The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-04-30
STORIES OF MR.. HOLMAN.
How He Got the Best of Mr.. Horr-His
Own Methods of Place Hunting--The
Congressional Age Limit.
New York Postl

New York Post.)
Washington, April 25.--The House contains
now few members whose "otficial memory
goes back to the earlier and more pictur-
esque stages of the career of the late Judge
Holman, but these few have been entertain
ing the cloak-room gatherings with reminis-
cences during the last few days.
SIT was almost impossible to catch the
Great Director mapping" said one of his
old associates GA Michigan member-E
think it was Horr-tried for long time to
get public building appropriation for his
district increased, but every time he found
his way blocked by Holmaps economical
ideas. AT last he saw an opening. II he
could get unanimous consent to call up and
pass a certain bill of insignificant appear
| ance, but which carried the appropriation
as rider, he would be all right but how
| could he prevent Holman form spelling the
unanimity? He sought the House barber
who was accustomed to shave Holman. "If
you can keep the Judge in your chair tomor-
row morning an hour longer than usual,
he said, cit means a dollar in your pocket.
The barber worked hard to earn his money.
He shaved his customer at funeral pace; his
razors had never needed so much stroppfng,
his lather never taken so long to foam.
When the shave was over he suggested that
| the Judges hair needed trimming, and
without needing his protests, shipped off a
| large lock, so that the rest must necessarily
be- cut. Then he swashed something out of
a bottle upon the Judges pate. "What S
that?' cried Holman. ga shampoo an
sered the barber. 81 didn't order arsham-
poo.'' protested the Judge. The barber
apologized, but it was too late-the old gem
tlemans hair was already white with foam,
and he was in for it. Thus, by one device
and another quarters of an hour was
consumed
| Meanwhile Horr had been rushing his
work through to the critical point. Although
nobody had raised a direct objection to the
immediate consideration of his bill, many
members. had piled him with questions, and
these and the answers together consum ed a
] good deal of time Horr watched the clock
anxiously, stealing glances between whiles
at the, door opening from the barber shop
At last the requests for explanations
| Tagged, and late-comer rose and inquired
what was the businss before the House. The
Speaker answered THE gentleman from
| Michigan asks unanimous consent TO the i'm
mediate consideration of House bill No.
9,34T. Is there objection?" He was just
! about to add, ssThe Chair hears none,'' and
clinch the business, when Holman appeared
| at the door of the barber-shop. His toilet
| was complete, but his muslin bib was still
at his neck, for he had caught the word
''objection, and had sprung from the
chair 81 objectr'. he squeaked forth. Horr
sank back in the seat in state of semi
collapse The work for which he had plot
| ted and toiled had been all undone by that
rascally BARRIERS carelessness in leaving the
door open, and not holding the Judge down
by main force.
Horr and Holman had several tits Horr
was witty, and usually found Holman little
better than a plaything when it came to a
passage at words; but he was vanquished
once. He had tried to get Michigan office
holders salary raised, in an appropriation
bill, from $1,000 year to $1,000, but Hol-
| mans objection stood in the way. ssThe
| gentlemans objection to such trifle as
that said Horr, YEARLY, "reminds me .of
the saying of a certain eminent Democrat of
Indiana, when Informed that the Republi-
cans had swept the country in a general
election sWhy, I'd have given twenty-five
| cents rather than have that happen1 -
| AS this was an allusion to one of the stories
afioat about Holman's own penuriousness,
| the Republicans roared; but the Democrats
had their turn when Holman suavely replied
| ssBut the Indiana Democrat would have
paid his debt out of his own pocket, and
not. like my more liberal friend from Michi-
gan reached into the Treasury of the United
States for the money"
Holman was known as foe of sinecure s
In the public service, and rooted out a good
many. 1t once happened that he was walk
| ing about the basement of the capitol, and
endeavored to go through doorway guard
ed by a one-legged veteran.
s'Can't go through THERE said the guard
| ian of the portal.
~ am member of Congress- said Mr..
Holman quietly
| 81 don't know as that makes any differ
ence,'' said the doorkeeper, "unless you
come from district where the people can
walk through wood. The door is screwed
up.''
"Then what are you here for?" demanded
Holman.
81 am here for $500 a day. There is a
fellow from the Sixth Pennsylvania Cavalry
watching the other side of it, and mebbe he
can tell you more than 1 CAM
| By circuitous route through committee
room Mr.. Holman reached the other side of
the door, and there sat another doorkeeper,
reading a newspaper, W ho acknowledged
with equal frankness that the door had been
screwed fast. These two men were shortly
! looking after a chance to earn $3.20 a day
somewhere else.
1t must not be thought that Holman was
himself free form the patronage peccadilioes
which brought these sinecures into being.
When he put a new and perhaps unneces-
sary name upon government payroll,
however, he usally contrived to have the
favor credited to him by the benefciaries,
but charged against somebody else's account
asa draft upon the public purse. One favor
tie resort was to offer resolution of inquiry
as to the propriety of doing thus and-so and
the committee which approved his plan
would get the blame for whatever. expense
attended it. He was checkmatedOnce, how