Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1908-04-01

died within a period Of about min,
months and the senators look eacF
other in the face and inquire "wht
next?"
| Perhaps the most singular mortuary
event in the record of the Senate il
that the oldest senator and the
youngest senator, sitting side by side
in the chamber. should have died
within five days of each other. The
crepe was barely taken from the desk
OF Senator Whyte until it was re-
quired to tell the same mournful story
Oh the desk Of Senator Bryan.
1t will be recalled that three
months ago reference was made in
this correspondence to the unusual
nature of the rear row of desks on the
democratic side. Since then strange
things have happened. OF the seven
occupants of those desks, Senators
Whyte and Bryan are dead, Senator
Gore, the blind man from Oklahoma,
has been slammed into his seat. figur-
atively speaking, by the blunt re-
marks of Senator LaFollette. Senator
jeff Davis. Of Arkansas, has been In
his seat but two or three days since
the session began and is now perform.
ing vaudeville stunts in his own
state. Senator Owen, the "Indian
Senator. has made himself famous
as debater, and has changed his
seat. Bob Taylor. of Tennessee, who
fiddled his way into the Senate. and
Bankhead, who was defeated by Hob
son for the House only to find himself
appointed senator by reason of the
death OF Senator Pettus, of Alabama,
the occupants of the remaining two
desks. seem to regard them as "hoo-
dooed" III some way and prefer to
borrow somebody else's seat. Verify
that rear row is one to be avoided.
July lst next there will be a
vacancy in the White House due to
the promotion of the Presidential
barber and applications for the
position which pays a salary of $1,000
a year. without civil service require.
ments. may now be filed 1t is hardly
probable that many Iowa BARRIERS or
tOnsOrial artists from other states will
rush for the job when they know
what is expected. A senator who has
seen the President and the barber in
action speaks of it as follows:
1.-THE position of White House bar
ber brings $1,000 to the right man, but
the aspiring knights of the strop can
take William Dulany's word for it
that the mental strain connected with
the exalted position alone is worth
that sum in full Cabinet officers
and others. who have been called in
during this performance for chat on
some topic which was not to be side
tracked by the President, even for so
important a diversion as a shave. can
enlighten prospective applicants for
the place as to the daily nerve testing
task OF a Presidential shave.
Mr. Roosevelt summons the razor
artist each day just before lunch
hour. 1t is frequently just at the close
of an animated CABINET meeting OF
conference with some official, and the
lively conversation is transferred from
the Cabinet room to the BARRIERS
chair. Without hesitation the
argument or the reminiscence con-
tinues, animated by profuse use of
the index finger. the sweeping nf the
hand or the arching of eyebrows.
Rv the way of emphasis, the Presi-
dent. i'll his earnestness, has been
known TO rise to half erect posture.
his right fore-fnger poised, words
pouring forth in "A flood as "a sort of
garrison finish to an argument, all
the while Dulany's keen razor never
a pass and never bruising a
pore of the cuticle in that critical
space around the carotid artery. when
most BARRIERS pray for quiescence and
most patrons hope for steady ton
serial nerve.
The battle of La Guasimas has been
fought, wolves and bears brought to
bay with startling fidelity TO nature,
battleship evolutions demonstrated,
whole campaigns of the civil war
fought to "a finish. aud great national
policies dissected and elucida.ed in
that barber chair without interruption
in the tOnsorial work or greater dam
age than the setting on edge the
nerves and the raising the hair of the
Presidential friends who had been
taken into those sacred precincts to
conclude the topic under consider
alton when the barber's hour had ar
rived.
Mr. Dulany. the wonderful razor
artist who is about to give up this
job, has been studying at night
school, passing the civil service ex-
animation. is to be appointed book
keeper in the treasury at salary of
$1,000 per year. The President felt
that Dulany deserved something better
and was glad in one sense to give him
the promotion, but at the same time
he felt that his like would never
again be seen in the White House.
As the senator said:
"They will never get another one
like Dulany. He deserves his new
job. He is entitled to the increased
pay. and his nerves are entitled to the
rest. He has set wonderful record
for his profession to follow. Herr
mann's most mystifying trick loses in
with Dulany's bravery in
daily restoring to the nation its Presi-
dent without scratch or blemish
after one of those feats in the ton
serial chair"
1t should not be imagined, however.
ho ho nj ho D~oc,Jn,< o..~