"Hello, 80, Smoke?" Aldermen of Every Type In the City Council. By ERNEST McCAFFEY Export Tells of Wide Range In Ability. Character, Y duties as a Mannerisms, etc., ITI member of the Of the Men Who noard of Local Im- Rfpresent tho People Locally- provenients, and, How Prestige Is afterwards, as Cal led by being * mayor's secretary, L J brought mo daily in contact with vari ous members of the city council. This "body had for some years previous to TUV sudden elevation to office enjoyed the reputation of being "out for the stuff." Not that there were no honest men in the council —far from it—but there was a clique of men in it who managed, one way and another, to"put •over" ordinances which carried with them the strong suspicion of being ■"crooked." By cajolery, by party lean ings, by straight-out bribery, by trick ery and by many other methods there had been "smooth work" done, with out a doubt. But that day had passed. In my official existence the council had an honest majority. Of course when 1 say honest, I do not mean to accuse each individual alderman of be ing honest. But one thing can be said for evary individual of them, they ■were as honest as their constituents. They suited their wards, and if an al derman would not hesitate to "take &is bit" whenever he got a chance, you may rest assured that his "constits" ■were of the same caliber. It was intensely interesting to watch the different methods they employed to gain a favor If they wanted one; and they usually did. Sometimes it ■was the hail-fellow-well-met salutation of "Hello, Bo," or "llow are you, pal?" from the free and easy kind, or the pouter-pigeon assumption of impor tance of others as they stated their •wishes. Occasionally a cigar was ■handed out, but when they found I <l!d not smoke, this avenue of approach ■was abandoned. There was a leaven in the council of aldermen of genuine ability, lawyers, ■business men, politicians, who really mad© up the backbone of the body. They were usually the heads of the most Important committees, and were wot only good talkers, but men of af fairs, executive ability, thinkers and workers. But these men could be numbered within a score of the 70 members. It spoke well for the frankness of the predatory class among the alder men that they thoroughly respected ability, steadfastness and honesty. You could hear one alderman who was sup posed to be "no better than he should be," break out Into praise of some oth er alderman whose reputation was ■flawless. I remember my amusement on one of these occasions. One of the aldermen, giving vent to his feel ings about honesty, remarked: "Yes, air, I like an honest man. Give me an honest man. Give me one that will stay honest. I don't mean merely mon «y honesty, but outside and inside hon ■esty." Then he added rather irrelevant ly: "There's so and so, (referring to a certain well-known and justly hon ored alderman) he's the only honest man in the council." Very Ignorant and generally newly elected members of the council had an Idea that everything was "graft" and that a flve-cent cigar was the open sesame of the city hall, and that the mayor's secretary was a person age of secretly great power—which he was not, in my time. So they might be ■expected any time to drag in a wild «*ed looking "constlt," ask for me, shove a cheap black cigar Into my hand, in troduce the "constlt" as a most par ticular friend, and then ask to have a city ordinance violated, or a state law abrogated, or the constitution of the United States set aside for the benefit of the said "constlt." As for the mayor, these fellows did not be lieve there was anything on earth he •could not do If he wanted to. In the council you could hear more varieties of oratory than Demosthenes <?ver dreamed of. Some of the alder men were "wind-jammers," making a 'bellowing, frothing harangue, such as they were in the habit of making In their campaigns, but outside of their admirers in the gallery, they never amounted to anything. This body of 70 men, mind you, was shrewd as the very devil. They knew "hot air," when they heard it, and the "bunk," the "con," the specious argument, was something they detected instantly. Kvon the most ordinary among them had been educated in the school of men, and while they might be induced now and then to sell a gold brick, it "was against their principles to buy one. Of wit, there was enough and to spare. Sometimes a coarse kind, sometimes biting and keen. Two or three of the aldermen were pleasant to listen to, for they always prepared • themselves for their efforts and were very clear and terse in their state ments. One of them In particular was very happy in his way of stating A proposition. He never wasted a word, and when he was through the council understood the situation ex actly. Others floundered painfully about, knowing what they wanted, but word-bound as to vocabulary and slow In thinking