Omaha daily bee., 1910-02-03
Washington Life
Some Interesting Phases
and Conditions Observed
at the nations Capitol.

Of explanation. Senator Norris Brown OF
Nebraska has a conspicuous picture In the
bunch, posed at his desk In a studious
attitude. evidently contemplating what the
fates have In store for his sixteenth
amendment. The writer says of him;
Senator Norris Brown Of Nebraska Is one
of the able and ccmpanionable insurgents
who is capable Of saying fiery things with
tremendous vehemence. But for all the
cutting things ne believes Il Is In the line
Of his duty to say at times, privately he
has Admitted that It is most distasteful
to him to be compelled to hurt the feel
ings OF tho other fellow.
When the exasperating tariff session
was nearing its close a friend Of the Ne
braskan said to him:
Senator Brown, what sort Of session
did you put in? Did you enjoy it hugelyY'
This, of course, was a direct reference
to many spirited tongue lashings that
Brown as an insurgent had dealt the reg
ulars.
ION the contrary replied the senator
in q confidential way and with a serious
look that could not be denied, 1T was the
l-onesomest session Of my life, and I'm
heartily glad it's over"
He, like Beveridge and Nelson and his
ANAAhN n1haA NAheN
In fact, a majority Of the ~iBsurgents-are
self-made men. Burkett, who is only AZ,
and, therefore, to be numbered among the
youngest senators from the beginning Of
that body, is reminiscent in appearance
Of Buchanan, both in body and counte-
nance. As a member Of the house he
gained the reputation of being a sort Of
watchdog Of the treasury, and that he is
conscientious as a. senator his bitterest
rivals have been heard to admit.
Talk about the complications OF life
Uncle Sam has his troubles. Interesting
facts are CLEANED from the blue book Of
1865, which has just been issned by the
Census department. The number OF fed
eral workers ON the government payroll Is
now rapidly approaching 400, 1000, which rep
resents a 20 per cent increase in about two
years.
The Treasury department leads with an
enrolment of almost 1000 persons, and
Secretary MacVeagh has the largest pay
roll Of any cabinet official. Over $31, 100000
are paid to 5000 persons in Washington,
averaging a little over $1,000 each. This
will be increased during the coming year
by the 5000 people to be added to the
Census department, which will soon evap-
orate the additional appropriation of So
900, 900. All other states and territories take
a back seat in the rear of the national
capital when it comes to the enjoyment Of
Unole Sans payroll, when compared to the
District of Columbia Residents of this
area receive over S7,oOO.OOo of the budget;
New York follows with q compensation for
governmental service aggregating a little
over 50, 00O, 900. Arizona Is the most modest
In the sisterhood of states in regard to the
money received, as her officials only re-
ceive a total of $4,000 Strange to say, the
executive department of the government
does not stand high on the payroll or in
regard to the number of persons employed;
only forty-three persons all told are en-
gagged in attending to the business and
personal affairs of the president of ethe
United States, and the executive depart
ment of the greatest nation on EARTH" as
Barnum would say 1t. ,E,.
The life Of a senator is not always quiet
and without excitement: especially is 1t
so Of q new senator, and until he gets used
to the many little kinks Of a senator's
everyday program, he is often Jared and
sometimes positively frightened. In the
rooms of the senate office building, among
the many wrinkles that those rooms CON
tain, is a bell which rings for a call Of
the senator, and executive session, ad-
journment, etc. A new senator. who was
spending his first day in his luxurious
quarters writing to the folks at home, was
startled by three rings Of the bell. The
senator jumped up, grabbed his hat and
coat, and made a bee line for the door.
Hey, senator, what's the natter" called
out his clerk, who, by the way, has been
there some time. The building is on
fire. Didn't you hear the fire bell?"
Come back, senator. that is the signal for
executive session." The new solon went
back and resumed his writing, but very
reluctantly.
The most conspicuous opponent OF SEN
ator Aldrich in the tariff struggle, re-
lates the National Magazine, was Jona-
than p. Dolllver of Iowa, but despite that
senator's wit, eloquence and u%ndisputed
talent he found himself in
the votes which carried the bill through
to a brilliant finish. Senator Dolliver is
a born orator and seldom writes an ad-
dress, preferring to deliver 1t straight
from the shoulder in massive periods. He
more closely approaches the giant stature
of Webster In this respect than any man
now on the floor in the senate. The Iowa
boys always remember Jonathan P. Dol
liver as a popular speaker, though he in
sists that his speeches "are written out
in the agony Of toll, under the heat and
glare of the gas Jet"
The son OF a Methodist minister, SEN
ator Dolliver entered early upon a pollti-
cal career; he had the old-fsshloned way
of using anecdotes TO illustrate his points,
which was then considered effective,
though he may have changed his style
with the ines. He is one OF the orators
who frankly admit that they like to
talk" a taste he thinks he may have
inherited from his father and grandfather
the latter a Massachusetts seafaring man,
whose cargo of cotton during the war Of
1872 was confiscated by General Jackson.
If he had his grandson's e~loquence 1t is
probable that he made some remarks that
would have been worthy OF preservation.
When preaching on a large circuit la Vir-
ginla, and often riding 200 miles In a week,
Mr.. Delivers father met the woman who
became his wife, and that is the reason
that the senator halls from West Virginia
and was educated at the state university
there.
After his graduation, at the age Of II.
the young man decided to migrate TO I'LL