New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-12-04
VICE PRESIDENT SHEER
v MAN enters the Senate

before noon on the f1rSt NlOlludy III l)cOS
Der, preceded by the sergeant at arms, ana
followed by the chaplain and the secretary
He steps to the side of the desk of the pre-
siding officer: the chaplain ascends to the
Vice Presidents platform. Then, exactly
at noon, with a small ivory gavel, the wee
President gives one emphatic rap on tile
desk and slowly says:
1.-The Senate will be in order. The chaP-
lain will offer prayer"
After the invocation, the chaplain de-
parts. the Vice President ascends to his own
place. sits down in his big mahogany chalr'
and says:
"The Secretary will read the journal OF
the proceedings of the last Legislative day.
Thus begins the third session OF the Dell
ate of the Sixty-frst Congress. he com
mon name of it is 1.-The short session., De
cause the life of this Congress will expire at
noon on March 4, 1911.
Visitors in the galleries take curious, m
curing interest in the seven bright niue
bows who sit on the Carpeted brass ralleu
steps on each side of the dais of the wee
President and the secretary; little fellows
who are soon seen, one by one, ScuIIyi.iS
hither, thither, and yOn on mysterious mis-
sions bent. The pages are messenger DoyS
for the Senators. Charles Dickens wrote OF
them as 1.-THE rushing, dancing little pucikS
of pages" They are employed during the
sessions of the Senate at two ana nan uol-
lars day; and that means thirty or thlrty-
one days a month, whether the Senate IS III
session every day or not. :.
These pages live officially in an age limit.
They must be no less than twelve nor more
than sixteen wears old. At the age OF SIX
teen the bows are too large for knee breecheS
and are dropped, their places being filled by
bows twelve wears old. Pages are never
removed on account of politics albert the
little fellows have political views and know
how to express them. When his seventeenth
birthday dawns, it is usually sorry day tor
the page boy; for it may be a long time be-
| fore he can have so good an income; certain
| " many years before he can earn so much
with so little physical and mental effort.
Some Stay for Life
PUT sometimes the boys are not dismissed missed
u when they reach the age limit. Alonzo
| H. Stewart of Iowa was an exceptionally
| bright boy, and he was continued on duty as a
| riding page" In that capacity he was en-
ploved for the entire year, and had horse
| 1t was the duty of a riding page to carry
| messages for Senators to executive depart
ments and to all points in the national Capt.
tai Little LOnny Stewart was promoted to
the position of deputy sergeant at arms OF
the Senate. Ten years ago he came within
one vote of being made sergeant at arms.
He remained with the Senate th1rty-tour
years until about a year ago. when he re-
signed to engage in private business:
| Little Karl Loeffler was very popular. He
was retained in the service after reaching the
age 1imit,-was riding page, and pair clerk,
was elected to succeed Stewart, and seems
| to be fixture for life with that august body.
| Dell Sumner was fat, sleek, good natured,
happy page boy who carefully attended to
business; so that when he reached the age
| limit he was retained, and is now on the
democratic side of the Senate as super1n-
tendent of pages, and he also IS fixed for life
The Senate does not make changes in the
personnel of the minor places merely for po-
| litiCal profit.
There are now fourteen pages on the floor
of the Senate, and four riding pages. The
former. as stated, receive two dollars and a
half day during the long and short sessions
of Congress- The riding pages receive nine
hundred and fifty dollars a year, their pay
going on whether the Senate is in session or
not. Usually they have enough to do, al
| though thew are not rushed with business