Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1903-02-19
CONTIGUOUS ADVANCE
From Stenographer to a Place
In the Cabinet.
PHASE or THE HANNA SLAVE BILL

Reimbursement Of Former slave
| holders Discussed - The senate
Observation-Disclosures Iminig alton.
| clay of Georgia.
| Washington. Feb. l3.--[ Special. J.
When George r.. Cortelyou becomes the
head OF the new department of com
merce he will probably have reached
the height of his ambition. and GER
tainly his advance has been remark
able. During the last Cleveland adj
ministration Cortelyou was stenogra-
phcr for the fourth assistant postmas-
ter general Robert Maxwell. One day
Cleveland remarked that he was about
TO lose an able stenOgrapher, and Max
we'll told him liz had n mighty good
man, but he did not want to lose him.
After some further talk Cortelyou was
detailed to the White House. He soon
became valuable assistant 70 the
president and did very nearly all of the
secretary's work. When Mckinley
came In, although another was made
secretary, Cortelyou continued TO he
confidential secretary. and when va
cancy occurred Cortclyou was pro-
noted Roosevelt thought so we'll Of
him that he continued him as secre-
tary, ana when 1t became apparent that
n new department was to be crea/.d he
decided to name Cortelyou for the new
cabinet place. From a stenographer in
the postotfice department to the cabi-
net is pretty good rise for any man,
Pay For Slaves.
The Introduction of bill by Senator
Hanna to pension slaves has started
the discussion on another tack. and
there are some people who are serious
~ considering whether the slavehold-
ers should not be paid for the losses
sustained when the slaves were made
free by President Lincoln's proclama-
ton. or course. it is not Il new ques-
ton. but it is new to the extent that
it has been scarcely heard of for
years. As matter of fact the sug-
geation was made ridiculous here
many years ago by the organization Of
n pay for our niggers'' party. 1t was
composed of newspaper men and other
choice spirits, who gathered from time
to time and made blood curdling
speeches and extravagant appropria-
tons. and whenever any man from the
southern country was found who seri-
ously entertained the idea that pay
ment for the slaves was a good thing
a meeting of the "P. +. q. ~" party
was called for his benefit. The bur-
lcsques had the effect of stopping all
talk of this kind until Hannas bill
started it afresh.
The Rules Remain.
Senator Mason of Illinois and the
late Senator White of California are
the only men who served six years in
the senate and who still declared at the
end of their terms that the rules Of the
senate should be changed so as to have
the previous question operate and shut
of debate. These siluriau opigrams,
miscalled the rules of the late" re-
marked White one day when he was
criticislng the method of doing business
in the senate. Mason Is still irrcCon-
cilabe. He thinks now, as he thought
when he entered the senate. that Il ma
iority should have the power TO force
a vote when the debate has gone on
long enough. but aside from Mason
and White all other senators seem per-
fcCtly satisfied, and the rules will not
be changed.
An immigration Promoter.
Representative Eddy OF Minnesota,
who voluntarily retired from congress
sonal life. will give his attention al
most exclusively 10 immigration here
after, He has already visited Norway
and Sweden and laid the Foundation of
the business and will follow it up by
bringing many immigrants to America.
; Naturally he would prefer to have the
desirable immigrants locate in his state
but he Is not going to conilne him
self to the United States and will make
locations in Canada, especially that
portion Of it known as the Northwest
Territories, which lie west OF Man
itoba Eddy says there is no country
superior to that of the great Saskatch-
evan valley and the stretch of prairie
; lying this side of II for the production
of wheat. Ii is known that large mum
beers of people in the United States have
been turning their attention to that re
gion, and some erinate that 10000
people went from this country to the
Northwest Territories OF Canada last
year.
= VIRTUAL Admission"
New Mexico was virtually admitted
as a state twenty-scvcn years ago" de
clared Senator Elkins while discussing
, the statehood bill THE bill passed
both houses. but 1t was so late in til,
I session that | did not get an opportu
nifty to have the senate amendment
considered"
Il would like to ask the senator" in
quircd Senator kean, IF he would no
be satisfied with virtual admission
now"
mo: you fooled us once, but we don
t intend TO let you do It again We wan
actual admission now" replied Elkins
A Credit to His State.
There is good reason why the peopl
, of Georgia should be proud of Senate
: Clay, for he is one OF the younger me
of the senate who are rapidly winning
place in the front rank. He is, in tn
, first place, attentive to his scnatoria
I duties. 1t is very seldom that he
: absent from the senate, and though II
is an earnest and fluent talker he neve
| l,.. INl, hn lln