Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-16
Up on Capitol Hill

SIR John Courts Bart. X c. NJ. G., Il.
o. c.. c. B., who, as. plain James c.
Courts serves the United States govern
ment in the responsible position of clerk
of the House committee on appropria-
tons. has his troubles just like other
folks People are all the time Fostering
him to death to know II 1t was his grand
father or his great-grandfather or his
great-great-sra ndfather who used to own
about 10000 acres out here in the state OF
Maryland and who presided over the
feudal glories of Clean Drinking Manor.
And every time he gets through with
one of these historic bugs and settles
down to work a delegation of home folks
from Tennessee drops in on him and de-
mands to know why he accepted from the
Emperor Of korea-before that eminent
parsonage was sat upon by the Japanese
the military order Of the Setting Moon.
third class and wears the undress button
that goes with 1t all the time.
But even these annoying things pale
into insignificance beside an incident that
happened just the other day. Mr. Courts
has his nose in a chaotic appropriation
bin and was debating 10 four adding ma
chimes all at once when straight
backed. straight-nosed, white-muSta Oh ed
white-haired and extremely dignfied old
gentleman marched into the committee
room. He was looking for his member
and as the member wasn't on hand, had
turned around to go out again, when he
caught sight of Mr. Courts.
There was moment of tenseness and
of pause-S hiatus in other words. And
then the old gentleman advanced and cast
himself perfectly dignified east-on
Mr. Courts bosom, clutched MIR. Courts
hand. patted Mr.. Courts shoulder and
gazed into Mr.. Courts eyes. And as a
dozen or so members of the appropria-
tions committee gathered around the cd
gentleman exploded his bomb.
Captain" he said to Mr.. Courts. II am
noah than happy to meet you again.
consider this the lappiest day of my life.
my dear comrade in arms. Well I re-
member the days when. side by side. knee
to knee. we followed the fortunes of that
flower Of chivalry, that most dashing Of
Gen. J. Il. B. Stuart
OF course it was AZ case of mistaken
identity. Sir John says so himself. But
nevertheless II was embarrassing. And
he's going to ask for couple OF more as
sistants. for. with this Clean Drinking
Manor story and the Setting Moon button
and the Confederate cavalry yarn, he's
just fairly pestered to; death and hasn't
time to do his regular work.
o course there's going to be a row over
the joint Gallinger-Smith resolution pro-
viding for the use Of the pension office for
the inaugural ball. Uncle Joe swore last
year by all that was bad and unhOly that
never again-n-e-va-r a-g-a-i-n-would
the pension office be used for. that pur-
pose. So a newspaper man who asked
him about it the other day expected to
be ASA ulted.
But he wasn't. He says that after using
purple language for eleven minutes Cnc'e
Joe paused in the middle of the letter F.
in-in a word-passed his hand YEARLY
over his brow and remarked. but what's
the use. 1 suppose we'll have to do 1t
after ALL
But this, 1t must be borne In mind, is
merely report, a little uncorroborated
report.
Maine has the distinction of having the
two United States senators who have
been longest in continuous service in the
upper branch of Congress. Eugene Hale
first became a senator March 4. 1851, and
Just eleven days later William Pierce
Frye took his seat. Until last summer
william Boyd Allison. Of Iowa held this
distinction. having begun his service
March 4, 1878 but his death gave tine
rank of first and second to Maine.
There's one mighty curious thing about
Mr. Frye. the president pro tempore of
the Senate. He's the greatest stickler for