The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-03-01
The Senate Pages
BY FREDERICK J. HAskif

WASHINGTON, March 1.-The lit
tie boye one sees sitting on the double
steps of the rostrum, at the feet CT
the vice president in the United States
senate chamber, are the senate pages.
Bright-faced, cheerful. manly little fell
lows, they wait daily upon the coun-
try's statesmen, Republican and Demo
crat alike. They are as sharp as Il
keen steel blade, quick as lightning,
ready and willing to fetch for the
north and tote for the south, making
the most of their term with wary
young eye turned toward the future.
These pages have rather enviable
position for small boys, being appoint
ed by the senators for a term of four
years at salary of So 80 per diem and
a bonus. They enter at the age of II
and leave at 16, provision being made
by the senate for them to attend night
school; thus for four years they are in
a position to acquire most intimate
knowledge of political economy; OF
being able to study and learn some
thing of the art of oratory under the
best masters; of being acquainted with
the country's statesmen and hearing
their opinions publicly expressed, and
of coming into intimate contact with
public life.
Their pastimes and sports fill an i'm
portant part in their terms; they have
their football eleven and their base
ball nine, and last year were the proud
and triumphant winners of the silver
cup given by Senator Mccormick for
both those sports in competition with
the pages OF the house of representa-
tives. At Christmas time it is the
custom of the vice president to give
the boys a dinner, which is held with
all the dignity of grown-up function,
there being no end of regular grown
up toasts and lengthy after-dinner
speeches given and enjoyed by the
participants. When Leland Stanford
sat in the senate chamber he present
ed each boy with a five dollar bill at
the Yuletide and dinner at his homo
followed by a performance given by
hired talent to entertain his little
guests. AS parting souvenir of suca
evenings, a gift of cuff buttons or
some other small article designed to
delight the heart of the growing youth.
is presented to each page. In spring,
when the outdoors is calling, the cir
Gus comes to town. A senator always
provides the tickets and the pink LEM
onade for all of the pages, and there
is a happy expedition to the big top.
All Collect Signatures.
Nearly every one of the pages treas
ures an autograph album. These con-
| tain nearly, if not all, of the signatures
of the great men of the present day in
official life.
The favorite pastime is mock SEES
sion of the senate, when the pages are
allowed the use of the senate chamber
on days when the senate is not meet
/ ing, and sometimes in the mornings OF
meeting days. The most important.
legislation ever brought before this
body of junior solons is n bill to write
| into the statutes provision for increas
| ing the salaries of the senate pages
many fold. One page presides in
the vice presidents chair, and the se2
sion is carried on in a serious way
| Visitors who drift into the galleries
j during these sessions invariably are Sc
interested that they will stay to the
close, astonished at the oratorica
gifts displayed by some of the lads
While this is only an amusement tt
the boys, they are gathering pres