The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1894-12-28
\ GOVERNMENT CAB.
u.,n1A,NeD IN NEW YORK FOR cAe''
NET MEMBERS.

This great big glorious coun'fy o"ns
. second class carriage, which is fire.
onently in evidence about the Victoria
hotel New York city. The employees
of the hotel say when they see 1t:
"Mr. Lamont's here.
Meaning the secretary OF war.
The bearing Of tho driver of this not.
able vehicle proclaims as unmistaka'
bly, as il he wore a placard:
This brougham is official. :"
Which it is. being an item Of the as
sets Of tho war department.. Into this
official envelope. SO to speak. the secre-
tary puts himself, with directions to the
military coachman.
Certainly" says Lieutenant Colonel
James NJ. Moore, the depot quartermas-
ter. HE has right to use that car.
rage on official business
Unquestionably.
"Go to the polling place on Sixth
avenue" ordered the secretary when he
last used the carriage.
The driver snapped up and snapped
down his right hand in good military
forlu by way Of signifying that be un-
derstood Here is one account published
next day Of the casting OF the vote:
Secretary Of War Daniel S. Lamont
voted at the barber shop at 426 Sixth
avenue, When the secretary, accompa-
MED by his secretary, Mr.. Seager, drove
up to the polling place in coupe dur
ing the morning, he found q line OF men
extending to the block beyond. He con
cludei to attend to some private busl
ness and return later. Toward noon
the secretary came back. Again he gaz
ed upon long line of voters One Of
them recognized him and offered him
his place in the procession. The secre-
tary thanked him, but declined and
took his station at the tail end OF the
line Others soon found out who the
distinguished little man was and shook
him warmly by the hand After wait
ing all hour and being tossed about like
football Secretary Lamont discovered
he had other business and again drove
away While absent he got some lunch.
He came back about o'clock and got
chance to vote"
No mention of the fact that all his
gadding about was in government
vehicle, driven by y government paid
driver! No intimation that this priv
ilege Of the private citizen was charged
to the stable account of the war depart
ment!
Mr. Lamont put his vote into this
official envelope, and it reached its des.
tination and was duly counted. gov
ernment brougham is not All official en-
velope in the ordinary sense of the t',.n,
and to that extent the statement about
this particular incident Of Mr.. La
mont's personal business in New iork
on Nov. 8 is figuratiye.
Mr.. Lamont would doubtless scorn to
actually and literally use department.
envelope for his private business. DO
ing this literally. as everybody knows,
involves penalty. Mr.. Lamont knows
that law He takes care, moreover. that
all his subordinates shall be familiar
with it. Orders and notices about IT
signed by the secretary are plastered all
over the war department..
But there is distinction, II not
difference, between doing a thing lit
orally aud doing it in substance, or III
effect, or any way but literally.
There is such thing as legal SIX,
and there is such thing AS an illegal
half dozen. The law is literal, very.
The brougham in which Mr.. Lamont
was driven to the polling place is kept
,.vbf Ctrp
BILE being plain two story brick strnc
ture, one of large row OF such build
ings, all used as stables. The United
States pays the rent of l22 through tho
auartermaster's department OF the
army.
The secretary's economy in the mat
ter Of hack fare-he goes to Coney Is
land, presumably on official business,
and where else he wishes to go In the
same brougham-may be regarded as
of distinctly objectionable, not to say
pernicious, sort by contingent OF tax
payers with antiquated notions OF pro-
priety.
The practice is condemned. to be
1:ure by President Clevelands often
oted definition of public office.
ut u definition-well is only q def
It doesn t threaten with penal
4 il there were a penalty, mind
Nitions are made exclusively
penalty would apply exclu-
people.
ok hunting in the light
ct?
definition.
government vessel,
eor his personal
from Jersey
Do-o