on their feet. Some of them were thorough parliamentarians, and would remorselessly tangle up an opponent to gain an advantage. The helpless look of a new alderman when his motloa, or order, or request was «i<ta-tracked by mean* of parliament* . ary rules, when he was just going to make or had just finished an impas sioned speech about It, was something j Instructive; and unique. There was always the ordeal of "learning the ropes," for every incom ing alderman who had not served be fore in the council. This meant finding out about the regular order of busi ness, learning how to draw and pre sent orders and ordinances, and in general to get acquainted with the council's method of carrying on its business. It usually took an alderman about a year to get himself familiar with these things, so that his first * two-year term meant actually one 0 year which would be of any public value. On any night when there was to be a hot contest over any particular or ' dinance the galleries would be crowd ed. and police stationed there to pre vent disorder. The respective cham pions of the different sides would be ' aloft, and they would cheer wildly at tho speeches made for their various \ sides. Sometimes it was necessary to | clear the galleries on account of the uproar, but usually a ferocious ham -3 merlng of the mayor's ga el, and a threat to clear, was enough to hold j the galleries in tolerable check. There » were old-timers who always came to the council gallery, just as people at tend the theaters, for the excitement, ? and to hear the speeches. These old timers were usually on the alert for a ■ reformer, especially if he had the gift of biting sarcasm, and fluent and so ; norous oratory. When this was the ' case the clans would gather and cheer their champion on. | Under the mayor's raised platform the reading clerk and the city clerk and his assistants sat, and below them the newspaper men were ranged in a half moon at the writing desks. The , pages came and went with messages and papers, and the sergeant-at-arms, who had nothing at all in the world to | do but "chew tobacco and draw a hundred dollars a month" salary, lounged easily around the outskirts. To the right, and raised from the ; council floor, was a set of reserved seats placed there for visitors, par ticularly ladies. There was usually something on hand that interested them, the piece de resistance in my 1 time being a cigarette ordinance, which came and went and was mauled ' over and sent to committees and gen erally hopscotched and battledored and shuttle-cocked from one year to ■ another. But its lady champions were always on hand, alert and determined, and apparently undiscouraged and In -1 discourageable. ' There was such a thing as alder manic "courtesy," both in the way the aldermen addressed one another, and In extending privileges to each other during the sessions of the council. They never thought of disgracing the council chamber as the senate and the house of representatives has oc casionally disgraced itself. Personal encounters were unknown, and I never even heard the word "liar" exchanged, as I have in the courtrooms and else where. There was plenty of dignity in this respect, although the irre pressibility of the "kidders" was al ways in evidence. The "kidders" were those aldermen who had made a repu tation in that line in their various wards, and who rarely lost an oppor tunity to raise a laugh at the expense of an opponent. And as ridicule is so potent as a weapon, tho "kidders" often won by a joke what a solid argu ment would never have gained. All aldermen who have an eye to re-election, and most of them have, are as tenacious as snapplng-turtles for the improvement and benefit of their respective wards. To "bo good y|LJj n | J Galleries Would Be Crowded. to your ward" was to be pood to your self. A few electric lights here and there, an improvement In the way or paved streets where your "constits" wanted it, or a paving proposition knocked out if they did not want It (no matter if it waa needed badly) was just so much strength for the al derman in the next campaign. Then there was the ward "appropriation" to be fought for in the council. The big ger the appropriation the more money to spend for hiring men and getting in improvements. So an alderman who could get a large appropriation for his ward was a hero with "medals to distribute." Round about the council chamber were always lobbyists and spectators who were interested in the passage of some order or ordiaanc®, and ex-ald»r- CAMERON COUNTY PRESS, THURSDAY OCTOBER i, 1908. ! men and city officials more or lea* lip terested In the proceedings. Sorns times a visitor from somo neighboring city occupied a seat alongside the mayor, and watched the proceedings. To rule successful!) such a body of men required executive ability of a high order, and judicial fairness. The slightest symptom of "playing