Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-04-28
By Frederick Boyd Stevenson.

Copyright, 1907. by FREDERICK boyu SteNensoi''
~ the sixth floor of the Arcade build
ing on South 18th street, Philadel-
pha In room 6O5 IN a somewhat
shabby law Office. On the floor Of the recep-
ton room is a well-worn nondescript carpet
of mixed pink and gray. Backed against
the baseboards are stiff armchairs of oak.
In the center of the room Is big oak
table on one end of which are stacked up
out-of-date directories and telephone books.
On the walls are pictures hung as one
imagines pictures ought to be hung in Phil
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. proper as to angles
These pictures consist of an old print of the
National Capitol: another print, more
modern of the capitol of the common
wealth of Pennsylvania: a photograph or
the court of honor of Philadelphia; an I'M
mense panoramic photograph of the launch
ing of the warship Maine In 1901; care
fully engrossed testimonial from the town
of Lebanon to Boies Penrose, Our honored
congressman" for securing $4,000 fed
eral building for the municipal corporation.
Then there is a map of Russia and Japan
and beneath it on the floor are stacked a
half dozen wooden boxes containing dozen
boxes each Of salve for horses with the adj
monition: BE sure the horse works In
addition to these furnishings there is a
large box Of mineral water with jackets of
straw on the bottles that suggest the idea
of popping Corks and songs whose burden
ia, For He's a Jolly Good Fellow, which
Nobody Can Deny.
In the room beyond are sixty-fve or
seventy law books interspersed freely with
more out-of-date city directories and state
and national government reports leaning
lazily against one another. The room
farther on IS the private office of Senator
Poies PenTose who has hung out his law
single on the outer door of this suite. In
a h4pO f4trlrd and
are Matching the political moves of the
Penrosc wing of the republican party of the
great state Of Pennsylvania. In this re-
CtptiOn room with the notified carpet the
straiEht-aHEled prints and photographs. the
horse saIve and the mineral water, assem-
BILE the statesmen of the commonwealth
and the leaders of the ward combines"
There are some who deny that Penrose
Is the boss Of Pennsylvania. He may be
or he may not oe the state boss, but one
thing was made apparent: He bossed the
so-called Embossed state convention at
Harrisburg last year in a manner that in
dicatcd his supreme command of the situa-
ton at that time That his rule me-
chanical and made for political reasons was
indicated by the fact that he was personally
unacquainted with certain of the candi-
dates. Soon after the adjournment of the
station waiting for a train for Philadelphia
when man came up to him and said:
How are you. SENATOR
Penrose glanced at the speaker and
grunting out some unintelligibe reply
turned TO 20 to the other end of the sta
tio1.
See here" insisted the man, Il guess
you don't know me, do yOu?'
i have never had the pleasure Of meet
ing YOU growled the senator in his gruff
est and most satirical tones.
Never heard of me, then?' queried the
man.
Penrose was getting warm.
No he Numbered with a burst OF pie
turesque adjectives for which he is noted
''and ! don't want to hear of you
Well said the man, dryly, Il am Prof
Houch whom YOU insisted few hours age
in nominating for secretary OF internal af-
The HI you are" exclaimed Penrose
putting out his hand. Il am glad to meet
YOU
humor IN his makeup is evidenced by re
mark he made concerning that same con
Vention.
1T was the cleanest piece of politica
work in the history of the state" said he.
How was that?" asked friend.
Why" replied Penrose only one dele
gate even limited to me that he would lik
10 he corrupted. That was a delegate from
Clarion county, and he came to me an,
said: See here. old man; one of two thing
must happen. Either / get my expenses L
dictates of my own conscience
AS an after-dinner speaker Penrose is a
his best. 1t is then that his friends-ant
sometimes those who not his friends
say he loosens up. Some even say that h
INDUCES In what Gov Hughes OF New
York, designated during his campaign
against Hearst as loose" talk. But TO
the most part, Penrose is a hard man t
get TO talking. He Is also hard man t,
find. Col W. X. Andrews, who is his sec
rotary, and also chairman of the Pennsyl
vania state republican committee. and sec
rotary of the United States Senate com
mittee on post offices and post roads, say
* is on account of Penroses popularity
Others have different opinions in the mat
Ger.
''Oh everybody likes the senator" say