The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-05-14
Our Washington Correspondence.
WASHINGTON, May IL, 1854.

WASHINGTON, May H. 1854.
Midnight Scenes ia The House of Representatives.
We have fallen upon pleasant days in Washing
ton. The hall of the popular branch Of the national
legislature is the centre if not of attraction at least
of comicality Of the drollest order. For twenty
four successive hours that dignifed body has been
engaged in the highly important and deeply in
terestng business Of calling the yeas and nays on
every conceivable motion. and to all appearance 1t
will be necessary to call in reserve OF clerks with
sound lungs and stentorian voices to continue the
operation, as the gentlemen who have been engaged
in il since yesterday have like some superannuated
cdaaticcS, lost their sweet voices for time, and
require repose. Now, an honorable member rises
in his seat, and moves that the House adjourn ;
then another honorable member moves that when
the House adjourn it adjourn to meet on Monday !;
and then, still another that there be call Of
the House-and the yeas and nays are ordered to
be taken on each Of these motions. That operation
generally consumes from twenty to twenty-five
minutes; and as these three motions OF themselves
can be kept up in rotary movement ad hb,tum, it
is thus in the power Of the minority to impede and
battle regular legislation. There is occasionally
some variation in the question to be voted upon,
which prevents the proceedings from becoming too
monotonous. For instance, member asks to be
excused from voting, and on that the yeas and
nays are ordered. The chair, perhaps, rules that
the motion to be excused is not in order, and to
that decision appeal is taken, and the in
teresting process OF testing the sentiment of the
House on that important point is gone through.
And so, varying the question from time to time
in these constitutional points, and occasionally
having bit of fun from some of the sly jo&ers,
the game is kept up as If it were the pleasantest
pastme that ever children of smaller or larger
growth INDUCED in.
IL, nJa If hayo
of the Nebraska bill STAYED off the issue for the last
twenty-four hours. When the House met yesterday,
the Chairman OF the Committee on Territories moved
that all debate the bill should close at IL o'clock
on Friday, and on that asked the previous question:
shutting off all discussion on the notion The lead
Of the opposition suggested to make it to end
Thursday of next week, so as to afford fair chance
for all members desiring to express their views
the bill to do So There are two hundred and thirty
four members in the House, and, as general thing,
all are DESTROYS to put on record their views, for or
against. But, as yet, not one-fourth have had
chance OF doing so and it was on behalf of the
other three-fourths that an extension OF time was
solicited The Pacific Railroad bill comes up under
special order on Tuesday, but q general consent
would have been given to its postponement for
another week. The friends Of the bill, however, re-
fusng to accede to that proposition, its opponents
resolved to put in practice all the parliamentary
tactics which would enable them to procrastinate
the consideration Of the bill indefinitely. And then
began the amusing one act farce which has been in
course of performance for the past twenty-four
hours, and which, in all probability, will not ap.
proach its denoueneat until Tuesday morning, when
as said the Pacific Railroad bill comes up, and the
Nebraska bill must be laid aside.
The scenes in the House during the course Of the
night were highly interesting. Some members who
could not resist the stealthy entertainments Of the
every possible attitude. Some lucky fellows got
possession of the dozen or more sofas ranged
outsi lie of the bar, and slept in comparative
comfort; others stretched themselves on the thick
velvet carpet, and and anon, got up to answer
to their names others contented themselves for
want of better accommodation by assuming the or
binary attitude of sitting in their chairs with their
feet on the desks. One honorable and comcal gen.
tleman, hailing from Alabama, stretched his long
figure right upon of the desks and with his hat
over his face snatched brief gmpses of the land of
dreams gallant member from Phila lelphia, who
was not one of the watchers started up on one occa
sion, and asked to have his vote recorded. Was the
gentleman within the bar of the House ~ asked the
speaker "bcfore the second name after his own was
calledF' 81 was asleep, Mr.. Speaker" retorted the
colonel, amid loud laughter. and Weakened before
the second name was called" 1t was thought by
the Speaker that the rule applied, and the gentle
mans vote was recorded. Nike Walsh suggested to
the colonel, as he was again sitting himself to re-
pose, that he had better declare half dozen votes
in advance. But as under strict construction OF
parliamentary law, there were doubts as to the le-
gality Of that proceeding, the suggestion was not
acted on.
While Morpheus possessed respectable number
OF sacriccls III the LEGISLATIVE ranks, there was an
other equally potent divinity worshippcd by Chris
tian and Pagan alike, who in no sense neglect
ed. Corks were drawn to his honor in great num-
bcrs, plenteous libatons were offered on his altar
and the smoke Of the fragrant weed pufed forth
in volume sufficient to satisfy even Turkish Bac-
chus Pages were reckless in the general license &C
corded, and mischevously tormented the troubled
drcamers dexterousy attaching long cords to their
ankles and pulling them by main force out Of their
visions and off their benches; and, to cap the eli
max, quartette of literary gentlemen might be
seen in the corner, squatting, Ia IWque, and in
dulging in the intellectual game Of cold sedge"
and the gas gave way to the light of day, and Au
rora, in all her May-day beauty, peeped in on the
unwonted sight, and beheld the jaded legislators
persistng in the game of yeas and nays; and when,
pop in their sweet faces their olfactory nerves were
RECALLED with an odor which must have promptly
suggested the necessity of de cologne quick
retreat YEA AND NAY.