favor ites" would get a mayor into hot wa ter instantly. The aldermen wanted a man in the chair who knew his busi ness and who would give a fair hear ing to any question which arose. Dur '*ig my time the council was "with" mayor. That is, they entirely r»- b,.w \ and trusted him, although of course they did not all like him. But they never openly or secretly accused him of any favoritism, and they had confidence in his judgment and opin ions. It was common knowledge, that at the conclusion of four successive terms, no appeal had been mado from any one of his rulings to the body of Some of tho Aldermen Were "Wind- Jammers." the council. And never during these terms had any veto of his been nulli fied by being afterward voted down. It was a remarkable record. It was a record that justified the council In giving him a grand farewell banquet by the entire body, and showing that i party preference had no weight in de termining questions of Individual ex cellence. Aldermen quite frequently voted against one another even when from the same ward. AB there were two from each ward, and often one Demo crat and one Republican, there was sometimes shrewd rivalry as to which should most nearly suit the constitu ency. A new alderman was elected every year and one alderman "held over," the terms being for two years, and elections for the "incomer" being held each spring. Whenever a very Important or dinance came up, it was a battle roy al. The measure had always been first offered and then referred to com mittee, and then discussed and threshed out in tho newspapers. Mass meetings in the various wards had been held, and a good many of the al dermen had been publicly and private ly "feeling" out their "constita." Com mittee meetings sometimes were held in public, and even witnesses and experts examined as to the whys and wherefores of the proposed measure. Of course the champions of both the measure itself and the opposite side had been busy log-rolling, persuading, threatening, writing letters, denounc ing, praising, and otherwise making things lively, and aldermen by singles and doubles and In groups had been discussing the ordinance with the mayor and various heads of depart > ments. When the night came to take up such an important measure there was a sort of invisible feeling of war fare in the air. The "gallery gods" hung far over the railing and front seats were at a premium. All the reserved seats were occupied, and even the empty space behind waa jammed with spectators. The door keeper was on the alert to keep out the mob that surged to get in after the gallery was filled. The officers in the gallery had been increased in number and admonished as to keeping order. Special newspaper represent ation was present and photographers fully bent on taking all sorts of j ghastly "snap shots" were on hand. And when the proceedings com- | menced, after the perfunctory roll- ! call and waiving of the reading of the j minutes of the last meeting, there was j "something doing" from start to fln- j ish. It was then, at times, that the ; men grew bitter. Crimination and re- | crimination were bandied back and forth, and real ginger was injected in to the speeches, charges and counter charges. Yet even then some witty retort would occasionally clear the at mosphere. "Don't ever ask me for any more money to help out the party," said one indignant young alderman of pa ternally-descended wealth, "if that is your vote," pointing his finger scorn fully at a certain alderman who had accumulated large gobs of filthy lucre by means of the contracting route. Tho retort came as quick as light ning: "Oh, I guess I've got as much money as you have, and I didn't in herlt it, either." It was a solar plexls, and the dis comfited and youthful alderman sank back in his seat amid Uie howls of the gallery. ERNEST M'OAPFBT. (Coyyrltht, 1901, Ujr Jo»epfc Jfe u* feu 112 Washington^Whisperings W ♦ Interetting Bits of News Gathered at the National Capital. WU >■»■■»»•♦ + Capital Hostesses Fear the Election 112 W?\ mdA? WASHINGTON. —What will become | of Mr. Roosevelt's "nice young ! men" if Mr. Bryan is ejected? This problem is really giving serious con cern to the pleasant, and notably the dinner-giving aliens sojourning tempo rarily "in our midst." It seems an odd sort of thing to worry about, but Washington is an odd sort of place, unlike other cities in many of its as pects, and its residents, both perma nent and flitting, have anxieties and responsibilities unknown to urban dwellers where the social population is less transient and changing than It is here. Hostesses aver that a shortage ex ists in Washington of presentable young men who can be called upon at short notice to fill vacancies at a dinner table, in the face of an eager demand, Mr. Roosevelt has done much toward creating an available and vis ible supply. Diplomatic and official society has taken most