The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-03-14

ofense, as Mr.. Carlisle often does.
Carlisle loves the abstruse problems
Of finance. Even now, tired as he is
when night comes, he gets his dinner
and then sits down at big round table
in the top story of his residence, locks
the door and studies reports, documents
and great columns of figures till or 2
o'clock in the morning.
Hoke Smith is success. This man,
whose peculiar name has so quickly be-
come a household word throughout the
country, has been in Washington long
enough to show us that he is made of
sterling stuff. 1t is a delight to see how
he goes at his work. He is one of those
big. masterful fellows to whom all things,
even the great, numerous and perplexing
things pertaining to the Office of secre-
tary Of the interior, come easily. Here
ceives his numerous callers with that ma
tive grace and pleasing manner which
are the heritage Of every true southerner.
There seem to be two departments to his
brain-one to think about the business
Of which his caller is talking and the
other to use in consideration simultane-
ously of the more important matters Of
the day. And he does it all without ap-
parent effort.
One thing like about this new man
in the national arena is that the many
columns of jokes and doggersl that have
been printed about his name have found
no more sppreciative listener than him
self. He laughed with me today about
one of the latest of these jokes and re-
marked that the Choke" business had
probably added 10 years to his Life by in
ducing him to laugh and grow fat. He
has been smart enough at the same time
to perceive that wholesale system Of
advertising like that which has sent his
name laundering down the ages is not
bad thing to have in the house, particu-
larry when it doesn't cost cent.
Here in Washington the newspaper
men are already speaking Of Secretary
Lamont as ssthe daisy" This is not
very dignified manner of designating
member Of the cabinet, but it is quite
expressive. IL You want to realize the
force of the term as applied TO Mr.. La
mont-to old Washingtonians he will
never be anything but ssDan" even If he
reaches the presidency itself-you should
pay the new secretary Of war a call in
his beautiful Office.
Stephen B. Elkinsis known as "sleek"
man in the transaction of business and
in the disposition of miscellaneous lot
of callers, but Lamont can give him cards
and spades and then beat him out. The
callers come by the hundreds, but Dan
gets through with them sans friction,
sans ruffling of his own or any one else's
temper, and with apparent satisfaction
to all concerned. IF he shows himself
able to manage the war department. with
out having the usual outbreak Of hostil-
tiles between the staff and line officers,
he will do we'll indeed.
It is one Of the traditions of this de-
partment that new secretary must be
taken in hand at once by the barnac1es
who have been hanging on for the Lord
only knows how many years, and that
his chief duty is to sign the letters which
are placed upon his desk. IF he wants
to be real good and comfortable secre-
tary Of war, he will not even bother him
self to read the letters. A man stands
over him and says, 'sSign there" indi-
eating with his finger, and the complai-
SAINT secretary signs. But Dan Lamont is
not that kind of a secretary Of war. He
has his own ideas of how the business of
his Office should be managed, and am
thinking that for month or two there
will be more war in the department. than
out of it.
The new secretary of the navy has set
tied more easily and gracefully into his
work than any of his colleagues. Secre-
tary Herbert has the immense advantage
of knowing every detail of the depart
ment, knowledge that was acquired
during his long service on the naval af-
fairs committee Of the house. He knows
the chief bureau officers, too, and they
all like and admire him. Therefore Mr..
Herbert is getting along very nicely. He
used four years, and when talked with
him today he said very graceful thing
about his predecessor. eff shall be able
to do as well in the navy department. as
General Tracy has DONE" he said, 81
shall be well satisfied" General Tracy
ard General Herbert are warm friends.
Postmaster General Bissell is perhaps
the hardest working man in the admin
istration just now. 1t is for the post
Office department that great numbers
and an immense variety Of persons make
the moment they arrive in the town.
Thousands of them came here for the
inauguration and started out bright and
early Monday morning to see Bissell
about that little postofice matter. Full
iy two thirds of the Democratic men,
bsrs of congress are still in town, and
they have certain rights, or think they
have, when it comes to the distribution
Of postofice plums, and they are not at
all backward about making their wishes
known.
They haunt the Office of fat, big, good
natured and easy going Mr. Bissell from
morning till night. He seems to get
Il 1, k.T- IL. -