Washington State journal and Adams County news. [volume] (Ritzville, Wash.) 1906-1907, 1906-12-12
Washington Chat.

10 hiShy sioIAhOu Will Vic hiniAiSA -
which his message has been received
by congress and by the people gener
ally. Naturally, some criticism of diff
ferent measures was to be expected
and perhaps the stoIm of protests ovel
the recommendations in the japanese
matter was little stronger than was
anticipated, but all in all the president
wears the "de-lighted" smile and tells
his friends and callers that he is
pleased. Before long he will have sub.
mitted to him the editorial comment or
the message made in papers from al
parts of the country. Much of this is
even now piled up on the desk of Sec
rotary Loeb, whose task it will prob
able be to sort out the most import
ant.
The special message on Panama will
not be ready for congress until the
18th of the month, and with it the
president has decided to send number
of photographs illustrating the progress
that has been made on the canal. These
photographs were taken by an expert
photographer and are now in the hands
of the canal commission. It will be
the first time that a presidential mes
sage has ever gone to congress accom-
panied by photographs.
An important feature of the message
will be that portion bearing upon the
scale of wages to fbe paid for trained
and experienced men on the isthmus.
This subject has been discussed with
several officials who have visited
Panama, and now it is said labor leaders
in all sections are to be consulted in
order that satisfactory and perma-
nent scale can be adopted-one which
will end all complaints as to the in
adequacy of wages.
1t is surprising to note the large
number of representatives who have
returned to Washington unaccompa-
MED by their wives. Many will lead
bachelor lives until after the holidays
and then be joined by their families,
while others who have always moved
their entire domestic establishments to
the capitol during previous sessions will
not do SO at all this winter, owing to
the fact that the session will be
brief one. Men of family who have
never been bothered about the house.
holding problem because of their wives
looking after such matters, are giving
earnest consideration to the question of
how to live alone, and in consequence
the hotels and boarding houses are
sheltering many congressman who have
never been domiciled in anywhere in
Washington but "home, sweet home."
Perhaps one of the reasons why some
families were left behind was because
free railroad transportation has not
been obtainable. While the members
themselves are allowed liberal amount
for mileage, no provision is made for
carrying their families to and from
Washington at public expense, so it
looks now as if the present session will
go down in history as "the session of
bachelors"
With buttons and badges shining,
clothes in order and shoes highly
polished, the seven officers and sixty
three privates comprising the capitol
police force, were put through their
annual inspection and drill in the ro-
tunda of the capitol on the opening day
of the session. The inspection is under
the supervision of the sergeant-at-
arms of the senate and is always wit
messed by many senators and represent
tatives, some of whom take special
pride in the drill movements of the
particular policeman who is on the
force through the "say" OF the senator or
member.
1t would be difficult to find more
unique body of men than those guar
dams of the big white building and the
extensive grounds surrounding it, The
senate and house each appoint half the
force, the members of which come from
all over the country. California, Ne
vada, Oregan, Utah and other distant
states ale represented, but with the
with the exception of one man from
Georgia the south has been over
looked.
The force is made up of men of all
sizes, quite number little men
and plenty of large ones. The
member from South Dakota stands
six feet seven inches, and several
others are six feet four. On the
force are college graduates, physicians,
dentists, lawyers and other professional
men; also several students, who use the
position to pay the tuition at the COL
lege they attend at night.
AS yet no action has been taken by
the war department in regard to giving
financial aid to inventors of machines
for aerial navigation to be used for
army purposes in the event of war.
For some time army officials have been