kindly to Mr. Roosevelt's importations. They are commonly spoken of as the president's "nice young men." The possibility of their New Record in Timber Cut Established FIGURES of the lumber cut in 1907, compiled by the bureau of census and the forest service, showed the largest total ever reported in the United States, exceeding * by over seven per cent, the cut reported for 1906, until then the record year. This does not necessarily show a larger actual cut than in 1906, for the re turns obtained last year were more complete than ever before. The fig ures disclose some interesting facts. In 1907 28,850 mills made returns, and their production was over forty billion feet of lumber. This is be lieved to include 95 per cent, of the actual cut. In 1906 22,398 mills re ported about thirty-seven and one-half billion feet. Since, according to these figures, nearly 29 per cent, more mills reported last year than the year be fore, while the increase In production was a little over seven per cent., it Diplomatic Row Is Recalled by Death THE recent death in London of Lionel Sackville Sackville-West, second Baron Sackville, recalls the diplomatic row which resulted in his dismissal as minister to this country. Lord Sackville was born in 1827. He was British minister to the United States from 1881 to 1888, being dis missed by President Cleveland in Oc- , tober of the latter year. Lord Sackvilie's dismissal by Cleve land practically endad his diplomatic career, for since 18S8 he was never intrusted with any important diplo matic mission. He lived quietly the i life of a country gentleman and sel- 1 dom appeared in London society. He i always retained a grudge against i America and Americans, and it was i his custom to avoid any meetings with I travelers from this side. t Congress May Take Up Hazing Cases ifoix ARMY Officers and at least one prom inent civilian official of the war department expect the disposition of the cadet hazing cases to result in the creation of a jolly row in congress next winter. They base their belief upo« the fact that the six cadets sus pended for a year were never found guilty of anything other than hazing, for which the only penalty is expul sion. The query lias teen going around among officers who think the six should have been dismissed as to what answer Secretary Wright will make when congress asks by what authority those cadets were suspended. Such an inquiry is firmly expected. Assistant Secretary Oliver, it is well known at the war department, does not agree with his superior as to the wisdom of the action taken by him. Gen. Oliver took great pleasure departure for other fields of activity outside of Washington, and becoming actual, though obscure, workers in the vineyard, is viewed with alarm. Toward the end of the winter ap prehension was expressed at many dinner tables lest Mr. Bryan came to Washington, bringing with bim in subordinate capacities youths from the corn and hog-raising 6tates who might be addicted to the prudent usage of mashing their peas. Over the imminence of this dire possibility there has been a sad shak ing of heads. Active and persistent dinner-givers in the diplomatic, cab inet and senatorial "sets," as well aa among the merely rich people, who in increasing numbers are making Wash ington a place of resort in the winter months, have found Mr. Roosevelt's "nice young men" almost a necessity in making their social plans for enter tainment and amusement. In any event, it is realized that the tennis cabinet, as such, is doomed. It will dissolve into its constituent elements and fade away from the scene of Washington activities, social, political and sporting, after March 4 next. Whether Mr. Taft or Mr. Bryan Is elected, the tennis court in the rear of the executive offices seems certain to become once more a flower bed for the display of geometrical figures of early blooming crocuses or a play ground for children. might be thought that the amount actually manufactured must have been greater in the earlier year. This, how ever, would be a too hasty inference, for it is almost wholly among mills of small individual output that the gain in the number of establishments reporting has been made. Before the year closed the general business depression was severely felt in the lumber industry. It was not, however, the most important cause of a falling off in the production of the year where a falling off occurred. For decline in production took place only in certain regions. The south 1B the region of greatest activity in lum ber production, and yellow pine the most Important wood, forming 33 per cent, of the entire cut of the country. The cut of yellow pine reported shows an increase of 13 per oeot. over that of 1906. In the early part of the year many of the mills cut so heavily that, in spite of the curtailed output which followed the business disturbance later, the total was great er