Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-08-18

LIZ Nh L ~ 1ODx14, ~ ~ w
as well as his horses and often drove to the
Capitol. But he could frequently be seen
walking in order to get not only the air.
but the exercise as well.
Senator Newlands during the early spring,
often came into town from his suburban
home at Chevy Chase in his automobile.
Senator Platt Of New York of necessity
always rides to the Senate
Senator Scott was enamored of his auto
mobile until he became convinced that 1t
was an instrument of murder and then he
sold 1t and declared that he would have
nothing more to do with such dangerous
sport
Perhaps a dozen men In the House OF
Representatives can be seen during sessions
of Congress riding to their offices. but the
number does not much exceed that.
Representative Babcock rides usually In
closed family carriage and is not much
given to walking.
Few Ride in Carriages.
Altogether there is hardly a score Of SEN
ators and representatives who use either
carriages or automobiles in going to and
from the CAPITOL. That is very small num-
Der when one considers that there are ninety
senator's and three hundred and eighty-six
representatives. Practically the entire Con-
gress gets to the Capitol by means of the
street car or on foot. Senator Bai1ey's claim
that he is the only senator who rides to the
Capitol in street cars could be challenged by
most senators and by nearly all the repre-
Santatives. except that a very large portion
of them take their morning constitutional On
the sidewalks of the city. The men who
walk are in many cases posSeSsors of mil
lions. but thew have learned that it is
dangerous thing to forego exercise during
session of Congress. and, as they are busy
men. they walk morning and evening.
Senator Aldrich is one of the men who Is
seldom seen on his way to or from the Capt.
l. -<~1,,o o,uk
of his legislative problems while walking.
He Is nearly always apparently buried In
deep thought when making his way to the
Senate and takes short cut from the Ar
lington Hotel past the court house, along
Indiana avenue. and then by way of New
Jersey avenue. When he meets a friend.
and he is frequently accompanied by some
newspaper man. he proves an interesting
off forbidden subjects that may at that
time be of class that he Is not ready to
discuss
Bacon a Great Walker.
Senator Bacon is a great walker. and sell
dom patronizes even a street car. He travels
by way of Pennsylvania avenue almost in
variably.
Senator Spooner seldom rides. He walks.
and takes his choice of several routes in
order to vary the scenery going and COM
ing.
There are many other persistent pedeS-
trians among the statesmen. They like to
walk. They always walk except In weather
that forbidS such exercise. Some of them
have their fine stables. and others are we'll
able to patroniZe the best of the livery es-
adjustments. But the fact Is they eschew
doing so going and coming from work
The street car companies do not derive
much revenue from them.
So general Is the street car habit among
those who ride that from 10 to II o'clock of
a morning when Congress is in session it is
III % hoo ,t,,rr m
the Capitol without seeing at least one men,
Der of the Senate or the House Of Repre-
sentatives Along the route many others
will be passed who are on foot.
Senator Morgan Is one of the exception
among the vigorous men In the Senate who
for many years has taken practically no ex-
ercise. He almost always uses the street
car line that goes within half block of his
residence on John Marshall place.
The Supreme Court on Foot.
The members Of the United States Su-
preme Court nearly all walk a long distance
to and from their homes in attending the
sessions of the court. There is not single
member Of the court who persistently rides
either in carriage or street car. None of
them is given to the regular use of a car
riage on such occasions. and none Of them
owns an automobile. The venerable Justice
Harlan walks from his home on Columbia
Heights to the Capitol. distance of three
miles. He enjoys IT. too, and II IS only
rarely that he takes car.
If some Of their constituents could see the
kind Of nags their representatives ride be-
hind when they occasionally hire a vehicle
they would be inclined to wish that they
had stables of their own. Many distin-
guiShed senator or representative, whose
name figures prominently in legislative mat
tiers and takes a big place in the headlines
can every now and then be seen travelling
up Or down Pennsylvania avenue in a night
liner that makes sorry spectacle when the
sun Is shining
Not only are the statesmen not inclined to
make market for horsefiesh. but they are
averse to such extravaganza either for
themselves or for government officials. Last
winter Senator Mallory made fight upon
the use of horses and carriages by District
of Columbia officials. and restricted them by
law so that they must be bent upon official
duties in order to excuse themselves for the
use of a horse or carriage. The same spirit
prevails against the too free use OF govern
ment teams by any government official, and
a constant effort has been made to keep the
number of such teams down to the lowest
limit OF course. no senator or representa-
tive ever rides In a government carriage,
and they have to pay for the hire Of one,
except on rare occasions when a committee
goes out on some special mission
So it Is that Senator Bailey could hardly
claim distinction by being a patron of the
street car. The fact Is he. too. is pedes-
TRAN quite as often as patron of the demo-
cratic vehicle that runs on tracks. He Is
often seen walking along the avenue, but In
all of that he Is Just ordinary senator,
doing what other distinguished men are
doing all through the sessions of Congress.
NEWS ITEMS GATHERED