Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-02-05
HOUSE AND SENATE PAGES

A young man Nho lfved as page In the
House Of Repressy htat5 Us for several years
talked Interestingly Nth star reporter
recently.
''rlmes havs caansia since / wen. into
the House." he isafd.t3 s'They were much
better then for THE Gage han they are
now In many different bcints OF view. The
pay Of page ii boil the House and the
Senate. as is pSttty Aeneraliy known, is
$2-'O per day. urix the-long sessions
the boy has hncsfto make something
extra. or at leg heAused te. This has
been dcne away fith though, to a certain
extent When tie REPRESENTATIVES had no
private secretaries oEs when they rad to
Fay for them out of tRsir own pockets, the
pages used to Make considerable on the
side by working for the representatives.
helping to mail their Documents. writing
Tor them and doing various kinds of work.
since the bill was passed granting the rep
resentattves private secretaries of course
this has all changed.
nowadays the pages can't even listen
10 the DEBATES and have q chance to learn
something that way as was formerly the
ease S since Mr.. Reeds second term as
speaker he has made a great revolution in
Iris respect. Now the pages are cooped
UP IN quarters In the cloak rooms On either
side OF the House. 1t is a regular hotel
peii D0y arrangement: Instead of clapping
their hands, as they used to do, the repre-
sentatives when they want a page simply
toucn button. This rings BELL In the
pages rooms. There is an electric annun-
gator winch Is the same as used in hotels
.or tne Dell boys, So that 1t Gamble told
directly where the boy is wanted i under
stand they are going still further to make
tne arrangement, SAVIOR of the bell boy DO
Sltloh' as there Is talk Of uniforning the
boys
When first went in they had two Grief
pages who got Loco salary, who we're
supposed to look after the others. Now, as
tne boys SIT on the long benches in the
corners OF the cloak room they are watched
by an overseer, as he is called, who re-
ceives a salary Of $780, He watches the
annunc1ator and when q bell rings sends a
boy 10 the desk So it is getting more and
more like the hotel system all the time,
In the Senate they do not allow boys
over sixteen years Of age. but 1t makes 10
dlHerence In the House. When 1 was there
some OF them were twenty-four Ut twenty
nve years of age. A boy has 20 be twelve
years or more to occupy a position as page.
mere are thirty-three in the House and
sixteen in the Serate. The pages I be-
heve. In the Supreme Court chamber are
required TO wear knee breeches when they
ure on DUTY, but this Is not enforced on
the others.
Ihe boys l found were we'll posted on
political affairs, and 1T is not surprising
tnat senator German turned out as able a
Iont1clan as he did when it Is considered
that he served as page in the Senate. They
Know the pedigree, as it were, of every
senator or representative, and generally
nave nick-names for them, which would
PROVE very amusing IL they did not fit so
well In number of cases. They can fore
cast what is going to happen nearly as
Wen as the senator's or representatives
themselves. Talk about messenger hoys
being up to snuff. why, they are not in it
with the Senate and House pages In the
frst place they are generally of higher
order OF Intelligence, coming from excel
lent families, and the little schemes thew
work among themselves would do credit to
a politician of an established reputation
II they find anything out to the discredit
or member of Congress they are not slow
sometimes to take advantage of it for their
own benefit in a mosto Innocent manner
ihey are higb-minded set of fellows
however 1,sN and do credit ITO themselves and