The National tribune., 1904-08-04

k& f. p .NEWC:a

course there is red tape to burn in the
marine game of baseball, but the jackies
get the exercise, tape or no tape. Most OF
them do not like it little bit.
A mighty howl is going up from the
Government Navy Yards throughout the
country. The employees of the Navy Yard
in Washington. by an act of Congress, are
given half-holiday every Saturday in
July, August and September. Now the
Navy Yards elsewhere want to know why
does not seem right. The Government EN-.
plOyes of the District of Columbia get
about five times as many favOrs as the
Government employees of any other section
of the country. 1t has about 10 regular
holidays established by Congressional en-
actment. to say nothing Of special ones
which are all the time being granted.
Senator James X. Jones. who was chair
man of the Democratic National Commit
tee up to last week, and has been for eight
years, says that he does not approve of a
'hullabaloO' campaign. Senator Jones re-
members, perhaps. that he inaugurated
that sort of campaign four years ago
and "hullabalOoed" things up from one end
of the land to the other and back again,
all to no purpose.
The Republican National Headquarters
in Washington have been closed and the
political chessbOard has been duplca ted,
one going to New York and the other to
Chicago, where the politicians will now be-
gin to manipulate the pieces. Both cities
are going to be very warm all during the
campaign. New York City will be the
great battle-ground, and Secretary Cortel-
you expects-well. now, what does he ex-
pect, anyhow? He expects that Roose-
welt will be elected but whether it will be
by aid of New York votes is another prop
osition, and he has not discussed it.
Young Theodore Roosevelt teaches a
class of small boys in the Episcopal Sun
day School in Oyster Bay. The boys are
aged from six to nine.
Theodore. jr.. Archie and Kermit are at
the st. Louis Exposition. They went in
care of an older Roosevelt cousin, and
have with them some of their young chums
from Oyster Bay. They are having grand
times, and the Exposition authorities have
arranged their plans to give the party the
time of their lives.
1t is estimated that $4,000 people have
gone away from Washington for the Sum-
mind the probable detention of herself and
the President in Washington for the next
five or six weeks. however. They came
back last Thursday night to the White
House, and the First Lady in the Land
seems to be in the best of health and
spirits. The White House has been whiten-
ed up inside and ont, and looks as cool
and sweet as can be. 1t is dear old
house, with so many memories hanging
al hot Ia ohnI -
and all take a proprietary interest in it.
Mrs. Roosevelt found all her oldfashioned
pOsies in full bloom. and the parlors were
filled with punches of them when she got
back. The President looks tanned little.
and improved by his outdoor life. Presi-
dent Roosevelt does not stand "coopng''
up very well. He likes his saddle for a
pillow and the sky for 'coverlid."
There died in Washington last week
David Wolfe Brown. who was probably
the foremost stenographer in the world.
He certainly was in this country. He had
been employed in the House Of Repre-
sentatives for 40 years as a stenOgrapher.
With an unsurpassed experience in the
highest and most exacting forum, the
House of Representatives, which Benn
Pitman pronounced the most difficult body
in the world to report, he came to be re-
garded as an authority i'm his profession
\ few months ago he received letter
from Oliver Dyer the renowned shorthand
teacher, who had been his instructor. re-
questing the student who had become SO
famous to send him a book of which Mr.
Brown was the author. Mr.. Dyer desired
to give it to child. AS an instance of his
wide reputation, only week before last he
received q letter from a stranger, desiring
to buy sheet of his note book used on the
floor Of the House.
Mr.. Brown was a Pennsylvania by
birth, and was 60 years old. During his
service in the House he had reported some
of the most famous speeches and debates
Ill America. The human tongue could not
speed more rapidly than his nimble fingers
could record the utterances. Mr. Browns
relation to the speakers of the House was
peculiar. Mixed metaphors, grammatical
errors, and minor mistakes had to be
Strengthened out before the reports were
printed i'm the Congressional Record the
following day. Mr.. Brown was admirably
suited for this work. having a thorough
command of English. He was the Nestor
OF this group of remarkable men. the
stenographic reporters Of the House.
whose pay is exactly that of a member of
the House, $4,000 year: And they earn it.
The stenographers Of the House and
Senate are all men OF sterling qualities of
mind and heart, and must necessarily be
men of good physical condition. for they
could not stand the exactiOns of their life
if they were not. There are always sew
eral on duty. and there are understudies
who sometimes practice for years at TAX
ing down speeches before they are fully
qualified for their duties.
There are times when a roll-call of the
especially il the calls follow each other
with mOnOtOnOus regularity at intervals of
about 40 minutes all through the day. but
even rOll-calls have their purpose, and that
purpose is becoming apparent now These
rOll-calls make splendid campaign mate
rial. The Opposition" and that means
both parties, have men at work on these
roll-calls as found i'm the Congressional
Record. Where it is found that an "oppo-
sltiOn' member was present but not vot-
ing" or that he was absent a good deal,
which will be shown by the rOll-call, it
makes very fine campaign material to use
against a man who wants to he returned
to Congress. They show that he "dodged''
vote OH important matters. not wanting
to go on record with a plain yes or mo. -
That he had too much important bust
ness to attend to away from the city, and
that he ought to be relegated to the stay
can just wager your 'haid.' if you like.
AI..N III