Arizona republican., 1893-01-20
CAPT. ISAAC BASSETT.
"Reminiscences of the Nestor of the
 United States Senate.
For over Sixty Years He Has Been n Trusted Employe of the Upper House His Appointment by Dam
 Webster,
[Specinl Washington Letter.l

From time to time, in letters concern ing the senate, the senators, the em- ployes and habitues of the capitol, men, ton has been made of Capt. Isaac Bassett, the Nestor of the senate; but he has never been formally introduced to my readers. No description of the sen ate would be complete without some reference to Capt. Bassett If you come to Washington when congress is in ses- sion, you will certainly visit the senate and be seated in the gallery. You will sec the vice president in his chair with the little ivory gavel in his hand; and at the same time, sitting below and about six feet to the left of the presid- ing officer you will sec handsome old gentleman with snow-white, luEuriant beard, and a very thin crown of sitllen, silver hair. He is always in his seat, save when a message is received from the president or from the house. Upon such occasions the venerable chief page stands in the center aisle and an nounces to the vice president and the senate that message has been deliv- cred to him.
 No man in all the United States has a more valuable aggregation of sena- torial incidents and legislative anecdotes than Capt Isaac Bassctt, the venerablca attache Citho senate Inc one man in the employ of that body who can hold his place in spite of changing majorities and chamelcon-like adminis- trations. As a reservoir of interesting information Capt. Bassett is unique He is also nearly unique in another sense-he is the only man in several million who politely refuses to talk about himself. For this there are at least three reasons: he is extremely modest; he doesn't think it good policy, to talk about senators, and he hopes to publish his great collection of CNpCri- ences and impressions in book form. The latter reason by itself would be sufficient to keep the mouths of most men closed. But there are times when the amiable old gentleman chats affably ''of the days of auld lang syne" and smiles when the scenes of more than half century glide panoramicaily before his mental vision. You may well imagine what a treat it is to sit quietly beside the porsonilied past, and listen to the recital of the scenes of long ago.
 "I can sometimes scarcely realize ' said Capt Bassett, that I have spent sixty-one years of my life in the United States senate. Although am painfully conscious of the fact that am grow ing old l sometimes feel as though it l,,f , i1 giy, | prr- ster of twelve ycars-frst entered the senate Do you know l was the second page the senate ever employed? The first one was Grafton Hanson who left the senate soon after l arrived. He was too big for the place, and a page is not acceptable when he commences to grow into manhood. My appointment cane through Daniel Webster; it took a big man to secure such an appointment, for there were but two pages then. When entered upon my duties I found Han. son wearing a suit of blue cloth adorned with brass buttons. My new suit was precisely like it, and for time it looked as though blue and brass would always be necessary parts of pages uniform. The habit of wearing such clothes ceased. however. and since then the youngsters have worn almost any kind of garments they liked best. The pages of that time had more to do than their successors have now. We never had much idle time when the senate was in session. We two boys had to file all the bills, I doing one side while my companion did the other, That was good deal of a job, although the senate was much smaller then than it is now. A duty of considerable importance, with which the pages of to-day are not conversant,