Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-03-09
House and Senate Pages.

A young man who served as page In
I'm the House Of Representatives. Tor
several years, talked Interestingly with
Washington Star reporter recently.
Times have changed since i went
into the House." he said. THEY were
much better then for the page than
they are now in many different points
of view. The pay of page In both
the House and the Senate, as Is pretty
generally known is $3.50 n day. During
the long sessions the boy has a chance
to make something extra, or, at least
he used to. This has been done away
with though, to certain extent.
When the Representatives had no pri-
waite secretaries, or when they had 10
pay for them out of their own pockets,
the pages used to make considerable on
the side by working for the Representa-
tives, helping to mail their documents
writing for them and doing various
kinds of work. Since the pill was
passed granting the Representatives
private secretaries, OF course this has
all changed
Nowadays the pages can't even
listen to the debates and have a chance
to learn something that way. as was
formerly the case. Since Mr.. Reed
second term as speaker he has made a
great revolution In this respect. Now
the pages are cooped up in quarters In
the cloakrooms on either side of the
house. 1t is a regular hotel bellboy ar
rangement. Instead of clapping theit
hands as they used to do. the Repre-
sentatives when they want page
simply touch button. This rings bell
in the pages rooms. There is an cleo
trio annunciator which is the same as
is used in hotels Tor bellboys, so that
II can be told directly where the boy is
wanted. ! understand they are going
still further to make the arrangement
SAVIOR of the bellboy position, as there
is talk of unlforming the boys.
when / first went In they had two
chief pages who got $1,000 salary, who
were supposed to look after the others.
Now, as the boys sit on the long bench
es in the corners of the cloakroon, they
are watched by an overseer, as he is
called. who receives salary OF 5000. He
watches the annunciator. and when "a
bell rings sends boy to the desk. So
II is getting more and more like the
hotel system ali the time.
I'm the Senate they do not allow boys
over 10 years OF age, but 1t makes no
difference in the House. When l was
there some of them were "a or 20 years
of age. A boy has to be IL years of
age or more to occupy Il position as
page. There are thirty-three in the
House and sixteen in the Senate. The
pages, ! believe, in the Supreme court
chamber are required to wear knee
breaches when they are on duty, but
this Is not enforced on the others
1.-THE boys found were well posted on
political affairs. and 1t is not surprising
that Senator German turned out as able
politician as he did when 1t is con-
sidered that he served as a page in the
Senate. They know the pedigree. as 1t
were. of every Senator and Representa-
tive. and generally have nicknames for
them, which would prove very amusing
II they did not fit So well In a number
of cases. They can forecast what Is
going to happen nearly as well as the
Senators and Representatives. Talk
about messenger boys being up to snuff.
why they are not in It with the Senate
and House pages, In the first place
they are generally of n higher order
of intelligence, coming from excellent
families. and the little schemes they
work among themselves would do
credit to n politician OF an established
reputation. If they find anything out to
the discredit of member of Congress,
they are not slow sometimes to take
advantage of 1t for their own benefit in
Il most innocent manner They are Il
high minded set OF fellows. however
and do credit to themselves and their
country