The Dickinson press., 1890-03-29
THE BOYS OF CONGRESS.
THE PAGES At THE lcAPlToL AND
WHAT THEY HAVE TO 90.

The pages of the senate and house are
a sort of understudy to the statesmen.
Each has some senator or member whom
he admires and initiates, and it is not be-
yond the range of 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 have risen from a seat on
the steps by the vice presidents desk to
a chair in the legislative body. All the
pages are statesmen in their way, and
are up in politics. Their fate is depend
emit upon the welfare of their members,
and they rise and fall with their party.
In a Republican senate the boys are all
Republicans, and in the house they come
and go as the majorities shift.
The senate pages have a more secure
tenure and hold themselves to be of a
little more importance than the boys
who wait on the representatives. But
the latter profess contempt for a class of
young individuals who don't take the
chances of politics at every election, and
pride themselves upon their own close
alliance to their party's vicissitudes.
They look upon the knee breeched at
taches of the senate as old fogies without
knowledge of wire pulling. They are
themselves au fat on all matters politi-
cal.
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 we'll up
in book learning, but are well up on
affairs of state. They enter public life
at the mature age of 10 or II years, upon
q salary of $3.50 a day and such per-
quisites as fall into their hands, and, if
their political fortunes are good, remain
in service until they are nc longer boys.
Then they go out into the world to be-
come politicians, drummers, railroad
presidents or congressman, or else take
downward turn. They usually enter the
field of politics, as they are familiar with
all its branches. They are fully equipped
for the position of senator or representa-
tive, but deficient in almost all other USE
full knowledge.
The average page of IA or is years old
counts in his wardrobe a beaver hat, a
pair of knee breeches, a cigar case, a
Lord Chumley overcoat and a horn
handled cane. Many of these have a
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
~o-oo Efkoo~ ,,l,,> CIT n, tho ,.sr1,f 1F f1o
speaker to wait on the Democrats and
fifteen on the other side to respond to the
call of the Republicans. They are under
the command of two chief pages, who
have been promoted from the ranks, and
a one armed captain, who is chief in
command.
The chief page of the senate side is
almost as old as the senate itself and is
custodian of the snuff box and all the
antiquities and "reminiscences of that
body; while the pages who are under
command of Capt. Bassett are usually
very small boys.
When q senator claps his hands half a
dozen small boys rush out from different
directions, coming to collision in the
center aisle, and the one who sustains
the shock and picks himself up quickest
holds the secret conference with the SEN
ator and then with a pompous air starts
off on a private mission-to the document
room for a bill or to the library for a
book.
1t takes almost as much political In
1uence to be a senate page in congress
as to get a foreign mission. The usual
age is from TO- is, and very few remain
after they are lS. .
Some of them, after o%utgrowing their
positions, have done well in the world,
but many have acquired dissipated hab.
its which have ended their career disas.
trously at an early age. Familiar con.
spicuous examples of success are those
of Senator German, ex-Representative
Scott, of Erie, and the late Representa-
tive Townshend, of Illinois, who became
eminent in public life. Others have beer
quite as successful in business or profes
sional life. though not as we'll known.
Pages usually make considerable none.
and make it easily, and they spend
with freedom. Besides their salarie
they turn a good many honest dollars
They complain in these days that the.
have not the opportunities they used t.
have for making extra money. Ricl
and liberal members often pay then
large sums for small services. In til
house each page has to file the record
for ten members.
This is part of the duty for which the
are paid by the government, but eac
member, at the end of the session, usua
ly gives the page who tends to his fl
from SIS to $40. If a member sends
page off to buy a theatre ticket or mab
some small purchase he often gives hi
a S. or $40 bill and lets him keep tt
change of the transaction. Some of I'll
rich representatives and senators are
the habit of making presents of none
to the pages at Christmas time and
the end of the session.
THE AUTOGRAPH BUSINESS.
The autograph business used to be vel
4 profitable. Every morning the pag
would go around from member to mel
Der as they reached the hall and sole
their signatures in big autograph book
A book containing all the names W
worth from S. to $40 to the page WI
a II. Iney 1Ouno q ready sale I
these books as fast as they could
them, and it did not take long to get
the signatures. One of the regular duti
Of a member was to sign his name abe
thirty times each morning. An au
graph book is seldom seen in either t
house or senate now. The fact is tt
there are not now as many chances
the pages to make money as there us
to be. The new member is the gar
hunted by the page.
On his first appearance in congress t
member is liberal, if he ever intends
be so at all. The young men rush to w
on him then, and if he does not respo
quickly they know that he is not goi
to be a paying investment for them, a
they are less assiduous in their attenti
oftoruord As n n,emhar oroue oIdo,