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

They are telling good story about a
prominent New Yorker who is one of the
national legislators. 1t happened In the
reat CT the late presidential campaign,
and the place was Salem, in Marion
county, ILL.,, the birthplace of William
Jennings Bryan. The New Yorker was
down for a speech that afternoon.
When the party of republicans got off
the train they had but few minutes to
reach the hall. They jumped into an
automobile and were whisked through
the streets at high rate of speed. One
of the party who was sitting with the
driver turned around and told the speaker
not TO forget that he was in Bryan
birthplace. The driver overheard and a
few minutes later as they whiZzed by
house in the door of which was a white
haired woman he informed the New
Yorker that there was the exact house IN
which the democratic nominee first saw
the light
And that is-mother in the door,"
shouted the driver just as the engine of
the machine gave an unusually loud
puff
you don't say So" exclaimed the poll
iician.
was finishing his speech. He was prais-
ing the democratic nominee as man
whose convictions were honest. whose
character was above reproach, but who
was enlisted in false cause.
Yet he is man of whom his native
city may we'll be proud" he went on.
land no matter whether he is defeated or
elected-and l believe he will be defeated
his old mother. whom l saw standing IN
the doorway today in your beautifui CITY,
Iii hon n h0S0m
as a son who has done his duty as he
saw it and deserves her love-
1t was fine. EVERYBODY in the visiting
party said So But somehow it hadn't
made a hit with the audience. There
had been complete silence at the close.
Just as the speaker was about to leave
the platform a Salemite tiptoed up to
the New Yorker and whispered in his ear:
'Bryan's mother has been dead eight
years. he said. :
..'rhen it must have been the drivers
mother announced the discounted
speaker. and he got out of Salem as fast
as he could.
A saloonist and an anti-saloonist hap
pened to run into the same senator up at
the Capitol the other day. Both were
anxious to have their views prevail In
the matter of liquor legislation for the
District, and both were trying to get the
senator to express his views on the mat
ter
The senator smiled and was nice to
both, and then he remarked. as he babe
them adieu, You know l nave always
been a strong believer in putting down
drink.
Both the anti and the anti-anti are
wondering yet.
Representative Douglas Of Ohio, who de-
feated Gen. Grosvenor a couple of years
ago, has been reelected. He will be
member of the SiXty-first Congress.
There is a reason for this emphatic an
nouncement at this time. Yesterday Mr..
Douglas approached William Sykes Couch.
correspondent of a large ornate newspaper
out in the Buckeye state. Mr.. Douglas
looked gloomy. His accents were mourn
full.
Mr. Couch. said he. although my
constituents reelected me November .; al
though l will be a member of the Sixty
first Congress; although l have beauti-
fully printed election certificate in my
pocket. l simply can't seem to be any
thing but defeated man in The Washing
ton Star That paper insists on referring
to me as the man who beat Grosvenor
last year and was himself beaten TINS
year. Even when / was swatted on the
head with an opera glass last week
was referred to as a defeated man. II
you know anybody on that paper won't
you ask them please to elect me just
once?'
So this is by way of apology to Repre-
sentative Douglas. He has been reelected
He will be a member Of the SiXty-hrst
Congress.
Thanks are also due to Mr.. William
Sykes Couch, who uncovered the light.
= x X
There has been something or other
printed about Representative-elect John
X Tener. who will succeed Representa-
tive Acheson Of Pennsylvania in the Six
ty-first Congress. But it has never been
related how he got the job.
Mr. Tener was the candidate Of the
Penrose machine and he was put up
to do Mr.. Acheson to turn. Incidental
~, in the public building bill of last year
an appropriation of $4,000 or so for
public building at Charleroi. Pa. Mr.. Te-
ner's home town, was authorized. An
authorization of an appropriation
means that if you stand In you'll get the
real money later. So the voters up IN
Tener got in the bunch of cash would be
Forthcoming with more public pork later
on If Mr.. Acheson were sent back, then
all bets were off and that particular dis
trict would be poor as church mouse
for the next couple of years. 'Tis appar-.
ent from the returns that the voters up
there in Charleroi and vicinity saw the
light Anyhow Mr.. Tener was elected and
the Charleroi improvement fund will be
handed over this session in the sundry
civil bill
Mr. Tener stands six feet four in his
socks. weighs 24O pounds in his birthday
suit and is as strong as steam shovel.
If strength were all that counted in the
House. Mr. Tener would be a power. He
could take the five members of the COM
mittee on rules, knock their heads to-
gether and pile them up in the corner
like fireWood.
incidentally, the last time Mr.. Tener
was in Washington was in 1880, when he
was a crack pitcher on the Chicago base
ball team.
The 'member-elect was chasing around
the Capitol yesterday with John Will
liams of Pennsylvania, the journal clerk
of the House. Mr.. Williams came up