The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-10-01
JERSEY and CONGRESS-.
What the State is Likely
to Get in the Way
of Patronage.
SOME DEMOCRATICPLU
Offices Which Must Come This
Way-House CIerkships and
Other Matters-Interest-
ing "reminiscences.
specio, TO the JERSEY city NUS.

W AsHINGToN, Oct. /. 1891.-New Jersey
has not single appointment under the
Senate of the United States. Nor is this
strange, as both Senators are Democrats.
This refers, of course, to the regular
force. The last appointment credited to
the State was that of Mr.. Bowman II.
Shivers, who held the position of mes
senger at salary of 81 ,440 year, but he
was relieved from duty two years
ago, and since the beginning Of
the Fifty-first Congress he has
held an office under the House Of
Representatives. There is, however. one
Jerseyman who figures on the Senate
payrolls, but not connected with the reg
ular force. It is Mr.. e. r. Matthews. the
clerk of Senator McPherson's committee.
The pay is So day during the session.
This committee, of which our Senator
Is chairman. is called, to give its title In
full, ''to investigate the condition OF the
Potomac River front OF Wash
very very onerous. and for years,
as the Government long since be-
gan the work of reclaiming the fats in
front of the city it has existed in nothing
but the name. The clerkship is sine
cure, pure and simple, but the cost to the
treasury is nothing. for ii the New Jer-
sey Senator had not this appointment as
Chairman of the committee. he would he
entitled, under the law, to a private sec
retary to do his writing at the same sal
ary. This. though, is all by way of intro
duction, and has kind of run In without
any special purpose.
is M'ADoo IN IT?
While the big fellows are battling for
the highest officers the little fellows are
by no means idle. From present appear
ances it would seem that there will hap
pen an unusually lively scramble for the
minor offices. New Jersey has not, SO far
as known, any prominent candidate for
the elective offices under the next House
of Representatives, unless, it may be, Mr..
McAdoo intends to push his designs on
the clerkship. The office is worthy of his
ambition, too, as the pay is the same as
that of Congressman ($5O0O a year, ana
besides it has several "perquisites" TO
add to the figures named. The principal
officers under the House are appointed by
the Clerk. 1t might be said that New
Jersey usually turns up with candidate
for some one of the elective offices OF the
House. Last Congress Ben Worrell came
into the arena as a candidate for post
master. Ben lost q leg during
the war, which should have aided
him, but report got around that
the leg aforesaid was lost while trying to
run away from the, provost guard In
Alexandria, across the river from this
city. 1 cannot vouch for the story. but 1T
is q fact that IT, Pension Office at one
time held up his pension until it was as
certained whether or not the aforesaid
leg was or was not lost sin the line OF
duty" Anyhow, Worrell did not get to
be postma ster, but the New jersey dele
CATION had him appointed chief OF d.
vision in the Treasury Department, at
$4,000 year.
OLD TIMES.
Way back in the years "befo' the
wah" ''old man" Pennington, as he was
called, was elected Speaker. Penning-
ton, straightforward, honest old man,
had small conception of parliamentary
law or practice. and usually decided tech
nical points without any reference to
precedents. He had rad, rbaS go9d nrris parirai-
but when told of an erroneous
decision his usual reply was,
s'Let it go; it don't make any difference. !"
Pennington became Speaker because
John Sherman could not be, and he
secured his election through the vote OF
Henry Winter Davis, of Maryland, who
would not. then, vote for Sherman, as the
Ohio statesman had given an implied ap-
proval of Hinton Rowan Helpers cele-
brated book on the slavery evil.
Before Pennington became Speaker,
New Jersey had had the position of Door
Keeper OIL tne aouse, thc oAhoiaA "hvsS
title would signify that he attended
doors, but in reality the individual who
appoints most of the House officials.
This gentleman, Bright by name, proved
a tirst-class official, and by his strict
business methods got the Democratic
House ont of hole-for his politics were
of that stripe-the man he supplanted
having been removed tor irregular
practices"
But what will New Jersey get from the
next House? No much. if the past Is any
index of the future. Under the last
Democratic House, when the delegation
was stronger, probably. than at present:
only three s;siall places were the "spoils." "
Heading the list came the position OF
locksmith, then that of messenger, and
one OF her, on the soldiers rolls" fills
out the bill. New Jersey congressman
m ust brush up if they expect to figure in
the organization of the next House.