The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-02-28
CAPITAL CHAT.
Work for Statesmen Who Are
Out of a Job.

sional Funerais-statesmen Who Hide
From Their Constituents--In Once De-
spite the senate---A Methodist University.
WASHINGTON. Fob 27,--[Special Kin
these closing days OF congress senators and
members going out Of Office are looking
about for some means of gaining liveli-
hood or OF making money. One Of the ODD
est ventures of this sort Is an enterprise In
which a number Of the Massachusetts, con-
gressmen have entered. They are going
into tho business Of manufacturing ex-
plosives and think they have "A fortune
ahead of them. A young Swedish chemist
has been working for years upon an ex-
plosive that was to be superior to dyna-
mite, nitroglycerln, emmensite or any OF
the other recognized articlss. but he lacked
just one thing, just ono element that was
needed TO give It the finishing touch and
make 1t perfect. Despairing of completing
his task In his own country, he came to
America armed with lettcr OF introduc-
ton TO Professor Monroe Of Columbia col
lege, New York, the leading chemist OF
this country. Professor Monroe took up
his invention, added the missing link,
produced what Is said to ~ the most per-
feet explosive In the world and called the
attention Of one of his friends In the Mas
sachusetts delegation to 1t as money max
ing opportunity. A company has been
formed composed almost exclusively Of
Massachusetts congressman, and they will
soon be CT exploiting joveite. The great ad-
vantage Of this now explosive Is that it
may bo frozen or thawed with impunity
Dynamite is dangerous when frozen, be-
cause il Is necessary to thaw It out before
using, and it is In the process of thawing
that so many accidents occur. Mr.. Ran
dali of Massachusetts, makes tho surpris-
ing statement that In this country there is
used every year Sl1, 900, 900 worth of ex-
plosives, nearly all dynamite, for blasting
purposes. The new article Is patented all
over the world.
An incident which occurred I'm connec-
tion with some tests Of this new explosive
goes to show that tho foreign ministers
resident at Washington are pretty sharp
people. Tho general idea is that the en-
bassadors and ministers spend all their
timo in society and that their duties are
merely nominal. It appears that some OF
them at least are very watchful OF what Is
going on. The tests of jovcite were made
as secretly as possible In tho suburbs Of
Washington, but the next morning the
attaches Of two of tho foreign legations
called on the man In charge of the expert
ments and tried 10 get from him all par
ticulars concerning the trials.
A whiting Senate.
One OF the most interesting books that
havo come from the government presses
in long time is the report Of the secre-
tary OF the senate, which contains item
izcd expense accounts of tho senate from
Aug. z, 1898, to Juno 80, 1894. 1t is full
Of queer items. For instance, there were
purchased for the uso OF tho senate in the
period just named no fewer than So dozen
penknives, ranging In cost from SO. so TO
$40. 80 per dozen. lnasmuoh as Sc dozen
means J ,o32 pcnknives, and as there arc
only SO senator's, 4. Is 'eRsy' to calculate
that each senator must have had use for an
average Of about dozen knives in less
than "A single year.
Another interesting itom Is one which
shows tho enormous sums charged by tho
railroad and sleeping car companies for
trnnsp portatlUn and use of cars for con-
grcssiunal funerals. Among the bills paid
Is one OF tho Pullman Palace Car company
for sorviccs OF cars HespeFla and Titania
from Washington 20 Macon, Ca, and ro-
turn, with tku remains Oi tho late Senator
COlquitJ and family and congressional
committee, March 81 to 80 inclusive,
$500; buffet service ia said cars, SsS0.97.
This WIS q lifo1cst bill compared To that
cf tho Rlchm0hd and DanSillc Railroad
company for hauling tho cars to Macon
md back. For tails they charged the enor.
nous sum OK &i,3G2
II.GinE Statesmen.
Oro of to oGccr features OF lifo In
" 81 iugtan o. TIA attempt on tho part of
e9 AIN ttatCsmCa % : lido away lsoll thcir
con d5auatl NvlU v.G.5 tais city. a New
NUI mccltcr u congress used to,conccal
hisi ldrcss from nll but bis clerk and the
mall arrier Of tho house He would not
perm his hDpSo number 20 appear either
in tho Congressional Directory or tho City
Directory, and ut tho postoGico and telo-
graph olico tho officials had strict orders
not 10 permit any one TO know his address.
During tho last week I have heard Of thres
instances In which constituents OF con-
gresham from state near Washington,
and who Is, therefore, much annoyed by
visitors, wcro looking for his house at
certain number Of "A certain avenue which
happens TO be vacant lot. IL struck mo
as mean trick to set poor fellows hunt,
ing fer q house that has noozistonce, even
if thcy Go want 10 got an Office or TO bor-
row % nOlC.
He Still Holds OfIicc.
Tho rejection by tho senate Of tho nomi-
nation of Collector Hcaly of Brooklyn, fol-
lowed by tho calm retention Of the Office
by that gentleman, brings to the surfacoa
curious fact which had escaped tho recol-
lection OF tho average student OF political
mattcrs--thet it Is In the power Of the
president To kocp in ofiicc until the end Of
his term man who Is absolutely and even
repeatedly rejected by tho senate. Mr..
Healy was nominated for collector Of in
tornal revenue during tho first regular scs-
sion of the senate after Mir. Cleveland be-
camc president. Tho nomination was un.
satisfactory TO tho Now York senators,
end tho caso was "hung up In tho ccm-
mittoo md kept there. OF course this pro-
vented Mr.. Healy from taking possession
Of tho Office as long as the senate was in
session, but tho day after its adjournment
tho president appointed" Mr.. Healy to
bc collector, and his commission, made
out after tho usual form, authorizes him