The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-12-15
state has contributed to history: Blaine,

state has cOntrlDuueu TO history: Blame,
Morrill,, Fessenden, Hamlin, Reed and
many more in the earlier days. The
One of Mr.. Blaine's favorite walks is
to the magnificent new house which his
friend, Senator Hale, has just occupied,
but few blocks from Mr.. Blaine's own
residence. Another walk which Mr..
Blaine often takes is to the house of
John r. Mclean, three squares from the
Red House, as the home of the secretary
of state is popularity called in Washing
ton. Now that Congressman Hit is
back in Washington. a third house has
been added to Mr.. Blaine's list, and as
often as not he takes in all three of them
in one stroll. So far as can ascertain,
these three are about the only families
in town with which he keeps up any con-
tinued and familiar intercourse.
Senator Palmer, of Illinois, is one Of
the most interesting of all the new men
in congress. He has already become a
prime favorite with everybody about the
Capitol. He is good deal such man
as Mr.. Thurman was-plain, kindly, ap-
proachable and as full of good humor as
his old skin can stick. He has one re-
markable characteristic, and that is a
love for locality. Having become at
tached to one particular seat in the SEN
ate chamber, suppose if General Palmer
were to live fifty years, and remain in
the senate all that time, nothing could
induce him to give up this seat. When
ha cyofc ~, fbo hit Of h;e o1o+
on particular peg that peg takes such
hold of him that if the peg were to be
removed he would think bright page
had been torn out of his life's history.
He likes the old things, the things which
he knows. He always eats at the same
table in the senate restaurant, and al
ways the same thing. When he goes out
for little bitters to ward off the ma
laria of this Washington climate, as
most of the senators do, he always stands
in one particular place and adheres
strictly to one brand of medicine. At
home he has one chair dedicated to his
own use, and when it is occupied by
some one he stands.
Here is old Senator Morrill, with us
again. The senate chamber would not
look natural without this fine old head
and those studiously bent shoulders.
Mr.. Morrill, is now the Oldest man in
congress, being nearly eighty-two. An
interesting meeting took place in the
senate chamber yesterday. Senator
Coke took over to the aristocratic end of
the Capitol tall, lusty, western looking
Mr.. Bailey, new member from the
Lone Star State and introduced him to
Senator Morrill,. Extremes met in this
instance, for Morrill, is the Oldest and
Bailey the youngest man in congress.
The difference between their ages is
more than half century, or fifty-three
years.
The question much mooted in Wash
ington, Can congressman ride a bicycle
and preserve his dignity? has been set
tied in the affirmative. Two of the
brightest and most promising of the new
members of the house-Johnson of
Cleveland, and Owen Scott of Bloom
ington, nls.-brought their wheels with
them when they came to Washington,
and may be seen any fine day rolling up
and down the avenue on their way to
and from the Capitol. Other congress
men are talking of indulging in the same
luxury, and the day may come when, if
we speak of the wheels of legislation, it
will be necessary to pause and explain
whether wheels within wheels or wheels
tandem and rubber tired are meant.
The Taylors we always have with us.
1t is becoming one of the standing jokes
at the national capital that house of
representatives without five or six Tay-
lors in it would be an Indication that the
universal cataclysm was approaching.
In the last congress there were four Tay-
lors-one from Tennessee, one from ILL
nois and two from Ohio. Now we have
five, all that were in the last house, with
one more from Ohio. An odd thing
about it is that the three Ohio Taylors-
Ezra B., John D. and Vincent A.-come
from adjoining districts, are all Repub-
icans, and no two of them are of the
same family. WALTER WELLMAN.