Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-10-21
FROM CAPITOL HILL.
Today's News and Gossip From Busy
Washington.
Nest Perfect Postal Establishment In the
World n Wsrids Fair.

Postmaster General Bissell has been out to
see the Worlds fair. While there he be-
came much interested in n guessing contest
which WAS going on in one of the Chicago
papers, n prize having been offered to the
nearest guess 90 the total attendance on
Chicago day. Mr.. Bissell is good deal Of
a mathematician himself and likes nothing
better than 10 indulge in calculations lead
ing toward something numerical and fu-
ture. He was too late TO get guess on
Chicago day. but contented himself with
sitting down and figuring out to his own
satisfaction just how great the total attend
ence at the fair would be to the close Of the
last day. Oct. 81. The postmaster general
had a process OF his own for arriving at his
result. What that process was your cor
respondent is unable TO say, but Mr., Bissell
gives his estimate of the total attendance
at y, ,sso,ooo. In a week or ten days we shall
be able 10 ascertain how good a guesser our
good natured postmaster general is.
a Perfect rostoaicc.
The postmaster general was very much
pleased with the postof,ice which the de
partment maintains in the Government
building at the Worlds fair He made a
careful inquiry concerning the operation Of
that office and discovered that it Is per
haps the most perfect postal establishment
in the world. Picked experts were sent To
the office not only from the Chicago post
Office, but from other Offices rs this was in
tended TO represent the perfection OF Amer
lean postal operations. That it has sue
ceeded In this effort there can he no Qucs-
tion. for many foreign commissioners and
exhibitors have voluntarily given testi-
mony to the efficiency Of the service, They
unite in declaring that IL Is the best thing
In that line that they have ever seen, and
many of them are surprised to discover that
such perfection of postal service is possible,
They have had six deliveries and collections
each day that the fair has been open. ex-
cepting Sunday, and the promptness with
which mail has been delivered, as well rs
the intelligence shown by the carriers and
assorters in putting on the straight and
narrow path OF destination thousands OF
misdirected letters, has reused the enthu-
siasm Of our foreign visitors.
Mr.. Wolcott's Sarcasm.
Senator Wolcott has n very happy way
of giving little side raps at the leaders on
the other side Of the senate. One day last
week orders came from the White House to
Sen itor Voorhees, that the senate should be
held in session until II O'Clock that night
for the purpose Of helping to tire out the
silver obstructionists. And here we have
the most magnificent example of senatorial
independence of the executive that ! ever
saw" 4aid Senator Wolcott, in speaking of
the incident President Cleveland sends
down word that the senate must sit until
il O'Clock tonight and Senator Voorhees,
rig In oil nnfn ,.f
the United States and as an ambassador
from the sovereign state of Indiana, as Mr..
Morgan would put it, and on his own re
sponsibility, without consultation with Mr.
Cleveland or his secretary of the treasury
and as it were bidding defiance to them
and to their authority, changes the order
from II o'clock until 10 Was there ever a
finer instance Of senatorial dignity and in
dependencer And with this sally MIR
Wolcott strobe away 10 the cloakroom to
tell western story to some of his sena
torial friends.
senator Lindsay on Long Speeches.
Senator Lindsay Of Kentucky is one Of
those statesmen who will never make h
long speech. He despises long speeches foi
their own sake and on account of his repu-
tation. He says he would never wish to
become known rs n long winded orator.
Since coming to the senate he has heard
men boast Of their ability to talk for one
day, or two days, or any number of days.
and these boasts have filled him with nm
unutterab able disgust. 81 would rather have
a reputation Of being able to eat 30 qnails
in 30 days" said Mr.. Lindsay to your cor
respondent, "than TO be known to the coun-
try MS a man who was able to speak for -
or IL or 20 hours on the floor Of the senate,
would rather he known as n man who
could walk thousand half miles in "A thou
sand half hours or as n man who could eat
40 pies in 40 minutes, or suck four dozen
eggs before breakfast. or anything of that
sort. Almost any of these feats would be
more in my line than to bore the senate
with speech 10 or II hours longer than
there was any reason for its being"
a Senator Under Surveillance.
During the recent silver fight in the senate
the discovery was accidentally made that a
certain conspicuous senator was under the
surveillance Of the scrgeant-nt-arms, The
senator in question has in times past been
more or less addicted to the excessive use
Of intoxicating liquors. His friends were
determined that TN the occasion of these de
moralizing night sessions he should be pre-
vented from falling by the wayside. Sothcy
turned his case over to Sergeant.at- arms
Bright, who is one Of the best tacticians
and managers in the world. II any man
could induce another to take a drink when
he did not wish to, or to leave drink alone
when he wanted it very badly, Sergeant-at-
arms Bright Is the man. He staid with
this senator from first to last. His eye was
never off him. When the senator went to
lunch Mr., Bright lunched with him. When
he went for drive, Mr. Bright or one Of
his trusted lieutenants was by his side. Tho
result wns triumph for the management
,f the sergeant-nt arms. Not drop Of In
,oxicaiing drink passed the lips Of the sem
Nor thronghnut the whole exciting siege.