The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-06-11
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER

UUh WASftIN6l Uu LtIlh {
 Washington, June 1.-The ArIing-
 ton Hotel, whose corridors have echo
 ed to the steps of countless celebrities
 during it's half century of existence, is
 being dismantled to make way for a
 gorgeous new hostelry-and as a sort
 of Wake" to the obsequies politicians
 and public men are recounting a new crop of "reminiscences about the old
 hotel. .
 Also, second hand dealers and a few
 wise collectors are reaping bergains
 in the furniture and decorations. When
 the Arlington was built every stick
 of furniture came from the other side,
 and it was of the solid black walnut
 so much in vogue in those days. Half
 a dozen great paftings were imported,
 and artists called on for special can-
 vases to. decorate the corridors and
 been eagerly sought, and brought as- tonishingly low prices. A wonder ful glass chandelier, for instance, went for little over $200. It cost nearly five times that much.
 The Arlington used to pay it's wait CTS S5, cents day wages and the walters, in turn had to pay a "bus
 boy' 76 cents per day. At that it was said the walters paid for the privil- ege of working at the hostelry, be- cause of the abundant tips they re- ceived % t#4 J. Pierpont Morgan always had a suite reserved on the second floor ov- erlooking a park. He wanted the same location in the new Arlington, and so purchased some of the stock in the new hostelry, in order that he | might command this favor. . . vI~sD IT to. the hotel-a small ivy-covered brick house connected with the main | hotel, and fronting on Lafayette Park. The Metropolitan Club former ly had it's quarters in the same place. President Mckinley came to the Ar 1ngton just before his inauguration. He had always stopped there.
 Through long years, the old hotel has held sort of coterie of public men, in much the same way as New York's famous hostelry sheltered the Amen Corner" There were no
 dashy ginger -bready modern fixtures at the Arlington-the service was precise and formal, the wines the most ex- quisite to be obtained, the food above reproach, and about it all was the hal | lowed air of age.
 It has long been the comment in Washington that Uncle Sam doesn't pay his scientific experts very well.
 
 and experience in the government ser 1 vice whose salaries come within the 2,500 mark and many others who do l not get over 5000. All of these are, of course, graduates of colleges, many of them have masters and doctors several years in research work or in I study in foreign universities. It is conceded that a good deal of honor attaches to government position Of this kind, and there are many persons who think that the surplus dignity l and distinction supposed to attach to these positions does not make up for | the lack of pecuniary compensation. Here is a recent case: Dr. George F. Mitchell, expert in tea culture for the United States and an employe of
 the Department of Agriculture has
 been receiving $1.soo a a'year. He has
 charge of the goyernment's tea farm
 at Summerville, A c. and his opin-
 ion and judgment are relied upon in all matters concerning tea. Recently Dr. Mitchell was assigned by the Treasury Department to supervise the inspection of all importations of tea. For this responsible work six months in the year he will receive $1,2OO. The remaining six months he will continue his tea farm experiments and other work for the Department of Agricul- ture and will receive for that $500. A tOtaI or $1,VOO a year TOT one Of the | most responsible tasks in the govern ment service.
 Campaigning with a president, es- pecially with the present President, is dusty work, as the three secret ser vice men. James Sloan. Jr., Lucien c. Wheeler, and Richard l.. Jervfs. known familiarly as Jimmie" "Jack'' and Dick" who continually guard Taft, can testify.
 That is because President Taft loves to campaign in an automobile The three secret service men always fol- low in a car immediately behind the Presidents Taft usually speeds, but there is no chance for the secret service car to drop back to avoid the dust. It is their duty to keep the President always in view, and the re- sulS is that at the end of a strenuous autoing day the secret service men are plastered with dust and oil
 All three secret service men are par ticular dressers. When they came into a hotel in New York the other day in an auto following Taft through New Jersey, they put their shoes out into the hall to be cleaned up. Next morning the three of them rang tran tically for their shoes. But a search of the hotel failed to find the missing footwear. The bellhop, judging from the Shoes appearance after day in New Jersey dust. had thrown them away.