Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-07-20
TAKES A BACK SEAT
Washington Not Politically
Prominent Just Now.
LEADERS ARE AWAY
PREPARING TO MOVE THE RE-
PUBLICAN PRESS BUREAU.
Government Printing Office Kept Busy
Turning Out Campaign Material
to Be Sent to the Voters.
LEADERS ARE AWAY

washington is on the map tneSe Gays, pO-
litically. Nothing doing is the word all
along the line. The President away, most
Of the cabinet off snoozing in a hammock
somewhere; National Chairman Cortelyou
in Philadelphia, with his frying pan; Con-
gressional Chairman Babcock at Atlantic
City with his fishing rod and a long, cool
glass Of something.
Occasionally a sad-eyed congressman
wanders through the half-deserted halls of
the departments, looking for stray bits of
patronage and rudely awakening the minor
heads of bureaus from their siestas. The
fountains splash lonesomely in the public
gardens; the big, shady thoroughfares are
deserted most of the day. save for an oc-
caslonal officer clad in summer fannels or
white duck. Official and social Washington
are off to mountain or seashore or fol eign
strand
So that makes it pleasanter for those
still held in town by thrall of business or
duty. The big hotels uptown, with their
broad. high-ceilinged lobbies are cool and
inviting, but are entertaining as guests
mainly foreigners on their way to the fair
or tourists breaking the journey eastward.
The street cars are not crowded ana the
town looks mighty pretty and sweet to
people who have been in the sweltering,
smoky. restless west for spell.
Hard Time for Correspondents.
Probably the only really unhappy people
astir are the hundi ed or more correspond
ents of out-of-town newspapers and the po-
litical writer's who feel it incumbent upon
them to make a showing. These busy spr-
Its resent the subordination of the cipital
to New York and Esopus, and are jealous
CT the removal of public interest TO those
places. They are accustomed to imagining
the reading public reaching Tor the paper
l,efn
Washington and as day after day goes by
and they cannot get display heao story
on the front page they regard the SITUATION
as mighty dlScouraglng.
Senator Scott was a life-saVer yester-
day but they could not work him over
today like German fried potatoes. FROM
the number of differently worded inter-
views with him that went out last nlSnt,
all on the same topic, he must have done
nothing all day but talk. 1t is fearful to
contemplate what might happen II a
bunch of real live ones should come to
town.
Campaign Schemes Offered.
Up at temporary republican national
Headquarters Secretary Elmer Dover
finds nothing more strenuous to do than to
meet the score of lithograph and button
men who come a-running with their
schemes, hotfoot every day. Some of
the Autographs that are offered are, as
works of art and designing, fearfully and
wonderfully made. There is one entitled
Our Perpetual Star" Chats RoosevelD.
1t is a pictorial allegory of his life, re-
plete with stirring scenes Of battle and
bivouac; of peaceful conquests on field
and farm: stacks of books to represent
his literary labors; the White House in
the foreground; dove of peace circling
over it, bearing the olive branch Of arbi
tration, and beneath two crossed swords.
Eastern Secretary Coolidge. who is to
conduct the press bureau. is packing up
the scissors, paste pot, blue pencil and
wastebaSket and will soon remove to New
York with his entire editorial parapher-
MALTA and the office cat. Just at present
he is suffering from an effusion of verse,
sent in from many quarters by ambitious
poets who want to immortalize the candi-
date and the party in song.
The Republican Handbook
The campaign hand book, which is to
eclipse any previous effort, is being pre-
pared by competent hands and will be on
the press soon President Roose-
velt's letter of acceptance is ready. Edi-
tors have been busy on the volume since
early spring, and it Is to be a standard
work of statistics and valuable data.
Congressional Chairman Babcock will
move up to New York next week and open
headquarters for lie congressional com
mittee in the st. James building, 26th and
Broadway. Representative Overstreet sec
retary Of the committee, is now in Indian
apolis, but will pass through Washington
next Friday evening his way to New
York. Col. Dave Moore who has been in
charge of the shipping department In the
Union building will continue business at
the old stand getting out speeches from the
government printing office.
Government Printing Office Busy.
The government printing office has been
very busy for weeks turning out speeches
for both the democratic and congressional
committees, and in short time now the
postal facilities Will be heavily taxed to
handle them, as they will go out under con-
gressional franks. Indications are that an
unusually large amount of frankable mat
ter will be handled in this campaign. In
the closing days OF the last session both
parties packed the Record with political
The republicans especially were busy and
tive McCleary got in enough matter to run
a campaign without any further ado, If nee
essary. The democrats made several SINH
lar plans.
These speeches will be cut into sec
tions and shipped out under frank the the
ory of the democratic and republican man
ayers being that there is nothing more i'm
portant to the people or nothing upon
which the government has more right to
pay the freight than this information for
the guidance of the voters.