River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1902-04-10
HOTEL LOBBY CHAT.
An Interesting Feature of Life in
Washington.
Great Men Of the Nation Passing in
Review Before Hotel Frequent
ers-COmments by the Cos
sips of the Town.
rspecial washington Letter.


wv EVERY considerable community
there is hotel, and within its pre-
A cincts are often gathered the lead
ing men of the entire city OF county,
each of them having striking indi-
viduality which it might be difficult
tn depict. During the sessions of the
congress one may find almost every
evening a number of gentlemen OF ma
tional reputation gathered together in
any one of our many hotels and with
them also are commingled the en-
pIoyes of the executive departments
from the humblest to the highest Of
ficials.
Last evening, while conversing with
one of the auditors for the treasury
department in hotel lobby, the sec
retary of the treasury approached,
but was obliged to stop and converse
with half dozen men of eminence be-
fore reaching those whom he desired
to see. This man, whose presence in
any other city would attract the at
tention of all, walked about leisurely
here, among other great men, just as
he might do in hotel at the capital
of his state, where he once ruled as
governor.
Senator Hanna, of Ohio, and Senator
Platt, of New York, two of the most
talked-of men in the political world
during many years, came into the
lobby and spent half an hour quietly
conversing with other senators and
representation, just as some OF your
friends at home would do.
Speaker Henderson, the man who
controls all national legislation by his
| masterful position, came into the hotel
smiling as usual, shaking hands with
everybody who greeted him, and lean
| ing heavily on his cane as he walked
to the elevator and went upstairs to
keep an engagement with senator
who awaited his coming. There came
also Senator Penrose, of Pennsylvania,
| the Youngest and handsomest man in
| the great legislative body, and closely
| following him came the redoubtable
| Senator Tillman, of South Carolina,
| the man who INDUCED in fistlcuffs on
| the floor of the senate.
Every evening one may see similar
panorama of grea, men passing in re-
view, and visitors to Washington are
entertained by friends who point out
| the individuals in the passing show,
| and tell of their characteristics. 70
a visitor from Iowa, the writer said:
'Your idea of Senator Till1nan is en-
tirely wrong. He is not a quarrel
| seeker at all. He is an honest man, a
ruggedly honest man; and his soul re-
volts at some of the procedures of
| our government which everybody
knows are 1amentably wrong. Then,
! again, he is a very bitter partisan, and
unfairly tries to make party advantage
out of some wrongs which are only to
be righted by non-partisan methods.
But he is honest to the core, and as
lacking in polish as piece of slippery
elm. There are men who will tax,
polish: but Tillman is not one of
them"
Senator Mason, of Illinois, entered
the hotel lobby accompanied by Repre-
sentative Hemenway, of Indiana, and
a pretty picture they made; Memenway
six feet tall and slender, Mason five
feet short and round as Santa Claus,
and just as jolly.
| Then came Senator Mcmillan, of
Michigan, accompanied by Mr.. Bah