The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-03-24

the new and obscure congressman get to-
gether and console themselves with liba-
tons. They also indulge in the meian-
choly pleasure of initiating the acts which
they are not allowed to do in the real
house of representatives The chairman
of their banquets is a less tyrannous soul
than the speaker of the house, and he lets
them offer amendments and cuss the house
leaders without interruption or reproof.
The dinner always opens with the fan1il-
lar announcement that 1.-The house will
now come to order, and the order which
prevails from that on is a general order
roasting the powers that be-
necessary qualification for member
ship in the Tantalus club is that the
name of the member shall never have
been printed in any newspaper outside
the members district except in formal
enumeration of the house membership or
on roll call The organization does not
take in any Democrats.
The drinking water of this city is a
trifie more turbid than usual at this sea-
son of the year. 1t is nourishing and re-
freshing when strained, but much diff
Guilty is being experienced with the, cells
which make their way into the pipes and
cause them to be become plugged. At the
power works of the Columbia Traction
company last Sunday night eleven eels
OF three hours. One was three feet
eleven inches long. and so large around
as to quite stop the flow in a three-1nch
pipe. The colored people here are very
fond of cells, and they have welcomed the
invasion of the water supply as a fshy
mamma. They trail the man who opens
water plugs and seize upon the snaky OBJ
structionists which come rushing out
with the water. Six years from now the
commissioners of the District of Column
bia are figuring on having a filtration
plant all finished and in operation. With
the aid of congress and the indomftabIe
enterprise which always has character
lied the capital there is no limit, it is
said, to what they may hope
The attention of Secretary Shaw has
been called to the practice of systematic
Csury upon the employees of the treasury
department, and he is expected to take
early steps to break up the mutual aid
games under which the impositions flour
ish. Women who know little of bust
ness methods, and who often are strug-
Cling to support families on the miser-
aple salary OF a clerkship. are the vic
TINS. The lure is promise that they can
borrow money from the association at
per cent interest and no security; but
When 1t comes to making loan the notes
are discounted at rate which makes the
nun. One of the worst of these shyIock
games is running in the office of the au-
dltor Tor the war department. 1t was
started while the brother Of a very prom
lnenr Ohio congressman was deputy au-
dltor and the manager is fellow towns
man of the very prominent Ohio con-
gresham. 1t is charged that depart
mental influence is used to get the clerks
to buy shares in the association; ana
1t is certain that departmental influence
IS used to collect the notes. There is a
small banking concern mixed up in this
particular deal, and it is understood they
furnish the money with which the man
ayers operate. Shylocking is not a very
reputable business in any case; but when
it is practiced on the unsophisticated fe-
male clerk of the department. and is COM
blned with the constant menace of in
Huence,' il becomes the most contempt
bic form of blackman
Next thing on the senate's programme
viii be Chinese exclusion and oleomar-
garine.
The anti-oleO people talk confidentIyof
getting prompt action by the senate.
Senator Spooner, who is a candidate Tor
reelection will champion the cause of
the poor farmer and his cow