The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1849-12-21
sam storms Letter about organizing the
House.
10 the Editor Of the alligator Democrat,
StOrmspiLle, Keniucku.

StOrmspiIIe, Kentucky:
Sin; came on here to get Aunt Polly's pension,
by way of paying expenses, and to see Congress
by way of farming something about things in CINE
raj / find, however, that / am like TO be flscated
IN both particulars, for they won't pay out till
Congress is horganized, and Congress won't do it.
Yet there is something to be larned here worth
mans money in coming on, provided he get
enough out Of the pension to get home again.
Don't believe there's man in our parts who knows
what's meant by horganixing the House. line the
boy what's seen the thing, and tell you all about it,
Well, to begin, must go little back of that, as
lawyer Johnson says, and, in the first place. de-
scribe the premises The place they call the House
Is no house, but big room inside. But before go
at the reorganization, must tell you what kind Of
a room II Is. II is neither square nor round, nor
long or short, but kind of all these mixed up; and
when one gets in you can't tell how you got there,
nor how to get out again. This is not all my own
sentiments, for heard member say, "The Lord
only knew how he got there" But, to be particu-
lar, it looks for all the world like mighty big half
bushel cut square off on side, with painted
beehive over head which has a hole in the top to
let in light One feels while setting in the gallery,
like fly sticken to the ceiling of meeting house,
what don't know whether he is inside or out About
way on the square side, there's mighty grand
a
eagle, what looks as if he had half notion to fly
off with the whole consarn. believe he'll do it,
too if they don't make haste to put somebody in to
keep it down.
This here fixin they call cheer, but it looks to
me more like setten-down pulpit, with the dea-
cons seats in front. The whole consarnment of
the inside house is enclosed with high board
fence, like race-course, which, suppose, is meant
10 keep the members In or the constables out, am
not certain which.
When got in-Lord only knows how-what
they call the gentlemen's gallery, (Which you must
not suppose means gentlemen betwixt man and
man, but only in opposition TO women,) the first
thing see and heard was man standing behind
the deacon's chair calling out names, just like
sargent ON mqster-day, except that no body
swered to his own name, but hollered back some
body else's. For example, when the back of
the deacons seat sung out s'Joshua Giddens'' Mr..
Giddens holered back civilian j. Brown" Eve
ry body laughed at this. thought Mr. Giddens
was only hooking the deacon's man by way of
making, as one of the members said, &c little tom
foolery."
Not knowing what all this calling of names
meant, made bold to ask old gentleman who
sat near me what they were at down there.
Stranger, said he, perceive you ignorant of
parliamentary proceedings, and ! will with plea
sure enlghten you. Them gentlemen down there
are the representatives elect, not yet in of
the thirty sovereign States of this confederacy and
they are now engaged in horganizing the House
according to the Constitution. Horganizing the
House, repeated what's that To horganize the
House, said he, is to place in that there
chair-pointing to the setting down pulpit That's
it, Ell! then why don't them are fellows standing
here lint AZ he
mems gallery, just pick up some likely man and
carry him up them steps and chuck him right into
that setting place, and not be keeping old lacks
message back, and stopping all the widows pen
sions, including aunt Poly's? Stranger, said
the old man, don't know where you were raised
not in old Virginny, am You have
read the resolutions Of 49, Father Ritchey's pa
per, called the Union l tell you, young man, that
the great principle of majorites lies at the founda-
ton Of free institutions, and that it will take
one hundred and fourteen members, which is
clear majority of the House, to put man into that
there chair,
Mister, said ], you completely me wi tn your
larnin'. As to your 9S resolutions, never read
one of them, and don't mean to- makes my own
resolutions and keeps them not, as please,
which consider rale American liberty. And as
to its taking one hundred and fourteen men
To put one man into that there cheer, it's all gamen
and characterization. tell you what, my old
cock, I'll bet you one half of Aunt Pollys pension
which is all to have for my pains in getting it,
that if that there deacon's roll-caller down there
will just sing out my name, " Sam Storms, of
Stormve, Alligator county, old Kentucky" I'll
pitch down into that enclosure and put the biggest
there, Dixon Lewis being gone, into that
there cheer before you say one of your '9s
resolutions. What's the use, said for had got
excited-whats the use of making all this d
Justification Just like a swarm of bees in revolu-
ton, when the queen is dead, and they can't make
another right off, because the varmints can't agree
upon nothing but singing each other, but after a
while to their senses, and do it for the love Of
the honey. Here lost breath by my excitement,
when my old friend cut in and said, " Bees are
royalists more than that, they are unionists; tce
are republican confederatonists. Jus then new
justification in the House took my attention. What's
going on now' said /. Hush, said he; they're going
to put Speaker in the cheer, and mistake, this
time. Sure enough, one hundred and ten men had
shouldered teller by the name of Bill jackson
Brown, and were histing him up towards the soften
place. II seemed TO be strainin' work, thought for
light material; but they didn't all hist together
when they got TO the steps there little fain'
back like, as if they couldn't quite come it. "Hold
on above there" cried one "'tend TO the bracings
below there" shouted another. But Brown up
TO the predicament; he had been at raisin' be-
fore, guess for he just beckoned 10 one man, and
winked at another, who stood off little, lookn'
on, much to say, can't you lend hand at this
rasin'? The two fellers jumped forward, if they
had only waited to be axed one laid hold Of
Browns legs, and the tother little higher up.
"Thats your sorts, said i "thcm fellers goat like
hired hands who work for something besides Wit
tells and drink You've come il now, Mr.. Brown"
No you don't tho, quite; for, no sooner had the
two new hands hitched in, than three old ones
hitchcd out, letting go of Browns under timbers,
as il he had needles in his trousers which commo-
ton threw the raisin out of the pcrpendicular-a
little pitchin' towards the south side of the
house. 'Hold on TO the bracins," cried man on
the west side. "Union, now never shouted a
Teller on the east. 'Stand from under, ;" hallowed
n respectable individual from the North The ham
came Just in time to save many valuable lives,
for down come the whole tctotle commencement