~ NueIS nave Deen QllU5 as SUCCESSFUL DUSl-
ness 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
good many honest dollars. They COM
plain in these days that they have not the
opportunities they used to have for making
extra money. Rich and liberal mem bers
often pay them large sums for small SER
N7tn In Ao aAh, hac 30
the records for ten members. This is a
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 lis file from S. to $40. If
member sends page off to buy theater
ticket or make me small purchase he
often gives him S. or $40 bill and lets him
keep the change of the transaction. Some
of the rich representatives and senator's are
in the habit Of making presents of money
to the pages at Christmas time and at the
end of the session.
THE AUTOGRAPH BUSINESS
used to be very profitable. Every morn
ing the pages would go around from mem
Der to member as they reached the hall and
solicit their signatures in big autograph
books. A book containing all the names
was worth from s. to $40 to the pages who
had it. They found ready sale r these
books as fast as they could fill them, and
1t did not take long to get all the sigma
lures. One of the regular duties of men,
Der was TO sign his name about thirty
times each morning. Whether it is that
the members are shy about giving their
signatures since their experience with Sill
colt or whether there is falling of in the
market for autographs, for some reason
there has been but little of that business
done this session. An autograph book is
seldom seen In either the HJuse or Senate
now. The fact is that there are not now as
many chances for the pages to make money
as there used to be- The new member is
the game hunted by the page. On his first
appearance in congress the member is lib
eral if he ever intends to be SO at all. The
young men rush to wait on him then, and
If he does not respond quickly they know
that he is not going to be paying invest
ment for them, and they are less assiduous
In their attentions afterwards. As member
grows older in service he discovers so many
ways of increasing his expenses above the
the limit of his salary without giving away
money Just to impress those little men that
he gradually gets out of the habit of ''tip-
ping. The pages, too, have suffered
through the graceless conduct of Sllcott.
The members at the opening of this session
did not feel that they could afford to be
cutie as liberal as usu /. When Mr..
Flower was ia congress before he got quite
arePutation among the pages Tor his prodi-
gal generosity, and on his return this time
there was hot rivalry among the pages
over who should file his record. The boy