The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-05-05

ing business houses also urged clemency.
The Washington Board of Trades an
nual outing was given last saturday.
Among the Invited guests were many
senators and representatives in congress.
Senator Clark, Of Wyoming was among
them. He made n speech, during which
he referred to the poor fire department in
this city. Among other things he said;
81 don't know what other congressman
here may thing about Washington, but
know what | think. like 1t mighty well
| am going to stay here as long as / can.
| haven't any personal interests or per
sonal business that calls me elsewhere
But | want to urge this board tC ask con-
gress, among other things, for one more
fire engine, and I'll tell you why. l am
the most unlucky man in town and every
time | go away from home my house gets
afre. / have been away from here three
times since | came and every time there
has been fire. The last time was when
| the rink burned, and that night my house
got aiire too. My wife. who has supreme
| faith i'm everything in Washington, turned
| I'm a fire alarm and then turned to with
| the neighbors and put out the fire. In
| half or thrce-fourths of an hour patrol
wagon came rolling up and fireman
| came in and inquired;
| "'Have you a fire here, madam
"'We had one. sir said my wife, but
we put 1t out. / turned In an alarm, but
| no engine came
"The fireman looked sheepish as he said;
| Wei, madam, the truth is we tried to get
| here. but all two of the engines are down
| at the other fire.
"Now." concluded Senator Clark. after
! the laughter had subsidized, "I'll be one to
vote you $4,000 or $4,000 for another fire
| engine"
"The longer I live" says Senator Per-
| kins, of California, "the more | find out
| that tho book which holds my knowledge
shrinks and the book which contains what
| | don't know becomes larger. l have
| come to the conclusion that there isn't a
man in the world who cannot teach me
something which 1T is worth while for me
| to learn.
do you know" he continued. "that I
| take the greatest delight when l am in
a seaport city in putting on flannel shirt
| and going down to the wharvcs and ming
| ling with the sailors. You know, ! used to
| be man before the mast myself sailing
| to California by way of Cape Horn Wnen
quite young. SO nowadays | 20 down
| among the steVedores and the sailors, ana
sit on the side of the ship and talk with
| them, learning something new every time
from their experiences. | like to go in
| the foundries too and the machine shops,
| and watch the men at work. You have
| no idea how much in the way OF odds ana
| ClluS OF knOWltuBe CdIl Dt plthCu up III
| this fashion. Try it once and see."
Senator Roach, of North Carolina, tells
| this story about the length of the extra
| session:
Some three or four weeks ago" said
| he, 81 was out dining one night, when the
| lady next to me asked me how long l
| thought congress would be in session.
"'Oh, don't know replied, in an un-
| pertain way.
"'The reason l asked YOU said she, IS
| because / was at dinner with Senator
| Hanna the other night, and he said con-
| gress would be away from here by the
| first of June
Madam said I, looking around at her
| and speaking with some deliberation,
Senator Hanna may know it all, but, so
| far as ! am concerned, l have taken my
| house for all summer
| And it begins to appear as If Senator
Roach appreciated what was to come
| When Colonel William r. Morrison,
| chairman of the Interstate Commerce
| commission was in Texas recently, Il
reporter of the Austin Statesman asked
| him if that was his first visit To Texas.
"No," said the colonel, 1--WE been down
| this way before"
| Not recently" suggested the news
| paper man.
| "Well, not so very recently. L was
| through here about tlfty-one years ago.
| At that the reporter stared very hard
| at the colonel and begged for particulars
Of his early visit to the Lone Star state.
| 1t was when the gentleman from Illinois
| went forth to battle in the Mexican war.
| He landed at MatagOrda, on the Gulf
| coast, and proceeded theme to Austin and
| San Antonio or his way to the enemy $
| country. In the half century that had
passed since that historic time Texas had
| developed from wilderness into Thick
| ly-populated commonwealth.
| "How did you come to send such fool
| to congress?" said one constituent of a
| Southern congressman to another.
| "Wcll," was the reply, 'we had been
| sending so many wise men and they had
| all turned out to be such fools, that we
| thought this time We would reverse it
| and see If by sending fool we could turn
| him into a wise man."