Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-06-09

most popular government employees IN
Washington, and 1t is the happy fortune
of the newspaper fraternity at the Capitol
that Mr.. Gensler Is the man In charge of
that branch Of the senatorial reporting
that makes him the means of direct COM
Hunication with the press representatives
who swarm around the Capitol daily.
Constant and Systematic Work.
The apparent contradiction of years is
a simple matter when it is known that not
only has Mr.. Gersler served for thirty
years as an official reporter, but he has also
worked for twenty-five years as private
secretary to Senators; first. for three years,
with Oliver P. Morton, and then, for nine
teen years, with ]. Donald Cameron This
DUTY OF itself is sufficient TO occupy mans
entire time and Mr. GensIer only accom-
plishes his double task by the most unre-
mlttlng hdelity and regularity of habits.
He works literally from the earliest hours
OF morning until near midnight
up to within a few minutes of the time
the session of the Senate begins he Is at
MT. Cameron's house, attending to all Of
arranging detail after detail of his private
and public business. When the session be-
gins MIR. Gensler goes first on the floor of
the Senate, there to report the routine
morning business, with all of it's intrica-
oies. This includes the Introduction OF
bills, resolutions and orders the presenta-
ton OF petitions, the discussion of the or
der OF business for the day, ard all the
each day start the real work or
debate. This routine is vastly i'm
rortant and must be accurately reported
for 1t constitutes the legislative record of
the DAY, 50 tar as the public is concerned
and the Congressional Record of that por-
ton of the session Is often referred to in
debate.
After the Morning Hour.
The morning hour over Mr.. Gensler goes
to the secretary's office, where he arranges
his documents, and sitting as the center
OF interest to a dozen or more newspa-
per men eager for paragraphs of In
terest to their home papers, he Sc
lects those matters of particular concern
to each one and hands over the papers
with patience and an intelligence that are
really matters for wonderment, when the
rush of this mans life is considered.
Later in the day Mr. Gensler takes his
regular turn at the debates of the ses-
sion. and in the evening after adjournment,
he is occupied until late hour arranging
the copy for the printer and getting the
work closed up systematically for the day.
Then he sleeps. but only for few hours,
and bright and early in the morning he is
at it again, indefatigable, active, accom-
modating as ever.
Mr.. Genser is a native of Washington,
Left an orphan at the age of three he was
adopted by the family of an honest me-
cEanlc. but as soon as he could work he
started In to become independent. His first
effort was as a boy in a bake shop at 81
month and board. During the war he
was employed first as a messenger for the
Western Union Telegraph Company, and
then as an office boy by the Washington
Tribune.
q nd I'm
One August day in 1868 he picked up
check for 10000 in the street 1t was
drawn by one army officer in the name Of
another. Young Gensler promptly returned
the valuable paper, and for his honesty
was soon afterward appointed as riding
messenger in the quartermaster generals
office. He hoped to become an engineer in
the navy and resigned from his government
position to accept a place as apprentice In
large machine shop, where he was given
the hardest. and at times the most danger
GUS kind Of labor. He was soon tired of
this, having been broken down In health
and leaving the place he found employment
at the newspaper and cigar stand in the
National Hotel. 1t was here that he first
met Richard Sutton. then in charge of the
Senate reporting, and his then assistants,
Dennis Murphy and his brother James
The trio took fancy to young Gensler
and after negotiations, the lad entered
upon the senatorial work June 4, 1893, dur
Ing the first session of the Thirty-ninth
Congress His duty was at first clerical in
character but he studied shorthand until
he developed marked proficiency, and in
the course of a short time he went to work
on the floor one of the regular reporters.
Mr.. Gensler cherishes among his old files
copy of the Congressional Record issued
in the third session Of the For1ieth Con-
gress, which announces the names Of the
official reporters Of the Senate debates as
Richard Sutton. ID. F. Murphy Jap,eS 7
Murphy and Henry ]. Gensler OF the
House the staff Of reporters at that time
was composed Of VIM. Hncks, VIM Blair
Lord. David Wolfe Brown. John J. NOEL
hone and VIM. Henry Burr OF these nine
men, Mr.. Gensler and Mr.. Brown are the
only ones now in service. Mr.. Gensler has
been married since 1869. and has a charm
ing home and considerable properly, &C
cumuated by virtue of his indefatigabIe
energy.