than ever before. But in both the lake states and the northwest a smaller cut was reported than for 1906, though the number of mills re porting increased. A few years ago Lord Sackville created a sensation by publishing a pamphlet, for private circulation among his friends, in which he vindi cated his diplomatic work in the United States. The newspapers ob tained a copy of this publication. In It Lord Sackville explained with much picturesque detail that the trap into which he fell in this city was a Fenian conspiracy; *that the Fenian organiza tion harassed him during his residence in America, kept spies after him and plotted to assassinate him. Few of the diplomat's friends took this story seriously. Most of them regarded it as the imaginings of a disappointed old man who was brooding upon what he considered his wrongs. The minister was given his pass ports by the presidont after his recall had been requested by the American government, which request was not acted upon by the British government. The occasion of the diplomat's dis grace was that he had been trapped into writing a letter, written as he supposed to an Englishman, favoring the re-election of Cleveland. This let ter was used against the president. in announcing that the president had closed the case by approving the find ing of guilty and directing their dis missal. He left Washington, thinking that the case had been closed and that the order dismissing the cadets would be issued as a mere matter of routine. He did all he considered nec essary to bring about such an ending. When the papers came to him he for warded them to the president. When 1 they came back indorsed with the president's approval, Gen. Oliver an nounced the fact. So did Secretary Loeb. Both were invited to join the Ananias club. Secretary Wright es caped by saying that when he spoke of the finding as having been approved he spoke without having personal knowledge simply assuming the re ports given out by Acting Secretary Oliver and Secretary Loeb to have been accurate. The understanding here is that Con gressmen from the districts in which the cadets live will Introduce bills au thorizing the president to restore the dismissed cadets to the academy and take the order of suspension from the six who were found guilty of one thing and punished for something not sped lied in an accurate manner. j ' AVOID RISK IN BUYING J AINT. Yon fal;e a fjcod doal of ilak If you | buy white load without having abso lute assurance as to its purity and quality. You know white lead is often adulterated, often misrepresented. But theid's no need at all to take any chances. The"L tch Hoy Paint er" trade mark of the National Lead Company, Ihe largest makers of gen uine white lead, on a package of White Lead, is a positive guarantee of purity and quality. It's as depend able as the Dollar Sign. If you'll write the National Lead Company, Wood bridge Bldg., New York City, they will send you a simple and cer tain outfit for testing white lead, and a valuable book on paint, free. Close Quarters, The following extract from a letter of thanks is cherished by its recipient: "The beautiful clock you sent ua came in perfect condition, and is now in the parlor on top of the book shelves, # where we hope to see you soon, and your husband, also, if he I can make it convenient." Much Safer Size. Mistress —Are you not rather small for a nurse? Nurse—No, indeed, madam! Th« children don't fall so far when I drop them! —Stray Stories. HELPFUL ADVICE You won't tell your family doctor the whole story about your private illness you re too modest. You need not be afraid to tell Mrs. Pink ham, at Lynn, Mass., the things you could not explain to the doctor. Your letter will be held in the strictest con fidence. 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Pink ham's Vegetable Compound, made from roots and herbs, has been the standard remedy for female ills, and has positively cured thousands of women who have been troubled with displacements, inflammation, ulcera tion, fibroid tumors, irregularities, periodic pains, backache, that bear inc-down feeling, flatulency, indiges tion, dizziness,orne rvous prostration. ' W. I/. Dongla* tnaVes and nHliTmore men'i §3.00 nnd S3.fiO shoes than any other manufacturer In the world, be cause they hold their shape, lit better, and wear longer than any other make. Shoe* fit All Prices, for Every Member of th§, Family, Men, Boyi, Women, Misses & Children W.L.DonglM 94.00 and 90.00 Oilt Edge Shoe* cannot be equalled at any prloe. W. L. Doufla* $2.00 and 93.00 sfcpae mi the b«ct In the world JFart Color JKuAlet* JCjccluilveTtf. CrTikkf Mo rtuhrtltute. W. L. lJuuglas name and prloe Is stamped on bottom. Sold everywhere. Shoes mailed from factory to any part of the world. Catalovne free. w. L. 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Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers