Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-02-26
FOUND IN THE TALL GRASS.

Inc annual report of the secretary
OF the senate contains the itemized
statement of expenditures from the
contingent fund, and as usual this doc.
ument is repository of curious and
useful information. Its jumbled pages
likewise enshrine some mysteries
The most pathetic entry is this. in
the statement of unexpended appropri-
ations:
Expenses of senate committee.
funeral of William Mckinley. SOC. OF
One cent left!
The vast extent of the legislative
operations of our government is re-
Elected in these specified disburse-
ments, which have an extraordinary
range. While it appears that only
twelve packs of playing cards and
three packages of the game of domi-
noes were ordered during the fiscal
year on the account of the senators,
they consumed not less than a dozen
quarts of hair tonic, costing $3.50 at
wholesale, and the generally prevailing
conditions of prosperity are indicated
by their acquisitions for not less than
1852 pocketbooks and purses, varying
in price from 4S cents to $2S, besides
eleven of the so called mesh bags of
gun metal or sterling silver which are
hung at the waist, four beaded bags"
and three wrist bags" Three sena-
tors INDUCED in manicure sets, and
one copy of Bowley's Elements of
Statistics"
Charged also to the contingent fun
is the remarkable total of 900 grains
of quinine, purchased at different
times on the sanitary account of the
senate.
But the staggering entry is this:
April 2s-5 pounds Copenhagen
snuff ,.......:.... S3.75
For which senatorial nose?
Washington Post-Representative
Lacey of Iowa has had remarkable
experience WI book agent, and
thereby learned thing or two.
THE other day received a circular
letter from New York firm" says he,
calling my attention to a certain pub
LEGATION in which | happened to be in
terested and offering to send me a
prospectus. | answered one afternoon,
that should like to see the prospect
us.
The next morning before had ris-
en-, book agent was pounding on my
door. It was the liveliest prospectus
/ ever received, and about as quick
work in getting busy as / ever ex-
perienced."
Minister Bowen who is conducting
the peace negotiations with the allies
was one of the first to suffer from the
Venezuelan blockade. When he re-
ceived the first hint that President Gas.
tro might send him to Washington to-
make terms with the powers, MI. Bow
ems wardrobe consisted almost entire
ly of the linen suits worn in the trop-
les. He cabled tailor in London who
had his measurements, to send him by
the first ship some clothes that could
be worn in Washington. The first
boat stopped by the blockading fleet
carried Mr. Bowen's new clothes and
he. has no hope of getting them until
the blockade is lifted The first man
that Mr.. Bowen hunted for when he
landed in the United States was a tail
or
Iowa is not in luck, prospectively,
in the matter of committee chairman
ships in the fifty-eighth congress, in
fact will stand lower than it has done
for number of years. In the fifty
fourth congress Iowa had chairman
ships as follows, and all of them i'm
Judiciary, public lands. mill
tary affairs, enrolled bills, printing, in
terstate and foreign commerce Be
sides this, Mr.. Dolliver was near the
nf hn nd
tee, which was as good as a chairman
ship, and other members We're promi-
nent on big committees. In the next
congress Iowa members will hold the
following chairmanships: Interstate
and foreign commerce, military affairs
and public lands. Losing, as the state
will the high Office of speaker, in con
nection with the other losses men
toned, the state will not have near
the prestige in congress that was ac-
corded her five years ago: but, thanks
to her able representatives, she has
borne her great honors modestly and
well.
A house of pure gold from the mines
of Colorado, for which $10,000,000 will
be loaned by the government, may be
one of the features that may go to
make up Colorado's exhibit at the st.
Louis worlds fair. For some time the
members Of the state fair commission
have had the idea under consideration,
and it is due to their initiative and
the assistance of Senator Teller that
the plan will materialize. Private adj
vices from Washington stated Senator
Teller has written letter to the sec
rotary of the treasury asking for the
loan of $10,000,000 to be placed in the
Colorado building at the st. Louis ex.
position. Secretary of the Treasury
Shaw said he saw no reason why the |
gold could not be loaned under prop
er guarantee. He said he was not ia.
miliar with the precedents which
might apply to such request and
that possibly there might be some law
or regulation which would prevent the
government from placing the money
at the disposal of the trustees in
charge of the Colorado exhibit The |