Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-04-01
Wchstcr rnnL him nn mi. kncc.
Especial Corr, sponJcncc.l

coal aro not concerned.
 Webster Took Him on His Knee.
 Captain BaSSctt. aS I said. was the son of n man who kept the old senate chamber (now tho supreme court rUOm) in order, or, as BassCtt himself now explains il, II had charge of tho senate chamber" Tho young BaSSCtt used tu play about tho senate chamber when he was To years old, and several of the senators took kindly interest in him. Ono of thCsc was Daniel Webster, and Captain BaSsrtt claims that he can still rcmCmhcr tho morning of the great speech of Webster in reply to Hayno because Senator Webster on that morning took the littlo BasSctt on his kneo and spoke kindly to him. Probably at this time tho elder Bas>rtt, as is tho habit of fathers in tho government service, was soheming to get his son on tho salary roll. At any rate in the next year Mir. Webster asked the boy if he wanted to bn page and persuaded the senate to mako tho necessary appropriation for his employ mCnt Naturally Captain BasSCtt rVverCs the memory of his carly patron, and ho does not hesitate when he expresses any opinion At Rll to say that thCro arc no orators today like those of half n century ago Captain BasSett, however, is not much given 10 cxprcsSing opinions Hc is
 
 very wide. But, like the owl. he looks exceedingly wise on nll occasions.
 Of course long and faithful service brought promotion. No ono probably ever thought of removing Bassctt. Therc may have been the same fierce desire for offices under the senate 30 years ago that thero is today, but thCrC was not the samo dis position to turn out partisnns or nOnpar- tisans to mako room for political workers. IconoclaStS like WOlCott and Dubois are peculiar to this day and generation in the senate So BasSett continued to fulfill the duties of O page long after ho had passed the ago limit until ho became as much part of the senate chambers fur niture as tho desks. or tho chairs, or tho old ivory gavcL Then as n mark of special honor. in recognition of his faithfulnCss, his namo was inserted in tho apprupria ton bill, and thrrc it remains today. And so long as the salary of his place is appro- priatcd for Isaac Bassctt no vandal sccrc- | tary of the senate can disturb tho old man | In his place. and no sCrgCant-at arms chn touch him. ISaac Bassrtt is ono of tho few employees of tho government who Is | independent of his superior officers
 His "Reminiscences.
 In his long experience in tho senate Captain BaSsrtt has witnessed some of the most celebrated debates and some of the most memorable scenes in the history of | the American congress. If ho had the power of description, he could unfold a story of amazing interest. But then if he had that descriptive power he would no: | have been cuntcntCd to remain q senate page for moro than half n century. So many people. however. havr said to him | that he ought to bc able to furnish valua- 1 blc and interesting contributions to tho personal history of statesmen of the past | generation that tho old man has been led | into the promise that he would writo a book of rcminisccnccs That promise was l given 10 or l2 years ago, Every little | while some ono asks tho captain how the | book is getting on, and he shakes his head very mystCriCLsly and says that hc cX- poets to publish it before Very long. No | one has ever seen tho first sheet of tho cap tain $ manusc2rt, and so the Bassett rem l iniscences have como to be byword in | Washington.
 In personal conversation Bassctt usually | refuScS to talk about any of his heroes lie surrounds them with mystery, shaking l his Lead ominously with an expression which Is intended to mean, II could tell | son things if I would" But beyond the fact that Webster and Clay werc great | speakers; that Clay used snuff persistent | ly and that Webster and Douglas drank too much he has nothing for the public ear. Hc will not even identify the desks which were used by these great men. He claims that he can distinguish them by | private marks and that he has a record | which rcfrcShCs his memory when that is | neccssary, but hc is afraid that if tho wis itors to the senate chamber knew which desk was used by Webster they would | chip pieces from it for relics. There is nc doubt that Wehstcr's desk is on the sen l ate floor, and so arc all the other desks which were put in uso about GO years ago. There were 53 of these mahogany desks originally.
 Snuff In the Senate.
 Captain Bassctt has number of sou. venirS of his service, but the most nota bio of these is the snuffbox of gold which was presented to him by the senators on tho occasion of tho fifticth anniversary oi his appointment page He delights in explaining that ho acquired the taste for snuff taking by following the example of Henry Clay. In thOsc days snuff was kept for tho use of senators in a box which stood on a shelf near tho presiding off cer's desk Mir. Clay never brought hi: own snufThox with him to tho senate fol fear that if it was before him he would take too much. Ilo usually called ono oi the two pages whom he wanted n pinch. Or if they wcro busy he would walk dowr the nisle of the chamber, sometimes iu