Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1904-12-09
From our regular correspondent.)

I
| President $4,000. and Congressman $40,
000-Sscretary Wilson Scores Success.
tFrOm our regular correspondent)
WASHINGTON, ID. c., Dec. l.
Hope is light diet, but very stimu.
lating-in fact, nourishing. If this
country had gone to the dogs every
time party was defeated in general
election, We should have been in the
kennel OF the CANNES most OF the time
since the first Adams failed of re-elec.
ton. Democratic Congressman who
have arrived in town, whether success.
| full or defeated, are not absolutely cast
down. In truth, they are in a condi-
ton of tolerable good cheer. They
look forward and not back. "Hope
deferred maketh the heart sick; but
when the desire cometh it is a tree of
life" John Sharp Williams in even a
jovial mood shakes hands with his
friends the enemy and quotes to them
the speech of Jean Paul Richter" Hope
is like bad clock, forever striking the
hour OF happiness whether it has come
or not" Cowherd, the political sui.
eide of Kansas City, who sacrificed his
own life in trying to save that OF his
party. is not disconsolate but cheerfully
exclaims, Tomorrow. do thy worst !;
for have lived today"
The Republican members are, of
course, very much inclined to rub salt
in the sore spots of the defeated party.
The hilarious laughter OF "our Chaun-
cey" can be heard resounding all over
town every time he repeats to new
audience his joke about the Irishman
who didn't vote. Sperry of New Hav.
en- is also perfect well-spring OF JOY,
bubbling to the brink. He is the Con.
gresham who, being interrupted by n
question in about the only speech he
ever made, responded Il do not un.
derstand the gentleman. His remark
is entirely amphibious" This enables
defeated Democrats to make some
kind of an amphibious" retort when
Nathaniel attempts to be funny. /
suppose that the vociierous Fuzzy
Wuzzy OF the Senate, Brother Spooner
of Wisconsin, is the least merry OF all
the Republicans here gathered. II is
not too much to call him lugubrious.
He carries his handkerchief in his
hand ready for use, and says in re.
spouse to sympathetic colleagues,
"Yes, it was too blanked trescherous.
You know how l have run my legs off
and sacrificed myself in every way for
Wisconsin, ever since Angus Cameron
was turned down. There hasn't been
q day when l wouldn't run errands for
them barefoot, and now this base in
gratitude! What . comment on hu.
man nature"
The President himself is said to be
more calm and tolerant than before
the ides OF November. 1t is even ex-
pected that he will kick over the traces
with more or less independence in the
permanent freedom that has been Sc
cured him by the election. By this it
is meant that he will construe the
civil service law to mean that his po-
litical opponents have rights, and that
he will appoint TO various offices good
many Democrats besides Cockrell who
were borne away in the unexpected
torrent. Senator Cockrell's inclina.
ton to accept Office at the hand of the
President is not generally disapproved
by Democrats here, who remark, with
Champ Clark, "Of course! That's
the thing to do. Why should he not
spoil the Egyptians"
At the psychological moment when
the fathers OF four young men who
have been killed at football in the
Central States have appealed to their
legislatures TO prohibit the game, some
members of the administration here
have participated by attendance. The
President is reported As refusing to
attend, on the ground that it is too
strenuous for him; but disapproval
does not imply prohibition and nearly
two hundred of the official circle went
to Philadelphia on Friday to witness
the Army and Navy struggle on the
gridiron. Among the visitors were
Secretary Morton of the Navy, and
Acting Secretary of War Oliver. They
went in special cars. The joke OF it is,
If it be a joke, that the next day Sec.
rotary Morton appeared before the
Committee on Merchant Marine and
testified that he had been 80 busy
every moment since his appointment
that he had been unable to learn any.
thing about the naval matters before
the committee and begged to be ex.
cused. The Chairman of the commit
tee considerably forebore to ask him
(which lickedT
Congress will at an early day act
on the proposition for q general in.
crease of salaries, intended how.
ever, for the relief chiefly of those win
have the Target salaries now. 1t is
proposed that the President shall
hereafter have 100000 annually, the
Vice President, 5000, and members
of the Senate and House of Represen.
tatives, $4,000 each. The status OF
Cabinet members is not yet fixed but
they are expected to be content with
$4,000. All this is based on the
theory that it costs great deal more
to live in Washington than elsewhere
(Which it doesn't) and that the cur.
rent expenses involved in holding of.
flee here are necessarily very heavy. A
good many Presidents, Vice Presidents
and members of both houses OF Con.
gress have lived respectfully, if no.
ostentatiously, in Washington on their
salaries alone. and have saved money.
Secretary Wilson, of the Agricul.
tural Department, has acquired q bril-.
liant feather for his cap. For the last
six years he has carried on series O:
experiments to obtain an orange tree
that would stand the frost. He has
now secured more than one variety of
great vitality and endurance by cross.
ing the Indian river orange with a
Japanese hedge stock, by budding and
grating and has obtained "large, lus.
cious. sweet oranges, full OF juice and