Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-08-07

ne ula-
WTMINA " WIZ chinery OF state is
W. <HM w revolving upon its
reserve cogs. The
or division has left his role to his under
study. 1t is the heat of what has been
appropriately termed 1.-THE acting season."
Nearly every letter sent out from the ex-
ecutive departments is signed ''acting sec
retary,'' acting director or acting
chief" The process of government how
ever, continues to grind along smoothly,
thanks to the present excellence of the
departmental system. Authority of the
official who acts for the time being has as
great weight as that of the regular incum-
bent. In all departments except one-that
Of Justice-the cabinet officer is succeeded
| in his absence by the ranking inferior.
bearing the title assistant secretary" or
assistant postmaster general" as ii is in
the Post Office Department The Attorney
General is succeeded in his absence by the
solicitor general, who, by the way. is the
biggest bug in the executive departments
inferior to the cabinet officers. The So
licitor general gets 5000 a year. After
running through the assistant cabinet off,
GERS the order Of descent of authority in
cases of absence, as now. passes to the
chief clerks of the various departments.
Thus the chief clerk of the War Depart
Il m6nI may become act1nR secretary OIL war
with authority paramount to that of the
commanding general of the army.
This brings us to the best point from
which to appreciate the oft quoted fact
| that the chief executive is the only govern
| ment official who can never lend the robes
Of Office to a substitute, when he wishes to
| rest. While the President is sojourning.
| as he is now, the seat of government is in
the saddle. Mr.. Mckinley has taken 1t with
him to Lake Champlain. There Is no one
whom he may deputize acting presi-
dent" as long he is able to exercise his
duties himself In case Of the Presidents
inability to fill his Office. however, Mr..
/ Hobart would be permitted to act In his
place until the disability be removed. Al
though supposed to be on his vacation Mr..
Mckinley Is keeping In close connection
with the business continually piling up at
| the White House. He has had a desk put
| in his room at the Hotel Champlain. While
| Secretary Porter Is with the President, As
sistant Secretary Pruden Is charge DAFT
| flares at the White House. Letters and
| kilograms are flying thick and fast between
his Office and the executive mansion pro
| tenn OF course, there are many communi-
| cations too important to be intrusted to
| the wires or to the mails. One Of the ex-
ecutive clerks will make frequent visits
back and forth to bear these. While at
Lake Champlain Mr.. Mckinley will take
| care lest he violate the Constitution by
| journeying too far up the lake and crossing
| the Canadian frontier. 1t was not far from
| here that General Arthur ran the risk of
| Impeachment by venturing few miles
across the line in quest of better sport thar
| nature offered below.
A Pleasant Outing.
Secretary of the Navy Long has better
| opportunities for combining summer duties
| with summer pleasures than any of his
colleagues. On his dispatch boat Dolphin
| he and his daughter are cruising along the
New England coast, now and then stopping
at some naval station for inspection. This
| trip is the legitimate privilege of the in
cumbent of his office. His party will enjoy
| a prolonged sea voyage and plenty Of ease
and refreshment. Secretary OF Agriculture
Wilson will also combine duty with pleas
TIRE during his August vacation in the west,
where he will study the resources of sew
eral states for raising cavalry horses for
| foreign armies. Secretary Of the Treasury
Gage, the hardest worked man in the. cabi-
net, has rented summer residence at
Chevy Chase. Nd, within an hours ride
from his department. All of the other cabi-
ret officers will spend or are spending their
vacations in the north.
The diplomatic corps has scattered to all
| points of the COMPASS. The majority of
DIPLOMATS prefer the Atlantic coast. The
British, Italian ard German ambassadors
have sailed for Europe, the latter not to
return. The diplomatic corps is part OF
| the official suite of the President, but its
duties are not pressing during the summer.
The British diplomats have their regular
summer colony at Manchester -the-Sea.
Two capacious cottages there are occupied
by the new first secretary, Mr.. Fox Adams,
and the greater number of lesser diplo-
mats connected with the embassy. Bust
ness is carried on as usual from this sum-
mer headquarters The most popular sum-
| mer colony for diplomats is Lenox. Mass
achusetts, where officials OF the German
embassy. Swedish. Belgian and several
other legations spent the warm months.
Practically all members of Congress had
fed from Washington within a week after
adjournment. Two senator's. Platt of Con-
necticut and Hansbrough Of North Da-
kota, and one representative. McMillin of
Tennessee, will combine the recreations Of
a summer vacation with the bliss of q
honeymoon. Over two hundred members
Of Congress lived temporarily at hotels
during the late extra session. Many of
these would have rented houses had they
anticipated remaining in the city until the
middle Of summer, and they would have
saved money by SO doing. granting even
that their houses would have been shut
from now on until the first of December.
Each adjournment of congress costs the
government pretty penny, as does each
sum with which to pay his expenses on his
way home. Almost all members, of course
travel dead head" by courtesy Of the rail-
road companies. but they are entitled to
their government allowance regardless of
this Members who live far away are thus
able to collect a comfortable little heap
enough for pin money during the summer.
A member OF congress from California
might easily require a couple of hundred
dollars year to cover travelling expenses.
About the Capitol.
About the only activity which may now
be observed at the Capitol Is that occa-
stoned by the moving of the Library of
Congress. Employees of that branch of the
government will spend their summer lug
ging heavy books. A very few members
of congress take their private secretaries
or clerks home with them during the sum-
mer and keep them busy. But a large
majority Of congressional clerks, senators,
private secretaries, messengers to COM
mittees. ETC., have no earthly duty to per-
form from the time congress sdjourns UNI
til 1t assemblies. Many OF these are thus
able to draw two salaries at once. having
ample time to engage in special work while
not occupied for the government. Private
secretaries to representatives not al
ways SO lucky. Each representative is
allowed 500 month for clerical services,
TO be expended as he sees fit. During the
summer months the private secretary is
very often Temporarily laid on and the
money which ordinarily would be paid