The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-10-17
wAsHINGTON'S DAYS OF JOY.
..rsr ARE NOT MELANCHOLY
DAYS AT THE CAPITAL.

- House or Feed the Stranger
,,ithin Their Gates With Happi-
e.s-The Cost of Living Has Al
..dv Gone Skyward in Anticipa-
,,on-Ex-speaker Reed Visits
woshington-McLaur Has Struck
Good Thing-Ex-ConGressm
MIN Campbell to Run Chamber
1oin's old Cafe.
washington. Oct. 15.-These may be
.he melancholy days, the saddest of the
.,oor for some atoms of humanity, as
w. noet says. Those who dote on ma
ne and all that sort of thing may be
hoc,ed down with weight of woe, but
t,o DAVIS that not are are not melan-
oholv for those of Washington who are
~eallv Washingtonians. Not bit of it.
This is A season of joy and gladness for
+horo. in the vernacular, things are
oorning their way. They are preparing
% receive the aforementioned things in
the nroper spirit-that Of thankfulness
ord prayer-prayer that there may be
more of the good things.
The chief of these heading Washing
ton-ward is Congress-the first or long
session of the Fifty-seventh. There
will be several hundred new men-Con-
oressmen and those who come with
+bern secretaries, clerks and other con-
sttuents, all of whom must be lodged
ond fed. Lodging and feeding consti-
+,te the long suit of those Washing
+onians who are under the painful ne
cessitv of earning living in some way
other than that of working for the
government 1 came near saying work
ing the government, but that would be
on insult to a considerable number or
Teenectahle persons, for there are real
l., some thousands of people here VINO
arc in no wise connected with the gov
ernment. Their time is divided into
two parts. The first part they devote
70 feeding and lodging the stranger
that is within the gates. The second
mart is given over to efforts looking TO
the acquisition of pull that will lodge
them in a public otf1ce.
such an influx as is coming next
month is a good thing for them 1t
revives their tagging spirits 1t means
that dodgers will put money in their
nockets and will afford opportunities
for them to renew their assaults upon
statesmen who have the pull hereto
fore spoken of. Poets are an ingenious
sort of mortal, but even poet could
not explain why these are melancholy
days in Washington.
Never Lived in Washington.
There are so many evidences that
these are not the sad days for the IN
habitants of the city of magnificent
distances that it is hardly worth while
Fsr a
evidently speaking of some other sec
ton of the human family when he
wrote the words that furnish the text
for these remarks. The most notable
sign that declares the poet to be the
bearer of false witness is the magnifl-
cent elevation that has been given the
prices of everything. The Capital City
is rich in anticipation. Every man
who has house to rent, every pr1n-
cess of TimbuctOo who has services
as queen of the kitchen to dispose of,
and every tavern keeper believes Con-
gress will be here until late next sum-
mer Therefore each and everyone has
raised the price of things that are for
sale They're all happy. The only
mortals who are without joy in their
souls are those who are trying to make
living in ways other than those al
ready specified. In anticipation of the
good season the rent of houses has
gone up from ten to fifty per cent.
The prices asked for flats are practi-
cally prohibitive for any one who has
due regard to the preservation of
the proper relation between income
and outgo. The town is fiat-crazy
Dozens of monstrous structures of
that character have been built during
the past summer. So many have been
put up that the natural conclusion
would be that prices would be lower
than they were a year ago. But such
a conclusion is wrong, on the contrary
they are much higher. The average
price is $40 per room for a month,
which is higher than in any city in the
country, New York not excepted. The
coal trust having boosted, coal to 81 a
Ton even before fuel is needed it is
quite easy to understand why so many
people are trying to give an imitation
u establishing home in a fiat.
EX-Speaker Reed at the CAPITAL
THOMAS Bracket Reed. once Speaker
OF the House of Representatives, now
money-making lawyer in New York
City' mas been in Washington for sew
erai Gays without creating a sensation.
a lew years ago, when he had presi-
uehtlal aspirations, his appearance in
me capital City, excepting when Con-
sIess was in session, would have been
~NDJSCt lOT all KINGS OF political
GOSSIP and speculation. / encountered
me ex-czar" strolling leisurely up
Fennsylvania avenue at his accustom-
ca gait, with his hands crossed behind
ms portly figure, and his big round
hat. ~
ne was just passing a building drap-
ca N mourning for the lamented Nc
hIhley as l greeted him. He remarked
uIat many changes had occurred in
nallonal affairs within the past few
weeks as he observed the badge of
mourning suspended from a large
uuIldlng That was his only comment
Upon the man who was his hated and
personally despised rival for presiden-
1iaI honors few years ago. He deity
taliled all questions leading up to that
eoplc by saying that he finds great
.eleI from being out of public life,
anu scouts the mere suggestion of his
SSeceptlng public trust under Presi-
uent Roosevelt. Referring to politi-
he VINO nave to get down and scram-
uously: ~
r never had to do it when was in
eItoneress, and l never would under any
ta lIIuIilstances." Abiding to the polit-
oai situation in New York, he said he
, iaa not been able to fathom the mys-
oeilss OF New York politics, municipal
h., STATE, so he simply contents himself
~. ~ casting his vote on election day,
"1.lout getting tangled up in the
,'yS or New York politics, which are
AL an out interested New Workers past