Omaha daily bee., 1902-02-21

Etcbings of People and Events I'm the
National Capital.

~denounces as baseless the current stofles
OF money-laden Hobbies influencing the leg
islatiOn of congress. In a letter in Col
lier's Weekly, Senator Warren says:
The lobby Of sensational literature and OF
newspaper space Understanding with
glowing stories Of vast sums spent In the
purchase Of votes, of presents Of valuable
stocks, Of costly wine suppers and other
favors-is a myth. and is one Of the features
Of life in the capital city the visitor will
not be able to find. The efforts Of friends
or enemies Of public and private measures
are in evidence in the hustle and rush in
the public corridors of the capitol during
a session Of congress, but this is a armle
phase In the work OF securing or preventing
legislation and is but little more than part
Of the general routine Of legislative work.
The protective and restrictive means at
the command, first, of any member Of con-
gress; second, Of any COMMITTEES; third, of
the presiding oficer OF either branch;
fourth, Of the senate or house as distinct
bodies, and hfth, OF the president Of the
United States in his power Of veto, make It
we'll nigh impossible to secure final incor-
poration into our laws Of radically unwise,
unjust OF wrongful legislation.
''The suspicion that influences which will
not bear the full light Of publicity are
Doluk empiOycO IOI any puDllC vi pIlNhlS
measure creates a prejudice against such
measure and tends to make adoption more
dinacult.
while the millennium has not been
reached in matters Of adopting legislation,
I am certain that there is q constant i'm
provement and that the tone of public
service II on an upward trend. The legis-
lative branch Of the government is inclined
to be mindful Of the needs and interests
Of the people, and the executive branch, as
evidenced by the work OF every department
Of the government service, is conducted
upon business principles and In accordance
with law
President Roosevelt is credited with the
possession Of a memory alleged to be ex-
ceedingly and sometimes disagreeably re-
tentive. Two senators were discussing this
characteristic OF the chief executive. Said
one:
1.-THE president knows the clerical and
personal side Of the government as few
other men know it."
II should say he did, returned the other.
81 asked him a little while ago to resppoint
q marshal in my state and l no sooner
mentioned the mans name than the presi-
dent broke out with: so that scoundrel
is still in ONCE, is he? I remember him
when I was in the civil service commits
SION"
The matter of resppointment was not
pressed.
The high hand shake" which prevails In
Washington to such a considerable extent
and which Is particularly noticeable in So
ciety and diplomatic circles, is said to have
been introduced here by the late President
Mckinley. The hand shake of the late
president, says the Washington Star, was
one of the most attractive and interesting
things about him. When. receiving a large
lumber Of people and In haste his right
hand was always held out in the customary
fashion, but when receiving cabinet officers.
congressman and others in his private ONCE
there was an air about his hand shake that
was irresistible. The elbow Of his right
arm usually rested close to his body. while
his hand was held upward nearly to level
with his chin, thereby requiring the other
person to raise his hand to that level. Then
Mr., Mckinley would grasp the hand In g
clasp with the fingers Of his hand around
the fingers Of the other person. The presi-
dents hand would move to the right and
left three or four times and the hand shake
would be concluded. Mr.. Mckinley rarely
departed from that method Of h~andshaking
and In time those who were with him
grew accustomed to It and became devotees
OF the habit themselves. Soon after Mr..
Mckinley commenced this method Of hand
shaking the diplomatic corps took 1t up,
and now 1t is generally known as the
diplomatic" hand shake. 1t is still in ex-
istence among the foreign Representatives
and is extending to other circles. Secretary
Cortelyou, whose long association with the
late president made him familiar with the
ways of the latter, grew accustomed to
shaking hands in the same manner as Presi-
dent Mckinley. He now has no other way
Of clasping the extended hand but this one.
Public men In Washington often speak OF
President McKinley's hand shake as one OF
the most interesting they have ever known.
A certain member Of congress noted for
convivial tendencies, who halls from q
state that does not prohibit. had an anus
ing time at dinner the other night apropos
Of a wee bit of blue ribbon he wore in his
buttonhole, the insignia OF SOM order to
which he belongs. The butler bearing the
wine ignored him as completely as though
he were not at table, and passed him again
and again in filling the other glasses. Won.
dering why he was thus neglected, the
statesman beckoned him to bring some
wine, but to no purpose. The butler
winked knowingly and passed on. The
disguised member finally called the man &c
him. and holding his coat so that escape
was impossible. said:
why don't you I'LL my glass?"
The butler smiled knowingly. Has hi
hi didn't know, sir, that you was q tee.
t~otaler. SIR"
"a teetotaler7 What do you mean7'
asked the guest.
"Hi thinks hi bought to know, sir; h
belong to the same society, sir" and with
that the man pointed to the blue ribbon
in the Disguised members b~uttonhole, the
badge Of a local temperance society.
Former Representative John Allen o
Mississippi, Familiarity known as Privati
? John Allen, one Of the commissioner Il
the st. Louis exposition. passed through
' the city a few days ago, reports tn
: Washington Post. In spite Of the burden
Of his new once, Private John" had sum
I cient vitality to relate one Of his charac
\ teristic anecdotes.
"The legislature Of Arkansas" said MI
! Allen. "once enacted a law requiring thos
a who wanted to a k a drink to take out
license. Well, l guess that was all righI
q They should have figured along the sam
q lines as they did in my state several year
a ago. The Mississippi legislature passed